Tie Rod Instructions

[hrosenthal]

After my ordeal with having to take apart my spindles, I'm thinking twice before following the instructions for the tie rods. The instructions say to thread the outer tie rod about 1" - 2" down the steering rack inner tie rod, then attach and torque the tie rod to the spindle.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the tie rod will require a more precise adjustment when it comes time to align the front end. If I torque the tie rod now, I'll need to remove the ball joint from the spindle in the future -- and from what I've seen, removing ball joints is no easy task.

Am I making a mistake by waiting until the alignment before I tighten the tie rods?

Thanks,
H

[Dan Babb]

The inner tie rod (the long rod sticking out the rack) will spin once you loosen the nut on it. That takes care of the toe adjustments.

[hrosenthal]

I took a look at this and am a little confused. Will I need to cut off the zip tie which holds the rubber boot (I'm referring to the accordion like rubber) in order to loosen and spin the inner tie rod?

[Dan Babb]

Nope. If your tie rod doesn't have any flat spots on it (on the part outside the boot), then you'd just put a vice grip on the non-threaded portion. After you undo the jam nut that secures the outer tie rod (the piece that attaches to the spindle), the inner rod will turn. You may want to push the boot in a bit, then spray some lube on the shaft so the boot doesn't spin when you're turning the inner rod.

[hrosenthal]

thanks.
H