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Tie rod bushings

2K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  jhlmb13 
#1 ·
Found out yesterday that I need to replace the tie rod bushings on my 99 ES. It has 251K miles and these are the original bushings still in there. The service shop down the street quoted me a price of $540 that includes replacing the bushings and a four wheel alignment. Tech told me almost all of the cost is labor since the parts are very inexpensive. Now I have done various work on my car, (replaced brake calipers, pads, rotors, replaced radiator cooling fans, replaced wheel studs, drilled out broken studs), but never anything requiring removal of wiper blades and cowling. I have read through the forum and am deciding if it is a project I can complete on a Saturday afternoon. Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
#3 ·
There is no need for an alignment if replacing the inner bushings. It also helps to have one front wheel off the ground, replace that bushing last, so you have free movement of the wheel. Removing the cowl and wipers, is just some screws, nuts and bolts. Although not require, but for ease, you may want to remove the plenum.
 
#4 ·
Really not that hard to do. Just did mine a week or so back. The cowl & cross member come off pretty easily. I did not have to raise the car or remove the plenum. Just turn the steering wheel all the way to the right, and that provides easy access to both bolts. Replace one at a time, so there is always one bolt in place (although you have to loosen to free the retainer up). Just make sure you replace the washer, bracket & retainer in the right order. Also, you may want to have someone there when you replace each of the bolts to nudge the steering wheel just a bit to properly center the bolt so it threads in smoothly. Don't want to cross thread. Then torque 'em up properly and you are good to go.
 
#6 ·
Not sure of the part number, but you can get a kit pretty easily at Advance Auto..includes bushings, retainer, etc. I'd go with the Moog set. The old bushings might be a bit of a pain to remove since they are pressed in. I just used a pair of slip-joint pliers to break them apart. The new ones are two-piece and fit in from either side,with the metal sleeve through the middle. Also, when you tighten the bolts, be sure the rubber boot on the rack doesn't get caught up behind the washer.
 
#7 ·
MOOG Part # K7408

For $540 I'll fly up and fix it for you, parts included.
 
#17 ·
Definitely true! Those washers *love* to jump out of your hands and disappear forever! My last time doing this, I dropped both washers from the kit and ended up re-using the old ones.
 
#19 ·
I was getting some squirrelly reactions from my Trep over the last week or so and found my left inner was getting a bit loose. I did remove the cowling and used a torque wrench and also took lots of pictures. About 2 hours total using factory bushings and the Miller inner tool.

Anyone wanna see the pics? I can start a new thread if need be.
 
#21 ·
Completed the job today and just took the car out for a test drive. Steering is a wonderful thing and I forgot what it was like to have it. Started out by removing air intake but also took out cowl to give a little more room to work with. The passenger side bushing was almost completely gone. Will post pictures later. Thanks again for all of the advice and feedback.
 
#22 ·
I've got a number of pictures up in the how-to section which are awaiting moderator's approval. I assume you used the three part kits?

I did mine yesterday as well and cured the intermittent wander which was mostly the left inner.

I also removed the cowl cover and crossbar. A bit more work but, much easier to hang a torque wrench in there with all that space opened up.
 
#23 ·
I used the Napa equivalent to the Moog part. Went in pretty easily until I made the mistake of turning the wheel just a little bit before lining up the 2nd bolt. That was not fun. Removal of the cowl also allowed me to fit a breaker bar and a torque wrench in that space. The driver side bolt did not want to come off, so I had to use some Corrosion X and a breaker bar.
 
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