Damn inner tie rod

A few months ago, the driver's side came out with drama. But today, the passenger side is stuck. Gravity and heavy tools and limited leverage are all conspiring against me now.

I hate this kind of stupid shit. And yes I tapped back the tab.

 

best thing to use is a couple of big pipe wrenches imo

 

Yeah. So do I.

When my Tacoma stumps me, I shove my tools underneath it and quit for a few hours. If it's already late afternoon, I quit for the day.

When I restart, I always find a way to do what needs to be done, and usually in short time.

 

I used a 32mm for the steering rack end and a standard pipe wrench for the driver's side. Not working here. The 32mm has just enough slop and width to not fit great and the pipe wrench isn't long enough for leverage. Both fall off when trying to hammer the pipe wrench. This is madness.

I may go out and look for two long-ass pipe wrenches but they'll likely be too wide to fit onto the steer rack. I may not be explaining that well, but if the tool on the steer rack is to thick, the retaining tab gets pushed back to where it looks as if it'll stop the tie rod from loosening. I've got Channel-Locks I'll try next. No real leverage there, either, but I know they're narrow enough to fit either part.

 

Thanks brother, and I believe that as well. I get impatient at crap I know to be easy, and don't have a sense of how to find the answer.

 

I've got my new inner and outer tie rods sitting and ready to be installed. I've been hitting the castle bolts with acetone/atf mix hoping to loosen up some of the crud on that end of things. I'm hoping the inner links aren't bad. We'll see.

Hope you took another swing at them and it finally popped loose. When it happens, let us know what finally did it.

 

Buy a cheap inner tie rod tool off eBay or rent one from Oreilly's. Be done in 5 minutes

 

http://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=i...8.l1311.R1.TR12.TRC2.Xinner+tie&sqp=inner+tie

 

Yup, they rent ITR tools at local auto stores. I know Advance Auto did.

 

I added more force but with no joy. After trying the wrench and pipe wrench by hand, I switched to this: The clamp squeezes the tools together, moving the pipe wrench counter-clockwise to loosen the tie rod without harming the steering rack.

However, the clamp exerted enough force to begin stripping the pipe wrench off of the tie rod.



Next up, I bought this tool: http://www.autozone.com/test-scan-a...m-inner-tie-rod-tool/94645_0_0/?checkfit=true



It's too small to fit where it should but can still be cranked down enough to bite into the body of the tie rod. In fact, my properly-sized 14mm 6-point impact socket began to slip off one of its nuts. That's how tight it's on there now. The red hammer keeps the Channel Locks from rotating, protecting the steering rack.

But the tool only has a 3/8" drive. I have a super-long 3/8" extension and normal-length 3/8" ratchets, but can't exert enough force without probably harming the ratchet. I will not fit a pipe over a 3/8" ratchet to gain more leverage, sorry.

I also rented an ITR tool but the biggest fitting is too small.

So I concede defeat. I'll have to take it somewhere and hope they don't bust my steering rack, straight-up decline to do it or charge a shitload of money, or ... or something else. Fuck.

 

Here's a thread I referenced also, https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/inner-tie-rod-kicking-my-ass-ideas.300911/ << Good stuff there.

$235 to do it all at a national tire store, and of course they wouldn't use my new ITR, so I have to return mine if I can. They had trouble with it, too! Pretty sure they had heat and leverage I did not.

 

So did it get worked out?

 

I should have been more clear. Yeah, it's all done and the steering's fine now.

I'd dropped it off without the large boot clamp because I never had one; a previous owner had apparently swapped out that ITR and used a zip tie. So I let them know that I knew they wouldn't be seeing one and not to panic or whatever.

I crawled back under it to take a peek. They didn't put one on ... so another zip tie it is!