Tie rods

alexgt4514

New member
Very simple question , but not a simple to do . ( I guess )

How do we change Tie rods ?
I dont feel like paying 95 $/h for labor .

than you :D
 

6strngs

New member
perhaps this info is a little late, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to put it here in case other people were curious. It's not hard to do at all actually. All you do is remove the wheel, remove the nut holding the tie rod end to the hub. Then you remove the tie rod from the hub, they make a special tool for this, or you can use a hammer. I tried with a hammer and it didn't work for me no matter how much I beat on it. I ended up using a pulley puller to get it out, which is essentially the same tool, though it would've been easier with one meant for a tie rod. Anyway, then what you do is MEASURE the length of the tie rod!!! This is so you can get the new one approximately in the same spot. Then all you do unscrew the old one and screw the new one on. I counted the number of turns it took to get it off and used the same amount of turns to put it on, but I think measuring it would be more accurate.

After you're done you will need a wheel alignment. If you don't do this right away your tires will wear out very fast! I drove from my house to the shop like this and my car pulled very hard right until I got there. but it will be drivable if you measure the length.

Note: This is just for the outer tie rod ends, I've never done inners so I can't comment.
 

mike325ci

New member
Also, I want to add that there is a cotter pin that you have to remove first before unscrewing the nut.

The tool used for this purpose is:
I_362363_CL_1.jpg


But I also used a simple 3-jaw puller to do the job. Tried it with a hammer and pry bar, and none of those work.

Some tips:
1) Put a rag around the tie rod when pulling it out with a tool.
It can "fly" off and hit you or the inside of the wheel well somewhere.
2) If you are replacing with a stock outer tie rod end (therefore assuming same length), then simply use white-out to mark the nut next to the tie rod end to the tie rod.
Then loosen that nut to remove the old tie rod. Line it back up after installing the replacement tie rod. You will approximately be in the same place. You still want to get an alignment, though, as you should with any changes to the suspension.

Job difficulty: 2 / 10
Tools Needed:
3-Jaw Puller (or Tie Rod Puller / Pitman Arm Puller)
Pliers (to remove cotter pin)
Socket Wrench (to remove tie rod end nut) [also to remove wheels]
Open-ended Wrench (to unscrew tie rod ends from tie rod, also for nut on the tie rod)
Rag
White-Out
Jackstand+Jack

Photo (on my ST185):
18833_675534825632_120852_38898964_328424_n.jpg
 

MWP

New member
Change the tie-rod or the tie-rod end?
They are different.

You can pop off the tie-rod ends without a puller like in the photo above.
The trick is to hit the *side* of the steering arm on the end where the end bolts in with a few hard, sharp hammer blows.
Itll loosen up the tie rod end, so you can then hit it out from the bottom.
 

187flatliner

New member
i hit mine with a hammer from the bottom and it mashed the end of it so BE CAREFUL.....i was replacin them anyways....but they did just pop rite out
 

klue

New member
187flatliner":2i1f9z2e said:
i hit mine with a hammer from the bottom and it mashed the end of it so BE CAREFUL.....i was replacin them anyways....but they did just pop rite out

i do the same, just use a nut to protect the threads
 

monkninja

New member
Excellent tip to keep the nut on the end when hitting it with the hammer! I flipped the nut so the smooth side was being struck and it worked perfectly. Very easy way to get the tie rod end out without any special tools at all.

Kyle
 
Top