Honda Fit Steering Rack Overhaul (Bushing, Inner Tie Rods & Official Torques)

With the parking brake engaged, break the front wheel lug nuts loose, raise the Fit at the front center jacking point specified in the manual (using a rubber/wood pad so you do not damage the floor), support the car on two sturdy jack stands, and remove the wheels.

Stick a strip of masking tape on the windshield listing every point to be unbolted (wheels, sway bar links, tie rod ends, U-joint, ball joints, inner tie rods, subframe, and connectors). Wear safety glasses under the car to keep debris out of your eyes.

Inside the cabin under the dashboard, remove the two plastic screws on the lower cover by hand or with needle-nose pliers to expose the steering column U-joint. Before loosening any bolt, set the wheels straight ahead and make alignment marks with a center punch or scribe linking the rack pinion shaft to the U-joint and upper column.

Remove the two identical 10 mm U-joint bolts. Vital rule: with the U-joint disconnected, never turn the steering wheel so you do not snap the internal airbag/horn ribbon (clock spring).

In the wheel well, remove the outer tie rod end nut and press out the tapered stud with the tie rod end puller without hammering the threads or tearing the boot. Next, disconnect the lower end of the sway bar link from the stabilizer bar by holding the stud with a 5 mm Allen and turning the nut with a 17 mmwrench.

Finally, remove the lower ball joint castle nut. If the taper is stubbornly seized (especially on cold days below 10 °C), apply WD-40 and gently warm the steering knuckle with a heat gun before giving it a side tap — in the video, heat released the ball joint immediately.

Unplug the two electrical connectors on the EPS rack (one power and one signal/sensor plug, being careful not to stretch the wires while lowering). Remove the bolt from the rear engine mount (which only limits engine roll; the engine remains supported by the two side mounts).

Support the subframe on the floor jack, remove the 4 main bolts (17 mm / 19 mm — note that the rear bolts are longer than the front ones), lower slowly while guiding the U-joint free at the top, and slide the assembly (~30 kg) out through the driver-side wheel well.

Wash all grease and road grit off the subframe outside the car (in the video, with Vonixx Impact 5:1 and detergent). Before loosening the outer tie rod ends, hold the shaft with a 14 mmwrench, loosen the 19 mm jam nut, and count the exact turns as you unscrew them (in the video: 21,5 turns on the right and 19,5 on the left).

Remove the boots (if intact, wash them for reuse) and unthread the inner tie rods using a 22 mm wrench counter-holding the rack bar and a 30/32 mm wrench on the inner tie rod body.

Video pro tip: instead of struggling to release the 3 bushing locking tabs while the rack is bolted to the subframe, remove the 14 mm bolts securing the rack to the crossmember and take the clean rack over to the bench vise.

Slide the rack bar toward the opposite side, release the 3 tabs with a thin flat-blade screwdriver, pull out the cracked bushing (real dimensions measured with a caliper: OD 29,74 mm, height 15 mm, ID 23,7 mm), generously grease the rack teeth and shaft, compress the locking tabs of the new Auto Flag bushing with a hose clamp, and push it in straight using a 22 mm socket until it clicks into all three holes. Immediate result: zero play!

Clean the internal threads of the rack bar with contact cleaner, apply threadlocker , and install the new inner tie rods (Viemar 6802111 right / 680313 left) torqued to 7,5 kgf·m while counter-holding the rack bar with the 22 mm wrench. Bolt the rack back onto the crossmember (4,5 kgf·m and 5,0 kgf·m).

Reinstall the boots with the new clamps, apply a light coat of copper grease to the outer threads (so they do not seize with rust during alignment), and thread the tie rod ends back on by the exact number of turns recorded.

Clean both EPS connectors with contact cleaner, balance the assembly on the floor jack, and raise it while aligning the interior U-joint splines with the marks made at the start. Start the 4 subframe bolts by hand (snugged only, no final torque yet) and reinstall the rear engine mount bolt.

Do not forget: reconnect both electric power steering plugs before lowering the car!

Apply the confirmed torques with a torque wrench: outer tie rod end at 4,4 kgf·m, sway bar link at 3,9 kgf·m, lower ball joint between 5,0 and 6,0 kgf·m (aligning the cotter pin hole), and interior U-joint at 2,8 kgf·m (28 N·m).

Mount the wheels, rest the car on blocks/floor with its weight on the tires (and the safety jack 1 cm below the subframe), and apply the final torque of 9,0 to 9,5 kgf·m to the subframe bolts and 11 kgf·m to the wheel lug nuts.

Double-check the entire masking-tape checklist (including outer tie rod jam nuts and EPS connectors) before driving. If you notice a slight initial click in the U-joint when steering while stationary, slightly loosen the two 10 mm bolts, turn the wheel lock-to-lock to seat the splines, and re-torque to 2,8 kgf·m — in the video, the click vanished immediately.

On the cobblestone street test, the old "samba school" rattle disappeared completely. Finish by taking the car for a wheel alignment and geometry check at a specialist shop.