steering linkage boot/bellow easy replace?
 

hi all been a while which is good but just so happened as you do to look into the wheel arch with my steering wheel full lock to right and as you can see from pic the steering below is cracked flaked to bits, tried as best i could to patch up with gorilla tape until i get a repair (max heat it can take is 80c so wont alst long) ...didnt really see any grease flung anywhere so must be combination of this ahppening recently and there not being much grease in the below anyway....



Any ideas how major it is to get a new boot on? and will i need alignment done after this? any replies much appreciated

from your second picture, it appears that the rack is already leaking fluid. The boot is there to prevent road grime from getting into the rack. The boot is not to retain the PS fluid. Looks like you need to rebuild the rack or replace the rack. Too bad you are not in the USA, I have a spare rack that is not leaking that I could have sold you.

@upallnight, appreciate reply, second pic is of the damaged boot wrapped in a black shiny gorilla tape type material, tried as much as i could to get it in the grooves and around existing boot so it flexes when i turn ....seemed to be ok after a test run...it wont hold i know but maybe long enough till my mechanic looks at it...soooo how hard to replace that boot n would i need re aligning after?

Lots of info on replacing the inner and outer boots here:

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...0-minutes.html

I was able to do the outer front left boot with my friend, who's a mechanic, in just over an hour.

The tie rod boot is pretty simple to replace. Unbolt the tie rod end at the knuckle, take the tie rod end off, swap in a new boot, put the tie rod end back on, clamp the boot on, reconnect the tie rod end to the steering knuckle and have the alignment done. If the tie rods haven't been replaced in a long time, I'd go ahead and replace both. You're going to need an alignment anyway. I replaced both tie rods on mine in 1.5 to 2 hours. Pretty easy job. You need a really big wrench to take the tie rod off the rack though. I used a giant crescent wrench.

That's great for CV boots. OP is replacing the boots on the tie rods.

Thanks fella, seen a good vid by skf , no way i will undertake this....took off front tire to get access so i could tape up temporarily the cracked boot, then couldn't put wheel on a again, bottle jack had lowered 1cm making it impossible to line up wheel lugs to hub ! And didn't have another jack handy!

Agreed - pretty simply job. If the tie rod has zero play you can get away with simply replacing the boot (which is cheap) and if you measure/mark it's position, replacing it exactly to the same location, you can even get away without the re-alignment.

But yeah, if there is any play in the ties rod , just replace it and as Fifty says , do them both since you're up for the cost of the alignment as well... ;)

BTW, your gorilla tape will likely hold a LONG time - there is very little flex required of the boot - it's not like a CV boot.

Wpoll hello sir, thanks for input good news from you, i was about to call my mechanic and make this fix a do or die....as sods law it will rain this week worried despite taping up the boot it will not hold! you are right there is some flex and stretch on full turn of steering but should be ok for a few days....

The alignment you are right, in this vid from skf there the guy marks out with some nail varnish so he knows where the nut needs to line up on replacement on shaft BUT does say at end need to get an alignment...i will see how it pans out. i guess maybe gonna as them to to check the other side up front too if one goes both do, although i think i must have snagged on a branch or something causing this damage....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2do8DdgrGw

Ooops! I was wondering why I couldn't figure out what angle the pictures were taken from :rofl: