Need new tie rods?

[97loudcut]

When I was installing my new rotors on my car today I noitced that the boots at the end of the tie rods were all dry rotted and were flaking away. I need new ones.

 

Who in the MI area wants to help me install some new ones? I have a general idea.. but I like supervision.

 

I was also thinking maybe some boots with some greese fittings, seeing as I can top them off at work and it would prevent them from cracking.

[19Cutlass94]

Just because the boot is ripped doesnt mean that they are bad. Just put a shitload of grease on them.... Itll save you money for the tie-rods and for an alignment.

 

And yes, greaseable ones are the ones that you want! BTW a little heads up, if you get the napa ones, replace the grease fitting because its a POS.

[slick]

They are easy to do.

 

Get the lugs loose, jack the car up and place on jackstand, remove lugnuts and wheel, hold the tie-rod in place with the correct open-end, and with another open-end, loosen the lock nut and spin it back to have it out of the way. Mark your current thread postion with a white paint market(so you don't throw your alignment way off), knock the tie rod our of the knuckle, and spin off. The installation is reverse whats said above.

[97loudcut]

The boot is completly dry rotted and torn, and these are sealed so how do you put grease in them? I have no idea what you are trying to say? My car doesn;t have grease fittings and even if it did a torn boot doesn't hold much grease.

[97loudcut]

Well it is just the boot that is bad. So I need to replace the whole tie rod? I am so confused and such a n00b

[19Cutlass94]

Aftermarket tie-rod have grease fittings on them ( some of them do ) so therefore they become greaseable... And I think that you might find out its exactly as easy as what you described...

[slick]

You can replace just the boot if you pop it out of the knuckle, but your already 2/3's on the way of just replacing the complete part. New parts are always better than old.

[97loudcut]

Yeah...I think I am going to attempt this. What tools are needed besides the jack and things to get the wheel off?

[slick]

A couple open end wrenches of the appropriate size, and a tie-rod tool(you gotta pop it out somehow).

[19Cutlass94]

you can rent a pickle fork from autozone to do this....

[5speedz34]

The stock ones are non-greasable so you obviously not grease those. I would replace them, I think I paid $60 for the ones at NAPA. I need to my sisters also, so if you wanna come over over break we can do them. All the aftermarket ones I've seen come with grease fittings.

 

I would still get an alignment done, Belle Tire checks them for free.

 

Check you ball joints too.

 

 

[97loudcut]

let's get these tie rods done together...what the chances of getting in your garage? I got a space heater.

[97loudcut]

Do I want the inner or the outer tie rod? It's kind of confusing me.

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

Outter tie rod. For some reason when you say "boot" I think balljoint...

[5speedz34]

Matt and I did both his outer tie rods and then the tie rods on my sisters car today.

 

It worked out well.

 

I might make a new thread for this.

 

The outers took us a while on his car I think because they where OEM. I ended up standing on one of them with a pickle fork.

 

We did my sisters in about 45 min for the two of them, but I that car had a bad alignment before so I'll still have to get one.

 

 

[89GP_SE]

a pickel fork and a big hammer will be your friend with that project. tie rods are really easy on W's. why dont you jack up your car and investigate what you will have to take apart to get the tie rods out. always better to have an idea of what your doing rather than nothing at all. nothing worse than having a car 50% ripped apart, just to find out your missing something, or fucked it up.

[97loudcut]

Can you not read. Tony and I did them today. Kthanxbye!

[5speedz34]

Can you not read. Tony and I did them today. Kthanxbye!

 

x2.

[gp90se]

How hard was is for you to spin off the end off the tie rod? I ended up using a MASSIVE breaker bar on the tie rod end to get it to start moving...gotta love rust. And yes, I did break the jerknut free before trying to get the old end off.

 

 

[5speedz34]

How hard was is for you to spin off the end off the tie rod? I ended up using a MASSIVE breaker bar on the tie rod end to get it to start moving...gotta love rust. And yes, I did break the jerknut free before trying to get the old end off.

 

 

 

On Matt's car it wasn't bad. On my sister's which had aftermarket tie rods on it it was a bitch. I coated the fuckers in antisieze too.

[gp90se]

I had a 7' breaker bar on the stocker to break it loose on the original one w 90k, hit the new 1 with anti seize 2...but I anti seize everything lately

[19Cutlass94]

You know, its amazing what a little heat and water will fix. Next time you get something like that, heat it up a little bit, then take a water soaked rag and put that on. It works wonders.

 

Anti-seize is the shit. I put it on everything!

[5speedz34]

You know, its amazing what a little heat and water will fix. Next time you get something like that, heat it up a little bit, then take a water soaked rag and put that on. It works wonders.

 

Anti-seize is the shit. I put it on everything!

 

Yeah, it is. But I don't get what water does?

[89GP_SE]

You know, its amazing what a little heat and water will fix. Next time you get something like that, heat it up a little bit, then take a water soaked rag and put that on. It works wonders.

 

Anti-seize is the shit. I put it on everything!

 

Yeah, it is. But I don't get what water does?

 

the heat expands it, and the makes it shrink, when you do the water and heat method, it is kinda like expersising the part you want to come off, without using any man power.

[dcjredline]

I never put a bolt or nut back on ANY of my cars without putting antisieze on it first! Cheap insurance if you EVER have to take it back out.

 

Also each time I am working in an area I spray every nut and bolt I see with PB Blaster in case I ever have to take something else in that area out!!! I have lived in Upstate NY long enough to know what a headache rusted bolts/nuts can do to your "easy replacements"