How to replace INNER and outer tie rods

[gothstone]

If you search the forum for inner tie rod you will find "Non-replaceable inner tie rod ends". This is complete bull****! You will find mention that GM doesn't list the part numbers, or replacement instruction the the service manual. This is true, but that doesn't mean you have to replace the whole damn rack just to do tie rods. The car was built by Koreans, not elves. Doing the inner tie rods is actually easier than the outer as long as you have the right tools, so you might as well do it all at once. So here is your guide to replacing both inner and outer tie rods. You can buy the parts you need for less than $60 from rock auto (google for this months 5% off coupon) and do the job in an afternoon.


Application: Done on a 2004 Aveo. Part number compatibility indicates this should be the same through 2011 and on Aveo5, Waves, and Swifts.


Parts required/recommended:
2x Moog EV800577 front inner tie rod - if you buy from RockAuto don't select the slightly cheaper DEAX2474 unless you want to pay for shipping from Europe.
1x Moog ES800033 front left outer tie rod
1x Moog ES800034 front right outer tie rod
2x tie rod bellows - if you can find them. I could not when I ordered parts, but now I see GMPartsDirect lists them for $13 each
locktight blue or red
silicon sealant (if you care)
2 zip ties, preferable steal ones


Tools required recommended:
Jack
Jackstand it nice, but you could do without
Air impact - mabey you can do it without, but I wouldn't want to
PB blaster or favorite penetrating oil
Torque wrench
Socket wrench
flat head screwdriver
pliers
various cheater pipes
19mm socket
17mm open end wrench
12mm open end wrench for a masochist, good vice grips recommended
20mm and 21mm open end wrenches, or better yet adjustable wrench
inner tie rod tool with a 1-1/4 inch adapter - the 4 piece loaner at Oreilly's is NOT gona cut it. You will get the old tie rod off, but you will never get the new one on because the size is just too far wrong. I picked up a fairly nice set for $50 at Harbor freight, but I work on a lot of cars. Call around to see if you can beg and borrow to get something good. DO NOT DO THIS JOB WITHOUT THE RIGHT TIE ROD TOOL!!! You will be stuck, it will suck. I was lucky to have a harbor freight close to me that had the tool.


Now to work!
1. Jack it up, use a jack stand if you can, and yank the tire from the passenger side.
2. Tie rod to steering knuckle nut is a 19, spin it off.
3. Give the tie rod a downward thump, it should fall out of the steering knuckle. No need for a pickle fork.
4. Put the 20mm wrench on the square block of the outer tie rod. An adjustable wrench is easier because of the seam on the tie rod.
5. Put the 17mm wrench on the jam nut.
6. Now use the two in opposition to try to loosen the jam nut. Spray liberally with PB blaster, curse a lot. Maybe heat it with a torch.
7. Drop the 17mm. If you think your a bad ass and your tools can take it put a 12mm on the inner tie rod above the threading. Otherwise clamp the vice grips on as tight as you can. A cheater bar wedged to the floor can help too.

This is what it took for me to do it.



5. As you remove the outer tie rod count every revolution before it comes off. This will allow you to put it back on close enough to right to get the car to an alignment shop. Mine was 12.5 on passenger side and 13 on drivers.
5. Use the adjustable wrench or 20mm to twist the outer tie rod off the inner tie rod. No its not reverse thread.
6. Remove the hose clamp on the outside of the bellows or boot.
6. Stick your head in the wheel well (my splash guard was already off, this may be needed, not sure) and look at the inside of the bellows boot.


Looks like this



7. Use a flat head and pliers to bend the crimp clamp enough to loosen it.
8. Carefully pull the bellows off the steering rack. Then slide then off the inner tie rod.


Now you can see tie inner tie rod screws into the rack just like any other car. No cotter pin or punch down which is a bit odd.



9. Clean the old silicone off the steering rack and bellows
10. Clip the tie rod tool adapter around the tie rod. This is a little different on each one.


Here is how it looked with the crap kit I borrowed from Oreilly's. Notice that its WAY too damn big. I almost ruined my new inner rod. GET A GOOD KIT!



11. Now put the tool on the adapter and a breaker bar or torque wrench on the tool. Be sitting down, cuz when the bolt breaks your gonna be on your ass. How far you fall and how much it hurts is up to you.
12. Turn the tie rod out of the steering rack. It's a pain, the tool (even the good one) will fall apart a lot, and its gona take a while.
13. Put lock tight (I used red since I will never do this to this car again) on the threads of the new inner tie rod.
14. Hand thread it into the steering rack. You will be lucky to get 2 turns out of it.
15. Put the tool back together and start tightening. Moog didn't do us any favors by painting those threads, so its gonna be a bitch to turn. I was pulling 65 to 80 ft lbs on my torque wrench as I spun it on.
16. When your a few threads away from the tie rod meeting the rack, clean the paint slivers out with a flat head. Drip on more lock tight.
17. Tighten it to 100 ft lbs or so. Once it stops, it's not gona move any further, and your not likely to manage to break it so don't sweat it too much.
19. If you care, put some new silicone sealant on the bellows/boot end that meets the rack. I used RTV Blue, but only cuz the kid hand it to me instead of lock tight when I asked for it. Its kinda pointless.
20. Slide the bellows/boot on to the tie rod, and over the rack like it was before.
21. Zip tie it in place. I used the metal ones meant for mufflers.
22. Replace the factory hose clamp on the small end of the bellows/boot.
23. Spin the jam nut that came with the inner tie rod (gold/brass color) all the way up the tie rod.
24. Spin the jam nut back down. Use a 19mm on it and the adjustable wrench (or a 21mm) on the outer tie rod and tighten the crap out of it. Torque is supposed to be 40 ft lbs, but unless you have a crows foot you have no way to measure the torque. The alignment shop is gona loosen it and torque it when they get to it anyway. Don't sweat it.
25. Push the outer tie rod through the steering knuckle. It goes up from the bottom, not down from the top like every other car I have worked on.
26. Now you need to put a nut on it. The new on from Moog has a self locking nylon insert which would be great if there were any way to keep the ball joint from spinning. But there's not, and the nylon just made it too tight, so I used the old nut. Not thrilled about this.
27. Tighten the nut to 33ft lbs.
28. Put your tire back on. Do the other side the same way. Only real difference on the driver side is a bit less room to work. My outer tie rod was less stuck on that side, but the jam nut was immovable. I got kinda pissy and cut it off. With luck you yours wont be so bad.
29. Go immediately to an alignment shop!!! I can't stress this enough. You CANNOT get a truly good alignment without a laser alignment system. Plus they will tell you if you screwed something up, and they will re-torque your nuts for you. I always get a lifetime alignment on any car I get and then I make them fix it every time I fall into the bottomless pits we have for pot holes around here.

[avguy]

Very nice how-to with lots of detail and pics. Thank you for taking the time to put this together and post it!!
By coincidence, I'm just starting on my struts, sway bar links, and outer tie rod ends. I had good success getting the first tie rod jam nut to release by giving the threads just above it a good wire brushing, and then using multiple applications of blaster. I think that cleaning up the threads allows the blaster to work it's way into the inner threads of the jam nut. But I have the luxury of having multiple days to finish this job, and can let the fluid have time to sink in. I expect that heat is the way all of the pros do these jobs, but I don't have that equipment. Now I'm letting the blaster move into the lower threads, trying to make the job of unthreading it not be such a bear. I'll post on this one again if I find anything else worthwhile to add.

[exodus0784]

Bringing this thread back from the dead. I just did the inner tie rod on my driver's side, since it was all play and no work.

The information above is 100% accurate, the part number for the inner rods are correct.

I had no issues doing mine EXCEPT for the silly tool I got from autozone, which was the same as pictured. A word of advice, get the one with the small inserts from amazon or harbl freight.

If you get the one with the 3 giant inserts from advanceautoreillynaparts, then the best thing you can do is TAPE the bit into the end of the handle. I ran around looking for a new tool, bought the u-bolt looking one (which doesn't leave you enough room to actually loosen anything)... then I stopped being stupid and duct taped the bit onto the end of the handle and things went much more smoothly.

Regarding the jamb nut: pb blaster first, if that doesn't work, hit it with brake clean, let it dry, then hit it with a mapp torch (the YELLOW bottle, not the blue one). Get that thing super hot, sit there for minutes with the torch on it. Then get on it again with the wrench. A bottle of mapp got me through tie rod ends on both my aveo and my jetta.

[WyrTwister]

If you use heat , it may help to spray it with penitrating oil as soon as you take the flame away . Beware , much smoke and it could flare up ,if you got it hot enough . But the heat followed by the oil , seems to draw the oil in .

Be careful with the torch and do not set the car on fire .

God bless
Wyr

[Stumpy]

This was my wrench configuration for the lock nut when I did mine. It worked really well. After the nut was loose, the outer tierod was not very difficult to free.

[nostromo]

What size is the outer tie rod lock nut? I have to buy the correct sized wrench and don't want to waste money on incorrect size.

[WyrTwister]

If you are on a budget , swing buy Harbor Freight . The wrenches I have purchased have been good enough for a shade tree mechanic .

If you do not know what size the nut is , put a Crescent wrench on it , very tight , remove it then measure the spacing on the jaws . Or , if you are feeling lucky , try the crescent on it , after a good dose of penetrating oil . PB Blaster seems to work as good or better than WD40 .

Buy a set of wrenches with the largest one at least as big as your measurement . I have no doubt it will be metric . I prefer combination wrenches .

God bless
Wyr

[krazy_85]

Great post, my outter rod's are shot and on the "to do list".

[Melveo]

Do or tires will wear really bad. Did both just because I was going low and done blew the boots out already

[WyrTwister]

My understanding is if the tie rod ends are badly worn , toe in adjustment varies every time the slop allows things to move around . And , you are correct , bad toe in will wear tires .

Some cars , if the boot is torn , but the tie rod is tight , you can replace the boot . If it has a grease zert , pump new grease through it to purge out the old grease and dirt .

God bless
Wyr