herisites 0 Posted February 22, 2007 I am trying to get my car driving well by replacing worn drivetrain parts. I replaced top mounts when i put my coilovers on and im replacing the bushes (new wishbones for fronts) and ball joints soon, and by doing some searches i should also change the tie rod ends whilst im down there. What is involved with changing the tie rod ends? Is it simple enough to do? Can they be done without taking many parts off or is it worth doing them when i do the wishbones etc? Cheers, Rob. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niges16V 0 Posted February 22, 2007 easy peasy, they just unscrew. The difficult bit is unscrewing it off the rod so I would suggest you get the complete rod & end complete for an extra couple of poonds. Yes, may as well do it at the same time as your bones while your hands are dirty! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davidwort 0 Posted February 22, 2007 easy peasy, they just unscrew. The difficult bit is unscrewing it off the rod ... particularly when they are siezed solid as they often are! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted February 22, 2007 Only snag of doing the whole tie rod (I would also recommend that incidentally) is you need to get a big old spanner on the inner joint, which isn't easy unless on a ramp, and if they're done up uber tight.....hmmmmm.... you'll be swearing lots! What makes you think these parts are giving you grief? Is it wandery and sloppy? Appreciable wear in the joints is usually visible. The lower ball joints in the WBs can be hard to detect as they usually only show their wear when the steering is pointing at about 30 deg off centre. Check the steering rack UJ and rack for play too. Easiest way is to lean in through the window and keep your eyes rock steady peeled on the road wheels......even the tiniest of tiny steering wheel movements should move the road wheels. Do it with the road wheels dead ahead so that you can use the wings as a fixed reference. If the road wheels have a delayed reaction to the steering inputs.....hmmmm.....could be Wheel bearings, tie rods (inner or outer, or both), steering UJ or the rack. When the steering is right on Corrados, the handling and feel are amazing and totally justifies the high praise they got when new. Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crasher 3 Posted February 22, 2007 I would recommend you change the track rods as complete units as the inner ball is prone to wear. They are quite easy to change when the wishbones are off but you will need a 36-mm spanner (I think anyway, but it could be 34-mm) and the left hand track rod MUST be set to 406-mm (+/- 1-mm) and then fitted and never altered. The tracking must only be set on the right hand track rod end. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
herisites 0 Posted February 22, 2007 I knew if i asked this question it would lead to more work :( :lol: So basically its going to end up being a cnut of a job like most things! Kev - I just want to get it driving as good as it can really before whacking a supercharger on it! But at the same time on a budget (ish) so i can continue saving for the charger so i just want to change the easy bits that will make it a bit more responsive and more stable. Wheels bearings are definately gone on the left side as when i go round a roundabout i can hear them grinding. I can do these but i just need a press. So is it not worth changing just the tie rod ends alone then?? Plus im a bit of a beginner with this sort of thing, i could do it but i just dont know where to start and could end up cocking it up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted February 22, 2007 It's a 32mm for the Rods but it needs to be a thin one if taking off without removing the wishbones (you need to allign it between the subframe and bones to do this) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
