Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Maintenance URGENT: Replacing Steering Tie Rod Ball Joints

Hey everyone, I hope someone can help me out here. I went to install me new H&R springs yesterday and let me tell you I didn't get very far.

Per Stazi's instructions:
Unbolt the steering tie rod from the knuckle and tap the rod out from the knuckle. Don't worry about striking the end of the bolt; its dog pointed and so direct impact should not damage the threads.

Well on the passenger side when I was taking the nut off and started to get the the lower part of the bolt(are thes ball joints?) the whole bolt started to rotate. To see if this is what it was suppose to do I decided to move over to the driver's side to see how that would go.

I noticed that on the driver's side the rubber boot was already torn so I knew that it was going to have to be replaced anyway. Well the nut came off on the driver's side without the bolt rotating. Then per the instructions I took a 5lb. hammer and tried to pound it out to no avail. I added more WD-40 and waited about 30 minutes. Then I took the hammer and tried again. No luck. My last attempt was to try a pickle fork and that only tore the rubber boot some more.

Any way I decided to give up and tried to put it back to drivable condition. Driver's side went fine, besideds the torn boot. The passenger side I couldn't tighten the nut back up because the bolt kept spinning. Now I have about an inch and a half of play so it is not safe to drive.

So now the question is, can I replace these ball joints(if they are ball joints) or do I need to take it to a shop? I noticed that they thread onto the rest of the sterring rod so does that whole piece need to be replaced or if they are ball joints do they press out?

Sorry for the long post, but I need help because it is my daily driver.

Thank you,

O3

the ball joint is inside the knuckle at the end of the tie rod. The part that goes into the steering knuckle is a tapered stud where when you tighten the nut it wedges onto its hole and makes a very tight fit.

You may want to try a tie rod seperator. liiks like a giant 2 prong fork with tapered tines that are thick at their root and thin at the tip. What you do is put it into position so that the tierod stud lines up between the tines then you tap the seperator in between the tie rod end and the steering knuckle. The wedged forks will pop the taper pin out.

I've had the same problem with the stud spinning as I try to to take the nut off. I've done 2 things, tighten the nut to try and wedge the stud into the steering knuckle tighter and prevent it from spinning. Or tap the top of the tie rod end to push the stud into its hole tighter to keep it from turning, or use a "C" clamp to clamp the tie rod into the steering knuckle as you loosen the nut.

Keep cool, don't get mad and just keep trying and you'll get them off. Don't hammer on the parts too hard or you could do damage.

Try using some heat. If you have an electric heat gun, thats best, but if all you have is a torch, well, that will work but there is a high possibility of melting the rubber boot or starting a fire with the grease thats inside the boot or the penetrating oil thats already there.

If the boot is torn I suggest replacing the boot if you can get just the boot, otherwise replace the whole tie rod end. The torn boot will let water in and cause corrosion then you'll end up having to take things appart again to replace the corroded/worn tie rod end.

Thanks JSMITH. Does anyone else have any more ideas. I think the tie rods are going to need to be replaced, so is this something that I can do or should I take it to a shop? And any guess on what I can expect to pay for the parts?

I also just realized that I probably should have posted this in suspension forum(still half a sleep) so if anyone can move it that would be great.

Thanks,

O3

just did the same thing yesterday!! on the bottom of the tie rod bolt, there is a torx bit fitting (t-27 i think, mabye not...) jam the torx bit in there, and turn the nut with an open end wrench. and in regards to the stuck ball joint, dont hit the bottom, pound the hell out of the 'O' part...the part the bolt goes through. Hope this helps.

-Tim

Sometimes 2 hammers are needed to make a shock wave. Hit the socket from opposite sides sometimes will jar it loose. Not too hard to break the thing, just enough to set up some vibrations.

I am assuming that it is possible that it is possible to seperate the ball joint from the end of the tie rod. So I ordered new Moog greasable ones. Any tips as how to seperate the old ones from the tie rod end? Thanks for any quick replies as this is my project tomorrow night.

Also this all started with me going to install my new springs. Besides for Stazi's How-To are there any other tips as to installation?

You have all been very helpful, thank you.

O3

I had a similar problem when taking them off during a spring install. They *do* have hex slots on the bottom, and it's best to hold them while removing the nut. I, however, beat on that soft bolt with a hammer and botched the hex socket right up. Ended up cutting the tie-rod end right above where the nut got stuck, then replacing the entire outer tie rod. Pretty easy to do.

Stevers, did you replace the whole outer portion up to the threaded part or just the bolt?

Entire outer portion, about 5 or 6" in length. I was more detailed in our PM. Part was about $35 from stealership.

CEG ROCKS!! Thanks everyone. Tonight is the night and hopefully this nightmare will be over. Special thanks goes out to Stevers for being so helpfull. The detail in our PM were greatly appreciated.

O3