I'm givin in. I cannot get my drivers side tie rod off...

[jimdigs]

If the outer is junk anyway heat it red hot and remove. Propane burns on the cool side as far as torches go, use MAPP or Acetylene if you can. Be careful...

I'll give it one more try tomorrow. This will be my fourth time trying to get the thing off. I'm gonna heat the thing til its glowing.

[scitzz]

Isn't there a roll pin that goes through a hole and holds it from turning? I know the later models with the aluminum rack has that, I am looking at one. The trick for me on drivers side has always be getting enough torque to pop it loose, but then it is EZPZ.

Before you give up, just remove the whole rack, mount it in a vice, and the you can use a breaker bar 15 feet long if you have too! Or jack it WAY up in the air to put a cheater bar on a wrench.

[scitzz]

Sent from somewhere outside the asylum via tapatalk

[Flw Sock]

I literally just did this job 2 days ago. The damn inner tie rod refused to come off. I have this massive pipe wrench I ended up squeezing in, and it came off first try with that thing. Then again, my pipe wrench is massive and REALLY bites down on the metal. When I went to spin the rest off with my hand I came out with a s---load of metal slivers from the wrench biting. I would try some heat with the wrench.

EDIT:
I did try using the rented tool from oreilly's. It didn't fit the festy inners. I was lucky on the passenger side and managed to get it off with a crescent wrench. The driver side was another story...see above

[skeeters_keeper]

I had one outer that just wouldn't budge trying to get it off of the inner. After plenty of heat I finally ended up bending the inner rod end… just had to replace both.

[jimdigs]

Okay, so NOW I officially give up. I heated the thing up forever, had a pipe wrench on it with a pipe attached to the wrench. Still could not get it to budge. Gonna have to pay someone to do it now. Oh well.

[Studebaker]

Been there. Ended up replacing the r@p at the same time. Of course it needed replacing.

[ryanprins13]

Did you hit something or did it just wear out to cause you to replace it? The first winter i had my festiva i slid into a curb hard. Took the inner and outer out together, put the inner in a bench vise and could not turn the outer with a huge pipe wrench. The threads had stripped together a bit when i hit the curb i presume.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jimdigs]

Did you hit something or did it just wear out to cause you to replace it? The first winter i had my festiva i slid into a curb hard. Took the inner and outer out together, put the inner in a bench vise and could not turn the outer with a huge pipe wrench. The threads had stripped together a bit when i hit the curb i presume.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nope, didn't hit anything. I was just replacing both side control arms and end tie rods. Got them all done but this driver side tie rod.

[jimdigs]

I called a local tire/repair place and they want $155 for a tie rod. DAMN. I hate this, I gotta try again or maybe call the local guy I know who screwed up my wheel bearings when he did em but has done other things for me pretty good and cheap. Get what ya pay for.

[TWFodor]

I called a local tire/repair place and they want $155 for a tie rod. DAMN. I hate this, I gotta try again or maybe call the local guy I know who screwed up my wheel bearings when he did em but has done other things for me pretty good and cheap. Get what ya pay for.

Repair shops are ridiculous. A local shop charged my sister-in-law almost $400 for a ball joint and a bushing.

[jfd64]

Break the inner tie rod free from steering gear and replace both ?

[SiliconSoul]

Get rid of the propane and at least use MAPP gas.

[SiliconSoul]

Repair shops are ridiculous. A local shop charged my sister-in-law almost $400 for a ball joint and a bushing.

Keep in mind they have to pay the bills too!
Not cheap running a shop these days...

[TWFodor]

Keep in mind they have to pay the bills too!
Not cheap running a shop these days...

Oh I understand that they have to make a profit to keep the lights on, that's just business, but $400 for a ball joint and a bushing is a a bit absurd. Another example: My Grandpa, who is quite elderly, has an early 90's Crown Vic and a shop wanted nearly $1000 to fix a fuel line. So my brother-in-law fixed it for the price of the fuel line, which was just pocket change.

I believe part of the problem is that shops try and take advantage of people who don't know much about their car, like my sister-in-law and my grandpa, and they actually get away with it. Seems like a good portion of the shops nowadays, especially dealers, are a bunch of con artists. But I like I said above, I understand they need to make a profit, but there is a point in time where they need to reevaluate their prices. They would have made ~$700 or more in profit with just my grandpa's car. That is what I consider crossing the line.

I will admit, I would much rather take my car to a mom and pop shop than a dealer, any day. I used to take my cars to a local shop and they treated me fairly most of the times, save for a few select instances.