So i took my steering rack out of my car...and low and behold...i cannot for the life of me get the tie rod to disconnect so i can slide the bushing off...it wont unscrew...its clamped down..how can i unscrew the tie rod from the rack so i can replace the bushing?
some one has over tightened the nut, place the unit so you can let penetrant flow down into the nut.use some auto transmission fluid also.it is an excellent addition to penetrating fluid.liquid wrench is better than PB Blaster you can mix the penetrating fluid & tranny fluid in a bottle ,mix enough for later use! use a top quality american made wrench that fits the nut snug, if you have destroy the flat,, file it down so that the next smaller size wrench works ,or use LARGE vise grips then heat the tie rod & nut with a propane torch.. no torch!! ..heat unit in sunlite or electric heater ,move to area where you can build a smallfire in can.ect. & heat unit nut,connection area over fire. the heat actually expands & tighten the connection but hopefully after the fluid works, the heat will expand/separate the nut from the rod. it is much easier to loosen when the unit is installed on the car,,but clamp down ,once heated it should come loose,work fast,, have fun in the Canadian sun
[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 01-05-2014).]
Stan, I think he means getting the tie rod off the rack, not the tie rod end off the tie rod.
If that's the case, then you must understand that the tie rod is staked onto the rack. Look closely and you'll see that the tie rod has been flattened in two spots that are 180 degrees from each other. You need to unbend those two flattened spots (which usually breaks them) or grind them off so that you can turn the tie rod relative to the rack. Normally you would replace the tie rods since removing them from the rack ruins your ability to re-stake them, making them dangerous.
When I took mine off years ago I just used a pipe wrench and turned them both off. Put the pipe wrench on the largest area of the inner tie rod. The depressed area over the flats just opened right up as I turned off the inner tie rods. It has been a long time but I seem to remember they were not too hard to take off. One could put another pipe wrench on the other side tie rod and take off which ever one turns off first. Once off you can put a open end wrench on the flats of the rack to remove the other side.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
When I took mine off years ago I just used a pipe wrench and turned them both off. Put the pipe wrench on the largest area of the inner tie rod. The depressed area over the flats just opened right up as I turned off the inner tie rods. It has been a long time but I seem to remember they were not too hard to take off. One could put another pipe wrench on the other side tie rod and take off which ever one turns off first. Once off you can put a open end wrench on the flats of the rack to remove the other side.
Do u have any pics or a youtube video of that? i just cant seem to figure out how to pipe wrench this thing apart...to separate the inner and outer tie rods...im going crazy...
K i got the bushing replaced finally and the rack back in the car, is it normal for the steering to feel stiffer for the first little while? steering effort has increased a bit. Im hoping that will go away as the new bushing breaks in.
It's likely that the adjuster plug is too tight, it can be touchy. If it's too tight the wheel may not re-center itself after a turn, if it's too loose you may get a vibration through the steering wheel at freeway speed. I ended up taking the car on a test run with the appropriate size wrench along, stopping every couple of miles to adjust it until I felt it was correct. It's quite easy to access if you have the spare tire tub removed.
The bushing itself should have no effect on steering effort.
[This message has been edited by Silicoan86 (edited 01-08-2014).]
You shouldn't need to remove anything. I think you can reach it from underneath with a wrench, even with the spare tire tub installed. You may not be able to see it, but I'm pretty sure you can get to it with a wrench by feel.
Oh i might have seen that wrong...is it that black bolt looking thing at the top f the steering rack right by the shaft that goes into the steering colum???
