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Steering tie rods and balljoints

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  • Steering tie rods and balljoints

    I'm planning to refresh the front suspension and steering. Assuming money no object (don't want to end up doing a job twice), should I replace the entire tie rods, or just the ball joints? How tricky are the tie rods to change? Obviously alignment needed for either way.
    Roger

  • #2
    Money no object alloy evo ii arms are available for a bargain £145 here. Believe me that's a bargain. Eccentric bushes are needed to correct the caster.
    Or I'd just get the balljoints done. A quick search has come up with lemforder replacements on eBay for about £15 a pop which is cheaper than an arm from BMW. I'd be doing this but one of my arms I suspect is wrong so if you do replace them I'll buy your scrap

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    • #3
      It's the tie rods on the steering rack I'm talking about, not the wishbones. Just wondering how big a job it is to replace the entire tie rod.

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      • #4
        Ah sorry. Thought you were doing the whole lot.

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        • #5
          The entire tie rod/rod assembly is available for not much more from eurocarparts (and you'll probably find your existing stuff is siezed anyway).

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          • #6
            Straightforward job? Can it be done with the rack in situ?

            Thanks,
            Roger

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            • #7
              Yes, the steering rack assembly is all quite easy to work with on these cars as it sits at the front of the subframe. Even complete removal of the rack is quite straight forward.

              Just need to undo the tie rod end nuts on the hub and undo the tie rods from the rack, just be careful with the rubber boots. I think I've just used molegrips to undo the tierods from the rack. Then just set the new tie rod assembly to the same lengths as the old ones to give you a rough setting.

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              • #8
                Brilliant, thanks!

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                • #9
                  Be sure to order new locktabs to secure the tie-rod ends to the steering rack__whenever people supply their own parts for me to install, NOBODY EVER remembers (or knows) to get these.











                  You can use the old assemblies to get the toe-in measurement in the ballpark; at least you won't be fighting the wheel on your way to the alignment shop.



                  Carefully bend the lock-plates to secure the ball-joint, after tightening to spec.



                  New rubber boots and clamps on this car.





                  And the job's almost finished...



                  ... checking toe-settings (4-wheel laser-guided alignment still recommended).



                  It is possible, and relatively easy, to remove the entire power steering system intact__fluid-wise__if you're interested in cleaning/draining everything at one time.

                  Randy Forbes
                  Sports Cars Plus, LLC
                  Parrish, Florida, USA
                  http://spcarsplus.com/piwigo/

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                  • #10
                    Moved this to knowledgebase

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                    • #11
                      I did this recently using OEM parts from ECP and learned a couple of things.

                      1. You need a thin wrench to remove the tie rod from the steering rack. I purchased a fan wrench from halfords and that did the trick. The tie rods are quite tight.

                      2. The hardest part of the job for me was bending the lock tabs randy pictured. TIS says DO NOT hammer them which makes it a tough job. Especially without a lift.

                      Best of luck.

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