On a scale of one to 10 1 being you dont change your own oil and 10 being like a good mechanic, how hard is i to change a tie rod end
get a haynes or chiltons manual at autozone and id say a 3 to 5 dependind if you have the right tools
15.2@89mph 2.171 60ft. 9.830 1/8 R.I.P. "LULU"
Once you get the new tie rod end installed the question is how to align the
frontend...
If you have a friend to help and a good tape measure, both of you get down
and measure the best you can the distance between the front tire treads...
You want the two tires to be "pigentowed", like a 1/8 " less ground pad of
the front of the tires than in the rear...
Professional front end alignment will be much more accurate and is
recommended as soon as possible...
Outers really easy, inner ones are more involved though.
For outers simply loosen the nut, normally 7/8 is the size of it. The other end there is a locknut you have to remove, you may need an impact gun to do that. That would be my only concern of doing this at home for you, those things rust on there fairly good.
Once the nut is loose, and the other removed, turn the tie rod and it will come off.
If you count the threads after the nut, and you tighten it down to where it was before, you may not need an alignment.
At my work though, if you have any front end work done, we require an alignment, just to cover our ass.
- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new
1 = lug nuts 2 = remove tire 3 = unbolt the tie rod. its 123!!
yea it's not bad really
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Out of curiousity... how much extra rod is there on the end of the arm? More than 1/2"?
Ya im thinking more than a half of an inch.. bent knuckle?
How does everyone here go about getting the tapered shaft out of the steering knuckle?
I've always used a pickle fork, but I've never been able to get them out without ruining the boot.
Get what the tie rod end out of the steering knuckle without tearing the boot?
I take a really big ball pean hammer, and smack the knuckle where the tie rod is, this shocks the tie rod end out of the knuckle.
- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new
I usually have good success leaving the nut wound onto the stud just so it is flush at the top of the stud, then hit the nut with a hammar. So long as it does not take too much force to knock it free, so as not to damage other parts from the chock (like ball joints etc). In other words, when you loosen the nut, just back it up until it is flush on the top side.
thats why they have tools called "TIE ROD END PULLERS" OR ball joint pullers..
i just take the nut of and drive down 14 mile road, knocks the bastard right out
and 3 is aboot as high as it should be rated, even with a hammer, and basic wrenches
as said get a manual and a can of PB does wonders
Jonathan shumacker wrote:thats why they have tools called "TIE ROD END PULLERS" OR ball joint pullers..
QFT
anyway..you can also it the stud on the bottom of the stud, just be sure to reinstall a few threads on the castle nut so you dont mushroom the threads
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