Tie Rod replacement

The other night I replaced inner and outer tie rods on both sides of the truck.. I have a 2006 TRD Sport for reference.

First thing you will want to do is jack the truck up, take off the front wheels, and remove your sway bar link, and move the sway bar out of the way.

Soak both sides castle nuts in penetrating lube and then go to town trying to break them loose.



Once you get that loose, give the top of the bolt a few solid whacks with a bfh and it will fall out.

Next remove the boot from the inner tie rod, the clamp on the front followed by the clamp towards the back.







Now to remove the inner tie rod end, , first bend the tabs on the lock washer back so you can turn it, then use a vice grip or a monkey wrench to get a firm hold on the ball joint housing, and give it hell, these are normally threaded (counter clockwise loosens it), but be patient here... There is a specialized tool you can rent, but it is not imperative to have.



After you get the assembly out, take it over to your bench, and with the new rods, match the length of the ones you took out. Once they looks as similar as possible, mark your nut location, then separate each assembly and move the boot to the new parts, don't forget the clamp for the small side of the boot.



Dont forget the lock washer on the end, and thread the new assembly in.





When it's tight, bend the sides of the washer back to lock the inner rod in place, and put the boot back around the rack. This is where you will need a new collar, as the stock one cannot be reused, just make sure you get the boot clamped down.

Finally, connect the knuckle to the outer tie rod, and snug the bolt down.


I used some anti-seize on the adjustment threads, I would recommend everyone else do that as well.

 

Where was the play? Inner or outer?

 

I was just thinking about doing the outer tie rod ends, I dont have any problems, but I do have 110k miles, and I just replaced my stock UCAs with LR UCAs, and I need an alignment. But before I do I was looking at what else I could replace to be new and worry free, and the tie rod ends are the only thing left on the list... Wondering if it is worth it for $20 ea to get the Moog Tie Rod ends from RockAuto and just put them in before I go get it aligned...

Thoughts?

 

I would put the new ones on then align it

 

That is what I was thinking, but there is always something to be said for leaving shit alone if it aint broke... On the fence still. Doing just the tie rod ends is like a 45 min job, and the cost is very reasonable too.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it... I replaced mine because at my last alignment they had to heat up the adjustment nuts to get it aligned.

 

On my short list.

 

Might have to do this soon since Firestone rounded off my inner tie rod adjusting my toe...

 

Just did it this past weekend with another member in a borrowed shop bay.
The inners were tough to get to but the outers are cake.

 

Any tips on the inners? And did you need any special tools?

 

we used a 1 1/2" wrench which was not exactly the right size. They had tie rod wrenches at the shop but they were not the right size. A large adjustable wrench will do the job too - but its tight going.

 

Okay maybe I'll wait until I get the new ones and see what fits. Did you go with OEM or an aftermarket one? Also when you say the outters were cake did you just assemble them onto the new inners while they were off the truck like the OP?

 

Went with Moog they have zerks the stockers don't.
We installed the inners and then counted the turns putting on the outers. It was damn close. When I got it aligned the toe was not off by much at all.

With that correct tool it is actually a pretty easy task.

Did disconnect the sway bar for better access, also my BAMF lca skids were a bit in the way.

 

Is this the kind of tool you're talking about?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...-rod-tool/_/N-26l8?itemIdentifier=343395_0_0_

Were you're Moog part numbers EV800529 for the Inner and EV80895 for the Outter?
And did the Moog parts come with new boot clips or did you get those from the dealership?

 

here is a tip for changing the tie rods without having to get the toe checked right away, in my case the toe was right with slightly suspect tire rods...my steering wheel was perfectly centered when I drove....

do each side individually, once one side is done, take it for a drive, making sure the steering wheel is perfectly centered again, slight tie rod adjustment (new side) may be needed to recenter, then do the other side, once done, again a short test drive and recenter the steering wheel again if needed (other new side)....

the reason I did it this way was I am mega miles from an alignment shop....when I did get to the 'big city' I stopped at a shop for an alignment check, it was all perfect, so I didn't have to pay for another alignment, lucky I guess...

changing these puppies out is one of the easier things you can do to the suspension...

worked for me...good luck...

 

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