Inner Tie Rod Question...Help

[jglutz]

The Festiva is currently up on on stands ready for some long over due front end work.

I'm preping to change the tie rods. I've read the Ford Factory Manual and observed two items of concern. 1) Locking pins. 2) The manual recomends pulling the steering column then drop the rack to perform service out of the vehicle.

My question(s)...Has any one ever changed the tie rods with out pulling the rack or droping the steering column? Also....whats the deal with the locking pins, the manual is not that descriptive, do they just push thru?

Oh..by the way...I had the engine out this past fall...only left in the bay was the rack. Typical for me.

[stefan]

It is doable... I have done it. I'm straining my brain here trying to remember how though lol. ops:

The pins go thru the threaded part where the rods thread into the rack. I think if you look at your new rods you should see the hole? (I think) I think I managed to get them out with a punch. Its tight working in there tho!

And to twist them off... I think i held the rack with a pipe wrench and carefully turned off the rods with a open wrench.


If I managed to do it, I'm sure you will figure it out!

[worfdog]

i did my 88 a couple of months ago. mine did not have the pins nor did it have holes for them.the new ones had a hole for the pins but i did not have the pins so i just put some blue lock-tight on the threads and tighten them up.
when i took them off, i used a pipe wrench and one swift jerk and they broke loose. i also re-greased the rack while i had the boots off to replace the inner tie rods.

[KingFish]

I didn't do my home work and just busted them loose with elbow grease. Although I was probably lucky I didn't rip up my threads. Then I used lock tight to re-install.

[mechanicaldj]

i did mine during my engine O/H

rack out of the car
and had to use a small set of solid carbide burrs on a drill to grind just enough to remove the inner tie rod without damaging the threads in the rack.

if you try to force the inner tie rods out without removing or disabling the blind pin(pin hole does not go all the way through) , you run the risk of damaging the internal rack bushings or messing up the preload on the worm gear

then use lock-tite to install the new inner tie rod

[dahodges]

Next time I will let a shop do this job

[jglutz]

They're out....less than 2½ hours.
I took the steering column out first....took the A pipe and cat out next.
The boot from the fire wall covering the intermediate joint is a real joy.
Once I got the boot out of the way....fished right out.
Those pins....holy crow... the factory drilled and inserted the pins after the tie rods were installed.... I drilled them out.
Getting the passenger side rod loose took some technique.
I cann't figure out how any one could change them in place.
Done for the night...will RARI tommorrow.

[FB71]

my pins just sheared off when I unthreaded them.

[jglutz]

Finished....less than 2 hours....1 hour cleaning and re-assembly of the rack. Less than and hour install. Man oh man...the drivers side was shot. The worst part. Trying to re-assembly of the lower duct work under the dash up behind the fuse block. Also my tach makes the column wrap tough.

Gutted steering column.


Measurements made to get alignmenent back (old tie rod) Many others also required.
Illustration only. My 24" vener....man I love flea markets.


Rack ready to go back in.



Double checking allignment before clamping intermediate shaft to column. I traced a line on the floor from the sill and made sure the hub (attached angle) was parrallel.


The tach that makes the column wrap and instrument bezel tricky.


Thanks to all for the advice!!!!

[funky technician]

whats inside the rack after you remove the tie-rod ends? I'm getting a clunk when I steer back and forth at a stand still, and my steering wheel is not streight, but the wheel are alligned, I took it to an alignment shop, they alligned it, it kept its allignment but after a while I have to have the wheel on an angle to keep it streight, and its not under load like if were the strut bearings, i'm think that maybe my rack is going?its not the outer ends because there new and the strut bearings, although not the smothest, aren't seized, could it skip teeth on the worm gear in the rack do ya think? is there a piston that extends in and out of either end of the rack as you steer that the tie rods screw into? if I need a new rack, will NAPA have them and will the rack come with inner tie rods affexed to the rack already? I originaly thought it was strut bearings but now i'm leaning toward the rack causing the clunk, what were the symtoms of the inner ends going anyhow?

[jglutz]

There's not to much in the rack assembly to go bad. The rack...the pinion...back lash spring and wedge...and end guides (sleevees)

I'm not sure of anything in the rack itself that would "clunk" Steering clunks are usually related to the suspension linkages...tie rods, control arms, sway bar ect.

Two suspect areas you did not mention....The internals to the strut and/or the intermediate joints (universals) between the end of the steering column and the rack input.

[funky technician]

hmmm, i wonder then, these universels at the bottom of the steering column, wouldn't they clunk upon every rotation of the steering wheel, like the way a bad axel clicks when its turned, but this is just one clunk, as I change direction of the wheel at a stand still, and like I said, I have to now hold the steering wheel crooked to keep the car going straight even though I just recently had an alignment done, and haven't even so much as kissed a bump or curb since, I was suspecting that the pinion gear skiped a tooth on the rack due to excess wear ( the car has 230 000K), and the clunk was the worn pinion slipping on the rack, I have had everyone telling me its the strut bearing but I've had the car up in the air a dozen times and I can turn both struts with ease, mind you there not the smoothest, but they still turn by hand, besides, Ive driven cars with bad strut bearings before, my old mazda 626 had a bad strut bearing and it would clunk over and overagain as you turned left to right, and it also preloaded the steering due to the fact the spring was tightening as you turned the wheel, i don't get that kinda of preload with this, and like i said, when the car was in the air I could turn the steeringwheel with ease left and right, and grap the tire and move the wheel left and right with ease.

[jglutz]

A couple of comments:

Only one clunk on the universal per turn of the wheel....maybe....maybe not.

Steering wheel not straight while driving....more importantly....what happens when you let go of the wheel while driving on a staight level road....does it pull to one side or the other? While rolling straight, there should be little or no effort to keep the wheel straight. If the wheel pulls...allignment issues.

To test the strut...lift the car. Pull the wheel...sway bar and lower strut bolts. The wheel will drop out of the way. You should be able to turn the strut with minamal effort and feel for bearing problems.

The rack and pinion engagement is spring loaded....the factory manual has a rebuild and inspection proceedure....You could drop the rack...and follow the proceedure....however...if you found a problem, it would be best to buy a new rack.

Are the wheels mounted well? loose lug nut? Dirt between the wheel and the hub?

[funky technician]

ya, I inspected that struts when installing my newly rebuilt hubs, like i said, the bearings arn't the smothest but I can easly turn them by hand so I doubt its the bearings, all my wheels are tight and the front end is pritty much all brand new except for the struts( which i mentioned) and the rack and inner rods, I replace everything else including the outter rod ends, so thats y i"m kinda thinking the rack has some issues, even when you go under and shack everything, it all seems super tight, its just this clunk when steering at a stand still, when there the most straign on the rack, when its in the air it moves from lock to lock with ease, do you know if napa sells racks? if so does it come with inner rods and boots? FMS doesn't have any right now and I'd have to send my old ones in to be repaired, in which case I might as well repair my own, in light of the massive amount of front end work I've done already, if I install a new rack with new tierods, I problely will never have to look at the front end again in about 10 years time

[jglutz]

Another thing to consider...is the rack mountings secure or the insulators shot?