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Changing Inner Tie Rod

2K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  peva 
#1 ·
Can someone point me in the right direction of a forum on how to change the inner tie rod.. or can you just tell me here... i kind of have an idea of what to do but i wanna make sure

Thanks
 
#2 · (Edited)
Without getting into all the detail.

Raise the car.
Turn the wheels all the way to the right (clockwise).
Remove the windshield wipers.
Remove the plastic cowl cover.
Remove the strut brace.
Remove all the air filter stuff.

Now you can see the bushings.

You can loosen both but only remove one at a time.
.
.
When you're all done torque them to 74 foot pounds
.
 
#12 ·
I'm not replacing the bushing....I'm replacing the inner tie rod.
My mistake. Changing the full tie rod is so rare and changing the tie rod bushings is so common. Why change out the steel when only the bushing wears out? The bushing costs about half the price of the tie rods and the labor is about the same either way.
 
#13 ·
So - let me see if I have this right - to replace the inner tie rod, you have to remove the old tie rod?

Seriously - BigDE - why are you replacing the whole iner tie rod rather than just the bushings? I ask because the inner tie rod itself does not wear out - it can only get dam,aged if there is a serious accident. Only the bushings wear out. I would suggest taking the same money, getting the bushings *and* replacing the toe adjuster sleeves with a pair of aftermarket ones that have the big hex on them to replace the poorly-designed factory ones. Aftermarket has both types, so make sure you get the ones with the hex part.
 
#14 ·
I am replacing the old inner tie rods because when I went to have my car aligned... The place that was doing it broke part of my adjustment sleeve off so I'm guessing that the sleeve is rusted to the threads... If I get in there and they aren't then I won't replace them but I just wanted to have an idea how to do it

Sent from my Galaxy Player using AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#15 ·
If I were in your situation I would replace both the inner and outer tie rod along with a hex adjuster. You could take out the old parts as a single piece. Measure the length of it and assemble the new parts adjusted to that length. Then you would be close to where you need to be for alignment.
 
#17 ·
I would be surprised if there's anything wrong with the inner tie rods even with the bad adjuster sleeves, would be a way to save a little $$ if they're OK. You get the entire assembly off and it should come apart no problem - the real problem is the crappy OEM sleeves.
 
#19 ·
Bill, was it NAPA that was the suggested source for the better quality sleeves with the hex surface? Do you happen to have a part number handy?
 
#22 ·
Bill, was it NAPA that was the suggested source for the better quality sleeves with the hex surface? Do you happen to have a part number handy?
Here's the type I bought from NAPA awhile back:

I just bought a pair at O'Reilly's last week for $14 each in the MasterPro brand - p/n ES3608S.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...+sleeve_1353800_2467&keyword=adjusting+sleeve

They use the same p/n's as TRW and Moog on chassis parts, but are at the low end of the price scale. Finish is a little rough - some kind of black oxide. I figure if I lube them up pretty good they should be OK.

Yes - either good axle/bearing grease or anti-seize is a must on these kinds of parts.
 
#21 ·
FYI: Never-Seize (especially if you're keeping the car)

When I was in Portland, I took my projects to one alingment shop.

They suggested that I use never-seize whenever I installed new sleeves or outer tie rod ends.

Heck, now I use never-seize on bolts all around the car.

Last week I installed some 300m seats and used never-seize on the four seat bolts.
That back outside bolt that goes through the floor pan always gets rusted up.
 
#26 ·
I just checked my local NAPA - with my jobber rate they were still like $32 each - now, they have the one with out the hex bolster, and they are only $14... I wonder if someone at the counter had the prices flip-flopped, or if this is just a case of NAPA setting the price point because, well, they can.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Easily explained: If you check the parts and prices on any given site, in just about any given brand, they have the OEM-style and the hex-style - within $1 or so of each other - for example, O'Reilly's has the OEM style in the MasterPro brand for $12.99. And, like with a lot of commodities in aftermarket, the same store will have various brands of the same part with *HUGE* differences in price. For example - have you seen the "Rare Parts" brand on O'Reilly's site? They price the adjuster sleeve at - wait for it - $85.99. Same brand has control arms for $126. Somebody's gettin'screwed.
 
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