Tie Rod install/post install positioning

On the Timmy tie rod install vid, prior to disassembly, he has you mark the outer, the nut & the inner, with respect to where they meet up. Then he eyeballs & transfers the marks to the new parts. Yet at the end, he does not seem to make a point of using the mark on the inner. He simply screws in the outer & says "they're all lined up." He does not for instance, make a point of turning the steering gear so when you insert the outer it lines up with the inner. & darned if I can't see the mark he made on the inner, which was in vivid color. So now that I am all done & pulling a bit to the right, was I supposed to match the inner mark to the outer mark? & if so, am I correct in thinking I can go out in the 20 degree weather tomorrow, lie on the frozen asphalt & simply loosen the two nuts, line 'em up & tighten?
Grateful it was in the 40's today, as I had to re-replace an outer....

 

explain what your asking about marking the inner? Remove the outer and count how many full turns you get before its off. remove the inner. install the new inner (do not forgot to fold the washers over, they're there to help stop them from coming loose), and when you thread the new outer on, count the same amount of turns it took you to take it off to put it back on. It'll get you close enough to drive it to a alignment shop and have it all aligned


I would advise not doing this in 20 degree weather if it can be avoided... those inners can sometimes be a pain

 

You should go get an alignment anyway. The marks are really just to get you close enough to drive to the alignment shop.

 

Apologies, as I had moved this from an existing thread, so it was not clear that I had already done the 4 tie rods a couple of weeks ago. Today, or rather, yesterday, I had to replace the right outer & after I was done I started wondering about the lining up thing.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...701469D1FC69EC453596701469D1FC69EC4&FORM=VIRE
At 4:00 is the marking & at 26:50 is the reassembly marking. & the first inner I did was a pain, but the second was way easier with the handy loaner tool from O'Reilly's & a pair of vice crescent pliers I bought. Thin enough to fit width wise & perfect for a tight hex grip.

& I am going to get an alignment. That was not in question.
I am first of all asking cuz I am a curious sort. Second, I am asking about the vid & the marking cuz I like to know how to do things the right way for the next time or to help someone else. & third, I am asking about my making this adjustment myself because I am installing leaf springs on Monday & will need an alignment after that. Since it will be under the 30 day warranty of the one I got after the 1st tie rod install, I will not have to pay.
I suppose I could go tomorrow as well. Really get my money's worth....

 

Honestly I never leave marks. I count turns. Usually Close enough to drive to align.
(You can eye ball it too if you have a good eye with the wheels on the ground)

 

We all have or own little tricks.

The idea is that it can get to the alignment shop without destroying the front tires .

It does not scare the little old ladies and kids taking up two lanes

 

Me too. I try not to molest the jam nut position anymore than needed and count the turns or measure it w/ 16’” machinist scale. I have actually half ass aligned it with a tape measure to get it close when necessary but eventually it needs to go on rack. Problem with either method is unless the rod ends are same brand from same factory off of same machinery they ain’t identical to begin with. Make sure to tell them you want the wheels centered cuz some shops don’t bother and it being crooked will annoy you to the point you begin to abuse illicit substances

 

Ultimately it’s going to be off no matter if you mark or don’t. Count gets close, eye/string/tape measure will get it close enough to get to a shop. As for how a shop goes I can’t say anything.. I do my own alignments at work

 

A lot of folks, when they plan on doing a bunch of suspension work, will get one of those ~$200 "lifetime" alignment deals. If you end up messing around with adjustable coilovers, or that sort of thing, you end up needing multiple alignments, so it ends up worth it in the long run.

If you're planning on an alignment in a week anyway, as long as you get it close, either by counting treads or taking a couple measurements, you don't need an alignment now, then another when you do the springs. I doubt you'd notice any sort of funny tire wear in that amount of time, even if the alignment is really bad.

 

I got under the truck today, two locking wrenches in hand. Started clamping them on & a big gust of wind blew, instantly changing 23 degrees to, well, let's just say, not only did the temp drop, so did my enthusiasm. I did end up going in for the alignment. They were all bored anyway. Not much biz this time of year & many folks stay in on days that are this cold. Those that don't apparently go to Wal-mart....

 

so how did the alignment go? They should've resolved any funk with the outer tie rods and everything should now be within spec, right?

 

So, I'm reading to find out the correct length of threads to leave between inner and outer because it has been my experience that shops dont even bother to check the tie rods because they assume everything is fine and dandy... (for context, I had a stealership install new tie rods and alignment. They failed to let me know alignment tabs were flattened out. Then I got rear ended, took my car to the body shop, when they were doing alignment they told me they couldn't do it because of the alignment tabs were gone and steering angle was off. So I get under there, find the tabs flattened, bend them back into place, weld support buttresses, go to manually align my truck only to find drivers side toe in way more than the passenger side. Lo and behold there is a 1/2" difference in the amount of thread showing past the lock nut between the driver and passenger side.) So, i'm very skeptical to trust the shop to catch those details and I would much rather ask someone who has a tacoma with toyota tie rods to just measure the amount of thread left. I'm not too concerned about being off by 1/32"

 

I'm not sure this is even possible. I say that because my original equipment outer ties were completely different from the new outer ties which I ordered directly from Camelback Toyota. The originals had more threads than the new ones.

My suggestion, find a reputable shop specializing in aligments only and go that route. Might take some looking but you'll find a shop with techs that actually care about doing the job and not just cranking out a toe and go.

 

That's cool and all but right now I have the truck up and I just want to get a baseline toe. Also it wouldn't really matter which brand of tie rods and all that because at the end of the day you could just measure from inner tie rod housing to the middle of the outer tie rod joint and that would yield proper length of the tie rod for setting the toe. I've actually decided to start a database for myself with all these different measurements that way i can always double check things are in order.

 

Truck needs to be settled on the ground to align (not on a lift with the suspension drooped, if that's what you mean by "up"). I suggest looking up some DIY alignment videos on youtube. Toe isn't measured by counting threads on TREs; you need to take measurements from the rim edges (front and back edges of the front rims) to determine deviation from parallel (i.e., toe). There are too many variables to rely on any measurement that isn't based off of the wheels on the ground. Small deviations in the steering linkage are multiplied at the tires and can absolutely affect tire wear.

 

That's nice. But also irrelevant. Thanks.

 

Put on ground ......lay a straight 8' 2x4 on a block at mid wheel.....
adjust each till forward straight...and your steer wheel is TDC..take your time and dont get in a hurry....
this will get you by to get to a shop with real alignment tools...

This will get you straight....but with no toe.......
toe is only needed at highway speed.......where bushings give......

 

Alignment (toe, specifically) is not, and should not be, based on counting threads on tie rod ends. It is the angle of the wheels relative to each other that matters for toe. That is far more relevant than counting threads. You may not like my answer, but that doesn't mean it's irrelevant. I think measuring the wheels is particularly relevant in your case, since you got rear-ended; the frame may be racked, potentially accounting for the disparity in tie rod end threads that you observed.

Edit: By the way, you have a second gen (2012), and you're posting in the first gen section. I suspect much of the information you gain from this thread may be irrelevant to you.

 

The Frame checked out and is A ok, I was just fixing one specific issue that needed a specific piece of information. Also, I did not realize I was on the first gen site because when I searched for said answer I ended up here, my mistake for not double checking. I got the thing aligned though, drives like a peach (I even gave myself some positive caster to fly into corners harder) gonna see how far off my numbers were vs the machine tomorrow.