How To Remove Ball Joint Tie Rod Ends?
Remove tie rod ends refers to repairing an integral part of a vehicle's steering mechanism. With a few basic tools and a little bit of know-how, this is a procedure that anyone, with a little bit of automotive experience, can perform on their own.
1).Use a wrench to loosen pinch nut. This nut holds the outer tie rod end in place and prevents it from moving along the spindle of the inner tie rod end. Loosening it will allow you to twist the outer tie rod end. By design, the outer tie rod end must be twisted off from the inner tie rod end.
2).Move the pinch nut up to touch the outer tie rod end. This will mark the location of your outer tie rod end and you will know how far to thread on the replacement. Do not tighten the pinch nut. If you do, you will not be able to easily turn the outer tie rod end.
3).Remove the cotter pin. This pin will be located where the tie rod end meets the steering knuckle. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to straighten out the pin and then pull it out. Throw the cotter pin away. It should not be reused.
4).Use a properly sized ratchet to remove the castle nut. This is the nut that the cotter pin went through. It holds the tie rod end to the steering knuckle. Removing it will allow you to remove the outer tie rod end.
5).Remove the outer tie rod end from the steering knuckle. To do this, you can use a tie rod puller or a ball joint separator.
Insert the tool between the ball joint of the outer tie rod end and the steering knuckle.
Use it to pry the shaft out of the steering knuckle.
6).Remove the outer tie rod end from the inner tie rod end. To do this, you will twist the outer tie rod end off of the spindle of the inner tie rod end. Turn it counterclockwise to loosen. Remember to count exactly how many turns it takes you so that you can tighten the replacement the same number of turns. This helps keep your alignment as close as possible.
7).Remove the boot from the inner tie rod end. Only do this if you are replacing both inner and outer tie rod ends. You will need to remove the pinch nut. Next, take a pair of pliers and remove the clamp from the boot on the inside end of the inner tie rod end. There is another clip on the far side of the boot that you will have to break with a flat head screwdriver. Insert the screwdriver and twist to break it. Now you can slide the boot off.
8).Remove the inner tie rod end. Some cars have a small pin that will need to be removed before the rod end can be turned. Locate the pin and with a flathead screwdriver pry the pin out. You might need to give the flathead a few taps with a hammer to get it started. Once the pin has been removed you can remove the tie rod end. To do this, you will need a large, deep socket that fits over the inner tie rod end. There is also a tie rod removal tool that will make the job much easier that can you can use from any part store that does the loan a tool program. Twist the inner tie rod end counterclockwise until it is loose. Pull it off of the car.
If you can gain access to the inner tie rod end, this can possibly be done with a wrench, if necessary.
You can get an adaptor that fits over the inner tie rod end and makes it easier to fit a socket onto the inner tie rod.
