How to Change Tie Rods (inner and outer tie rod ends)

Summary

In this detailed how-to video, ChrisFix demonstrates how to replace both inner and outer tie rod ends on a car. He explains the significance of these components for steering and alignment, and provides a step-by-step guide, covering tools needed, disassembling the old parts, counting the turns to maintain alignment, and installing the new tie rods. He highlights key techniques, such as using thread lock, zip ties for temporary solutions, and proper torque settings. The video concludes by emphasizing the need for a professional alignment and invites viewers to explore more DIY automotive tutorials.

Takeaways

• 🔧 Replace tie-rod ends to maintain steering and alignment integrity.
• 🛠️ Essential tools include wrenches, screwdrivers, lock tight thread glue, a torque wrench, a breaker bar, hammer, rubber mallet, needle nose pliers, and a grease gun.
• 🆓 Rent an inner tie-rod tool from auto part stores like Autozone or Pepboys for free.
• 🔩 Use needle nose pliers to remove cotter pins and loosen the tie rod.
• 🔨 Use a hammer and rubber mallet to remove the old tie rod end.
• 🔄 Count the number of spins to remove the tie rod end to ensure correct installation of the new one.
• 🔄 Ensure the new tie rod end is installed with the same number of spins for proper alignment.
• 🧩 Inspect the bellows boot for cracks and remove it carefully using pliers and a screwdriver.
• 🔩 When installing the new tie rod, apply thread lock and torque it to the manufacturer's specifications.
• 🔗 Use a sacrificial clip or zip-ties to secure the new boot after installation.
• 🔧 After installation, get the car professionally aligned to ensure safety and optimal performance.

Q & A

What is the purpose of replacing both the inner and outer tie rod ends?

Replacing both the inner and outer tie rod ends is important because they play a critical role in steering and alignment. Worn-out tie rod ends can cause poor steering control and alignment issues, leading to uneven tire wear and unsafe driving conditions.

What tools are necessary to replace the tie rod ends?

The necessary tools include a couple of wrenches, flathead screwdrivers, Loctite thread glue, a torque wrench, a breaker bar, a hammer or rubber mallet, needle-nose pliers, a grease gun, and the new tie rods (inner and outer). Additionally, an inner tie-rod tool, which can be rented from Autozone or Pepboys, is needed.

Why is it important to count the number of spins when removing the outer tie rod?

Counting the spins when removing the outer tie rod helps maintain approximate alignment. This ensures that when the new tie rod is installed with the same number of spins, the car's alignment won't be drastically off, making it safer to drive to a shop for a proper alignment.

What precautions should be taken when removing the boot on the tie rod?

The boot should be carefully removed without damage because it will be reused. It's important to spray silicone or grease to help the boot slide off easily and avoid tearing. Additionally, clamps holding the boot should be carefully opened with pliers or a screwdriver.

Why is thread lock used when installing the new tie rod?

Thread lock is used to prevent the new tie rod from loosening over time. Blue thread lock is recommended as it is strong but removable, ensuring the tie rod remains securely fastened while still allowing for future removal if needed.

What should be done if a metal clip for the boot is not available?

If a metal clip is not available, zip ties can be used temporarily to secure the boot. Although zip ties are not a permanent solution, they are an effective stop-gap measure until a proper metal clip or stainless steel hose clamp can be obtained.

Why is it necessary to get an alignment after replacing the tie rod ends?

Even though counting spins helps to keep the alignment close, it is not precise. A proper alignment is necessary after replacing tie rod ends to ensure that the car drives straight, handles properly, and avoids premature tire wear.

What does tightening the new tie rod to a specific torque value ensure?

Tightening the new tie rod to the specified torque value ensures that it is secured properly, reducing the risk of it coming loose while driving. Over-tightening or under-tightening could lead to steering issues or even a loss of control.

How can you check if the new inner tie rod is working properly after installation?

After installation, the new inner tie rod should be much stiffer compared to the old one. If the old tie rod moved easily with one finger, the new one should be difficult to move, indicating that it's securely in place and functioning correctly.

Why is adding grease to the tie rod ends important after installation?

Adding grease to the tie rod ends after installation is crucial to ensure smooth movement and to protect the joint from wear and tear. The grease helps reduce friction and prolongs the life of the tie rod.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ Introduction to Replacing Tie-Rod Ends

The speaker introduces the video, explaining that he will demonstrate how to replace both the inner and outer tie-rod ends, which are important for steering and alignment. He shows the necessary tools, including wrenches, screwdrivers, a torque wrench, and a grease gun. He begins the process by removing the cotter pin, loosening the castle nut, and removing the old tie-rod end. He also explains that counting the rotations while unscrewing the tie rod is crucial to maintaining proper alignment after replacement.

05:05

🔧 Removing the Inner Tie-Rod End

The speaker continues by removing the boot and inspecting the tie rod to ensure no cracks are present. He explains how the boot allows venting and demonstrates how to remove the inner tie-rod using an adapter and a tie-rod tool. After removing the pin, he compares the old and new tie rods, noting that the new one is stiffer and less worn. He applies thread lock and torques the new tie rod to the required 70 ft-lbs. He finishes by securing the new tie rod in place and reinstalling the pin.

10:08

🧰 Installing the New Tie-Rod and Finishing Touches

The speaker installs the new boot and secures it with zip ties, as metal clips are difficult to find. He tightens the new tie rod using 20 spins, ensuring alignment. The speaker also explains how to torque the castle nut to 46 ft-lbs and install a new cotter pin. Finally, he uses a grease gun to lubricate the new tie rod and advises getting the car aligned after the installation. He concludes the video by encouraging viewers to like, subscribe, and check out other 'how-to' videos.

Keywords

💡Tie Rod Ends

Tie rod ends are essential components in a vehicle's steering system that connect the steering rack to the wheels. In the video, the outer and inner tie rod ends are being replaced because they have become worn out over time. They play a key role in maintaining alignment and controlling the car's steering. If the tie rod ends are loose, it can result in poor steering control, as mentioned when the host points out the old tie rod end's looseness.

💡Alignment

Alignment refers to the adjustment of a vehicle's suspension components to ensure that the wheels are properly aligned with one another and the road. The video emphasizes the importance of alignment when replacing the tie rod ends, as it affects the car's handling and safety. The host counts the number of turns when removing the tie rod end to minimize misalignment before getting a professional alignment.

💡Cotter Pin

A cotter pin is a small metal pin used to secure nuts in place, ensuring they don't loosen due to vibrations. In the video, the cotter pin is removed to access the castle nut on the tie rod. The host explains how to straighten and pull it out using needle-nose pliers and then reinsert a new one after the tie rod is replaced.

💡Castle Nut

A castle nut is a type of nut with notches cut into it to allow the insertion of a cotter pin. It secures the tie rod to the steering knuckle, and in the video, the host unscrews and later replaces the castle nut during the tie rod replacement process. The host flips the nut to hammer the tie rod out safely.

💡Thread Lock

Thread lock is an adhesive used to secure threaded fasteners in place, preventing them from loosening due to vibrations. The video explains the use of blue thread lock, which is a removable type, when installing the new tie rod end to ensure it remains secure but can be removed later if needed.

💡Torque Wrench

A torque wrench is a tool used to apply a specific amount of torque to a bolt or nut, ensuring it is tightened to the manufacturer’s specifications. The host uses a torque wrench to tighten the new tie rod end to 70 ft-lbs of torque, ensuring it’s neither too loose nor over-tightened, which is crucial for safety.

💡Bellows Boot

A bellows boot is a flexible rubber cover that protects the inner tie rod from dirt and debris while allowing movement. In the video, the host removes and re-installs the bellows boot when changing the inner tie rod end. The boot is critical for protecting the tie rod’s moving parts from wear and tear.

💡Inner Tie Rod Tool

The inner tie rod tool is a specialized tool used to remove and install the inner tie rod, which is located deeper inside the steering system. The video shows the host using this tool to remove the inner tie rod, as it’s hard to access with regular wrenches. The tool grabs onto the tie rod end, allowing for easier removal.

💡Zip Ties

Zip ties are plastic fasteners used to hold components in place temporarily or when specialized parts are unavailable. In the video, zip ties are used to secure the bellows boot because the original metal clip is a one-time-use part that needs to be replaced. Although not permanent, the host explains that zip ties work effectively until a proper metal clip can be sourced.

💡Grease Gun

A grease gun is a tool used to apply lubricant to mechanical parts, ensuring smooth movement and reducing wear. After installing the new tie rod end, the host uses a grease gun to pump grease into the joint, which is crucial for maintaining its functionality and longevity. The host mentions how the rubber expands when enough grease is applied, indicating proper lubrication.

Highlights

Introduction to replacing inner and outer tie rod ends, emphasizing their importance for steering and toe alignment.

Shows an old tie rod end with 300,000 miles, demonstrating its looseness and need for replacement.

Listing of essential tools: wrenches, screwdrivers, thread glue, torque wrench, breaker bar, hammer, grease gun, and inner tie rod tool.

Explanation of how to remove the cotter pin with needle-nose pliers, and the importance of the cotter pin in holding parts together.

Use of a breaker bar and ratchet to remove the castle nut after loosening it with a hammer.

Describes the alignment nut on the tie rod and how to count turns (20 spins) to maintain approximate alignment during replacement.

Steps to remove the old tie rod by breaking the clamp on the boot and sliding it off using silicone spray to ease removal.

How to remove the inner tie rod by using an adapter and tie rod tool, and checking for pins that need to be pried out.

Demonstrates comparing the old and new tie rods, emphasizing the new one’s stiffness and improved control.

Use of thread lock glue on the new tie rod and ensuring proper torque (70 ft-lbs) for secure installation.

Instructions for reattaching the cotter pin and securing the new tie rod in place, ensuring it aligns properly.

Suggestion to use zip ties as a temporary solution for the boot clamp if a new metal clip is unavailable.

Installation of the new boot and ensuring it fits over the venting tube properly.

Final steps of aligning and tightening the tie rod end, including adding grease with a grease gun until rubber expansion indicates sufficient lubrication.

Encouragement to get the car aligned after the tie rod replacement and closing remarks promoting further videos.

Transcripts

Hey guys Chris fix here and today I am going to show you how to replace the tie-rod ends

both the outside and the inside tie rod ends

very important for your steering and for your toe

alignment so I am going to show you how to do that now, so there is your tie rod

you can see I can move this with my hand, it is very old

300,000 miles will do that to it. It is amazing they made it that far

so here are all of the tools you are going to use for this job. You need

a couple wrenches, screwdrivers, flathead screwdrivers

some lock tight thread glue

a torque wrench, a breaker bar, hammer, rubber mallet, needle nose plyers

and a grease gun and the new tie rod

inside and outside. You will also need an inner tie-rod tool

which is this right here. You can rent this for free Autozone or Pepboys or

whatever the main part stores you use.

So what you are going to do is take your needle nose plyers

and open up the cotter pin so that it is straight.

And once the cotter pin is straight, grab the other side

and start pulling it out.

there we go

one cotter pin pulled out.

Now you can put a 19mm or 3/4 ratchet or wrench on this.

A nice long break a bar will help.

Once you break it loose, use your ratchet

and take the castle nut off.

now there's a tool that you can use that goes in here and pry's this up, but

what I am going to do is take this castle nut and I'm gonna flip it over

so screw it in this way.

Good! Now I am going to take a hammer, I'll use a rubber mallet just to be safe

and I will pop it up maybe up

[Metallic Hammering Noise]

There we go.

The tie rod end is out. Now this is the interesting part

there's a nut here that they use for your alignment

because this affects your alignment.

What you want to do is put your tie rod in and now we can unscrew this nut.

You just want to break that loose like that and now we can take this out and

you can see this spins freely... From the bottom here

that's that the bottom which is pointing down, you wanna take this

and you want to spin it.

So that is one, two... and you want to count how many spins it takes to get this off.

three, four, five, six...

18, 19... So twenty spins total,

it took me 20 spins you get this off and when you put the new one on

you want to count twenty spins and the reason why is it that your alignemnt

isn't completely out of alignment. You are still gonna have to get the car aligned

after you change this

but at least your alignment wont be so bad that it's dangerous to drive

so you could see this moves around very easily and has a little bit of play inside and outside

so the inner tie rod end also needs to be changed, but we were going to do that anyway

Now you can see, so the tie rod end works by steering the car when you turn the steering wheel

it turns this which allows the car's

wheel to turn

it goes all the way up into here, and now there is a boot here

and you want to use a pliers to get this off and there's also

a another one these except you have to break the clamp with a screwdriver,

and I will show you that now.

but that is all the way in the back

so for this one, you just get the

the same needle nose as before

squeeze it and pull it out.

all this is, is a little clamp to keep the boot on.

Now little trick here is to use a screwdriver a flat head

and just bend this up a little bit. Not too much because we are re-using the boots

you just want to get it under here so we can spray some silicone or grease

to make it slide off easier

Now we just go in here, with a flathead screwdriver,

carefully, without breaking the boot it's like that

just like that... You see how the boot is up... get your WD40 or whatever

some type of grease or silicone, which is what I am using

and just spray it in there.

and that will make the boot come off a lot easier because surprisingly, the boot is on there tight.

the next thing we are going to do

you see that clip right down there

there is a clip right there, and what you are going to do is push the screwdriver in and turn the screw driver to open the clip

it's hard to see but I think you will get the idea when I do it.

You just get the screwdriver in there

and turn... [clicks open] and you can see

it opened up, and now we can take the boot off.

[Spray]

OK, unscrew this nut here so we can take the boot off.

take the bolt off, slide off your clamp,

now take your bellows boot off

good, so we're gonna wanna quickly inspect this to make sure there are no cracks

looks good, so when we're installing it there is this right here

that's gonna slide over the tube in there

its going to slide over that tube which connects to the other tie rod on the other side of the car

it allows for venting... so you can see the tube on the top right and then you could

see the

inside tie rod right there with its ball joint that is

very loose, so now we're going to take that out.

so here is the actual tie rod

the inside tie rod

and I just want to show you what is going to happen so that you completely understand this.

so here is your adapter

your adapter is going to fit on here, just like that.

So when you turn the tie rod too, it grabs the end and turns it

otherwise it would be hard to get a wrench on here. You can do it you just have to see if you have

access. The other thing to remember is that there's sometimes a pin in this

so you have to take that pin out and that is what I am going to go check for now.

You can see on this tie rod end there is a pin right here and this has to come off

so you take a flat-head screwdriver

you get underneith it, and you pry it out.

you could see I'm just prying this up

If you can't get your screwdriver under here that easy, you could use a hammer and the screwdriver

and just get it to indent a little bit. So you could see

I'm almost ready to just knock this thing out

Knocked it right out. So now we can unscrew this.

Just like I showed you, your adapter piece goes right on top just like that.

take your tie rod tool

slide it in

and then you put your ratchet on there.

Once you break it loose like that

this thing should come right out, and if it is not coming out easily

remember there's that pin in there that needs to come out first

here are the two tie rods side by side

the next thing you are going to do is make sure they are the same size

the new one is a little bit longer

so that is going to affect the toe but

we're getting an alignment anyway so doesn't matter. Now you can see

I can move this really easily, that is the old one

a single finger can move it around

the new one... I cant even move it

it'll have to be on the car for me to move it. I'm going to get some blue thread lock

this is the removable type and I am going to put a little inside here

Just like so... Now lets install the new tie rod.

never took the old clamp out

the clamp you have to break, take that out.

here is the pin

it's not really reusable

take our new tie rod

and just tighten it by hand

Once you cannot tighten it by hand anymore,

Once you cannot tighten it by hand anymore,

get your tie rod tool

put it over the tie rod

slide it on

then get your torque wrench,

for my vehicle it says torque to 66 to 74ft-lbs of torque

I am going to torque it to 70ft-lbs

Once you torque it, you are set.

I am under the car and you can see the hole for the pin.

That is where you push the pin in... I put a screwdriver head against the pin

like this... and then I used a hammer to lightly tap it in.

and now it's all the way in.

So remember before I was talking about the clip

that is a sacrificial clip that holds on the boot that you put your screwdriver in here

and you twist and the clip opens up, well, it is only a one use clip

so either you get a new one, which they're hard to find,

but one temporary solution is to use zip-ties

I went to go get a bellows boot kit to see if it comes with new clips and

and it came with zip ties

so although it sounds kinda cheap, the boot doesn't really move

very much so it's okay to use a zip-tie... It is not a permanent solution like this metal clip

because a zip tie will eventually get

brittle but until you can find a metal clip

zip ties are a good way to go, and that is what I will use.

You can also use stainless steel hose clamps with the nut that tightens it down

The hose clamps are hard to find that are narrow enough to fit the boot.

so zip ties work nicely in this situation.

Now we are going to put the new boot on.

You see that at the end of my screwdriver?

There is that tube and you want to make sure you push

this into that tube... So I actually tightened up the zip ties

first up on the the boot, now I am going to slide the boot in.

so now you just tighten the zip ties after you push the boot all the way on

good

Now we take our clamp, and bring it up

Put it on just like that and we are done with the boot.

so here is the new tie rod end

we can see the new is nice and sturdy

the old one moves really easily. It comes with all the accessories

the screw in the top, a pin, and a nut. So they give you a new nut

but it's kinda small, so I will use the old one because it's thicker.

has more thread on it so it will lock better.

Just screw that old nut back on...

It took me 20 spins to get this

off so I will put it back on with 20 spins.

It is threaded so we will start counting

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ,7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13...

14, 15,

16, 17, 18,

19, 20... OK

20 spins, face it down. Now will tighten our nut up here.

We want the nut to push against

the new tie rod end.

This will keep it from moving.

I am going to put the grease valve on. Just screw it in by hand first.

Now I will use a 5/16 inch wrench

And just snug it down.

You dont want to tighten this too much.

Just enough, and that is good.

Now we will put this into the knuckle.

Line it up...

push it through...

Get your new castle nut and screw it on.

That is how it should look.

I set the torque to 46ft-lbs

And tighten it until it clicks...

[Click]

when it clicks once, you do it again and in that statement

[Click]

And then that is tight enough.

we will now take our cotter pin and send it though the hole.

good

Now just bend the cotter pin around the castle nut

Like so

Now we're gonna lube this up

Put the grease gun on there and pump it with grease.

you can see the rubber expanding

and once it expands like that, that means you have enough grease in there

and you just finish the job!

You just changed the inner and outter tie rod ends!

Now go get your car aligned.

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