Tie Rod Replacement

[brokenrinker]

The guy who just put tires on my 99 camry says that the inner tie rod connection on the passenger side needs replaced. I've jacked the car up and looked the situation over and have some questions.

1. I can't detect much slop in the tie rod at either end when I attempt to push the steering knuckle/rotor assembly back and forth.

2. It looks like the boot has to come off. I'm talking about the one that goes over the end of the tie rod and connects to the side of the rack and pinion assembly. How do you remove the boot/reinstall it or a new one?

3. The guy at Auto Zone says they don't carry the boots or the clamps but they do have the tie rod in stock! I don't see how you can replace one without the other.

Any suggestions or comments?

[flyeri]

I replcaed a rack smoe time back. The front end guy tore the boot setting the toe adjustment. I noticed it a week later and got a new one from Toyota. The ones at Advance did not fit at all. You have to take the outter tie rod end off, pull the old boot off, slide the new on one, and use a tie wrap to attach. The n put it back together. I put a piece of tape on the tie rod so I would know where the outer end should be set back.

[Novice_cardude]

It's not a difficult job. Just find some tie wraps that are about as wide as the metal clamp that's on there now. You can measure, count threads, or otherwise eyeball where the outer tie rod will end up on the inner tie rod, but your best bet is going to be to take it to a shop that does alignments when you're done.

Don't forget the locktite for the threads that spin into the rack, and anti-sieze for the threads that the outer tie rod spin onto.

good luck!

[JohnGD]

Grab the tie rod and try to move it up/down/left/right/in/out and see if there is any movement. Rotate it as well, should not feel loose.

Just turn the wheel to one side and reach in.

As far as something like the boot you'll have to check the dealer. Parts shops only carry items that they can easily sell.

Originally Posted by brokenrinker

The guy who just put tires on my 99 camry says that the inner tie rod connection on the passenger side needs replaced. I've jacked the car up and looked the situation over and have some questions.

1. I can't detect much slop in the tie rod at either end when I attempt to push the steering knuckle/rotor assembly back and forth.

2. It looks like the boot has to come off. I'm talking about the one that goes over the end of the tie rod and connects to the side of the rack and pinion assembly. How do you remove the boot/reinstall it or a new one?

3. The guy at Auto Zone says they don't carry the boots or the clamps but they do have the tie rod in stock! I don't see how you can replace one without the other.

Any suggestions or comments?