Help Replacing Outer Tie Rod End

[SvtBob]

Hi Gang,

Can anyone instruct me on how to replace the passenger side outer tie rod end?

It jiggles around in the socket pretty bad hence the need to replace it, but when you try and take the nut off the whole bolt and nut turns together. I noticed that I can put an allen wrench inside the bolt hole at the bottom. What I am finding is that i dont have enough leverage to hold the allen wrench in the bolt and spin the nut with a wrench at the same time. Am I going about this in the right way?

Thx gang,

Bob
1999 SVT

 

[99RedCSVT]

Go and buy an 3/8 drive allen head set from advanced. Shouldn't be anymore than 10 or 15 bucks. Then use the method you are going. That way you have the leverage both ways.

*Remember*
Count the threads or mark the tie rod. That way you can avoid aligning it.

 

[todras]

I use an 24mm open end wrench. Undo the lock nut then unscrew the tie rod. Easy. Oh you might want a pickle fork and a 5lb. sledge if you have issues popping it out of the knuckle.

 

[SvtBob]

Well I got the allen socket and put some torque down on it and it basically stripped out. So I am kinda stuck taking it off. The whole bolt and nut spins when i try and twist it at all which was the problem in the first place. What I think I will end up doing is cutting the nut and bolt off on the underside with a saw/Dremel.

The new tie rod end I got from Advanced Auto has a better set up it seems, it has the bolt with a cotter pin hole in it and flanged nut and the bolt doesnt free spin like the factory set up is doing (i.e. broke).

I just hope the old bolt isnt some forged iron thats gonna be a pain to saw through.

 

[SvtBob]

Ok i cut the bolt and nut off of the bottom of the tie rod end and it slipped right out of its place on the wheel assembly knuckle. Problem now is I cant for the life of me get the locking nut to budge so I can unscrew the tie rod end from the tie rod.

Please tell me that on the passenger side with the wheel off when you are looking at the tie rod that the locking nut turns clockwise to spin it inward and away from the tie rod end, because thats the direction I have been trying. Ive tried liquid wrench and a blowtorch for 10 seconds or so and I still cant get this bad boy to move. I may go buy two longer wrenches today to get more leverage also, the two crescent wrenches I am using are not up to the task.

Bob

 

[SvtBob]

All fixed now.

I let the lock nut soak in liquid wrench overnight first off.

Secondly my main disadvantage was that I cut the bolt and nut off the bottom of the wheel knuckle first. In hindsight if I do this again I will loosen the lock nut before I take the tie rod end off of the wheel knuckle. I needed the leverage of the bolt in the wheel knuckle to help me keep the bar steady so I could torque on the locking nut. Also definitely clockwise which is what I was doing all along, thing was just a son of a gun.

Bob

 

[todras]

Oops yea a newbie mistake. Forgot to mention that. Putting a pickle fork in there will put tension on the tie rod so you can unscrew the nut under the knuckle.