04-10-2024, 09:46 AM | #1 |
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Gulf Shores, AL
Posts: 78
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Tie rod
I was under my car, getting ready to adjust my toe in, and I noticed that the tie rod turned easily by hand. Not the rod itself, but the ends. Should these be tightened or replaced. How much movement is normal? Replace the internal components with something like Snyder"s E-Z Steer?
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04-10-2024, 10:47 AM | #2 | |
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 1,124
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Re: Tie rod
Quote:
Put one wheel up in the air and then have someone twist the other wheel back and forth. Go underneath the car and look for movement of the ball on the spindle arms within the tie rod ends. Generally speaking, if they are adjusted properly initially then the wear is to create flatness on the spindle arm ball, which should be taken up by the springs in the tie rod ends. I've not seen slop of the ball within the tie rod ends. If you are still concerned you could try tightening up the tie rod end centers by 1/2 turn (to get the cotter pin slot aligned again) and see if that significantly increases stiffness in your steering. Any binding after doing that likely indicates out-of-roundness of the ball on the steering arm. Which is not a huge deal, you can knock out the spindle arms with the spindles in the car and send them to any of the suppliers for re-balling. I suspect that the E-Z steer mod, which uses teflon cups instead of the standard steel cups, would wear faster with worn balls since the balls often wear to have a sharp edge.
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04-10-2024, 04:32 PM | #3 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Western North Carolina
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Re: Tie rod
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The Teflon pads will save the balls but will not cure bad balls. As Jay Jay said, if the balls are not round they need to be replaced. If you do any work on the tie rod like tighten the plugs, you must check the toe-in alignment. You probably know how to measure the toe-in, but for those who do not know how, here are some instructions. Loosen the clamping bolts on both ends and rotate the rod to change the toe-in. The toe-in must be measured at the same height at the rear of the wheels and the front. Push the car forward a few feet and then measure at the front of the wheels. Then push the car forward and measure at the rear at the same height. A simple gauge can be made with PVC pipe or 2X4's. Mark the tires so that you assure that you measure at the same location in case there is some runout. The toe-in should be 1/16 inch. When done tighten the clamping bolts on both ends to the point where the rod will not rotate on the ends.
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A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past. Last edited by nkaminar; 04-10-2024 at 04:40 PM. |
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