Car 2013

How to Change Outer Tie Rod Ends

1. Park the car in a relatively flat, even surface. Place in Park or first gear and shut the key all the way off.
2. Place wheel chock behind one or both rear tires. Using the breaking bar and appropriate-sized deep 1/2-inch drive socket, loosen lug nuts on the wheel youre removing to replace the outer tie rod end. Do not remove lug nuts; simply break them loose.
3. Raise the vehicle using the floor jack and place jack stand under frame of vehicle. Remove lug nuts and wheel from vehicle.
4. Determine the application of the outer tie rod end. Many vehicles have a wide variety of types. Most common will have a jam nut behind them threaded to the inner tie rod end and will bolt to the knuckle. Spray the jam nut with an oil-based penetrant spray such as WD 40 or PB Blaster and break free with the appropriate open end hand wrench. Jam nuts come in a variety of sizes, but the most common are 19, 21 and 22 mm. Just break the jam nut free of the outer tie rod. Do not loosen. You may have to use a hand torch and heat up the jam nut to get the metal of the nut to expand on the threads of the inner tie rod.
5. Remove cotter pin from the bottom of the castle nut that bolts the bottom of the outer tie rod end onto to the knuckle with needle-nosed pliers or a cutting tool. Some outer tie rod end applications offer a locking nut and not a castle nut. If thats the case, skip this step.
6. Use the 1/2-inch drive breaking bar and appropriate-sized deep well socket for a castle nut or a locking nut, and loosen and remove the nut.
7. Use a ball peen hammer to hammer the knuckle where the outer tie rod end bolts into. Hammering the bottom of the outer tie rod end may work, but you want to be careful not to mushroom the bottom of the pivot or it will not fit through the hole in the knuckle. Hitting the knuckle with force will usually break the tension free.
8. Unscrew the outer tie rod end after you free it from the knuckle. Again, a hand torch may be needed to heat up and expand the metal of the outer tie rod end from the threads of the inner tie rod. This is rare, but it can happen.
9. Measure the distance of the inner tie rod end up to and past the jam nut. You can opt to replace the jam nut if you want to, as most new outer tie rod ends come with replacement nut, or you can simply leave the old one on the inner tie rod end and screw the new outer tie rod end up to the old jam nut. If you want to replace the nut, replace the new outer tie rod end in a very close position to where the old one was. This is important to keep the alignment of the vehicle as close to the way it was before replacement.
10. Place outer tie rod end pivot into knuckle and tighten very tightly using breaking bar and socket. If the outer tie rod end has a rubber cup, you may have to place that on the pivot and cover the ball area with it. You will have to align the hole at the lower end of the pivot and the castle nut in order to allow the new cotter pin to slide through, if applicable. Place in cotter pin and bend over the bottom of the pivot. If its a locking nut, simply tighten.
11. Tighten the jam nut. If the replacement outer tie rod end has a grease fitting, screw it on and tighten it gently with the appropriate open end hand wrench or socket. Grease fitting using grease gun until cup is full. Some new outer tie rod ends do not come with grease fittings and are sealed.
12. Replace tire and lug nuts. Tighten as tight as you can get the lug nuts. Raise vehicle high enough to remove jack stand. Lower vehicle and torque lug nuts in opposite sequence using a 1/2-inch drive adjustable torque wrench and appropriate-sized socket for the lug nuts to the proper torque specifications for that vehicle. If you need to replace the other side outer tie rod end, repeat the same procedure. When youre done, remove the wheel chock.