# Inner Tie Rod Problem



## Hoseman1958 (Dec 22, 2014)

Just replaced ball joints and tie rod ends on my 2000 Nissan Quest. I have the repair manual which suggests a "tie rod standard length" measurement from edge of boot on inner tie rod to outside of tightening nut at tie rod end. This number is 7.19 inches or 182.7 mm for both sides. When I removed the tie rod ends, I counted the number of rotations to unscrew them on both sides. For passenger side it was 14 turns; for drivers side it was 23 turns. 
I had hoped to even this up when I put the new tie rod ends on, but when I woke up next day to do it, the passenger side is almost too short to allow the tie rod end to get tot the knuckle (only allowed 3 or 4 turns.) Drivers side is just the opposite. I also have had to dramatically turn the steering wheel to get the wheels facing straight. Something ain't right. Can anyone help me to learn how to even out the length of my inner tie rods?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

It's always a good idea to take a measurement of the length of both tie-rods prior to dis-assembly. It's possible that the steering rack mountings may be slightly off-center thus producing the discrepancy. Here's a procedure on setting the toe-in:

1. Turn the steering wheel so that it's centered straight across. Bounce front of vehicle up and down to stabilize the posture. You can now turn the tie-rods to the 7.19" settings.
2. Push the vehicle straight ahead about 16 ft.
3. Put a mark on base line of tread (rear side) of both front tires at the same height as hub center. These are measuring points.
4. Measure distance “A” (rear side) between left and right tire.
5. Push the vehicle slowly ahead to rotate the wheels 180 degrees (1/2 turn). If the wheels have rotated more than 180 degrees (1/2 turn), try the above procedure again from the beginning. Never push vehicle backward.
6. Measure distance “B” (front side) between left and right tire.
7. Toe-in (A − B): 0.12 ".
8. Adjust toe-in by varying the length of both steering tie-rods.
9. Loosen lock nuts. Adjust toe-in by screwing both tie-rods in or out.

At this point, after setting the toe-in, It's best to take the vehicle to an alignment shop for a final check/adjustment of the tie-in.


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## Hoseman1958 (Dec 22, 2014)

Rogoman thank you for your detailed reply. I had twisted the rotors around in so many different ways to wrestle on both new ball joints and the new tie rod ends that I totally wrecked the alignment. Since I counted the number of turns to remove each tie rod end, I was able to add those two number and divide by 2 and ended up learning that with 19 turns on each side, I could go back and forth, adjusting the rotors and the steering wheel each time until the front wheels looked pretty straight and the steering wheel was in the correct position. I drove it after this and it shimmied pretty bad once I got it up to speed. I took it in and had it aligned and everything is good now. I live up a logging road on the side of a mountain and have a gravel driveway with only one small flat area, but since you were kind enough to reply....it looks like the instructions that you gave were similar to those I have seen on youtube for doing an actual alignment.....the only thing missing from yours was the string. Is setting the "toe-in" a different process, or a precursor to doing an actual alignment?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

The "string" that you're referring to in some youtube videos can be a wire or tape measure. I use an actual toe-in gauge which is long and looks "L" shaped with an adjustable end pointer; performs the same function as the "string" but is more accurate. The instructions in the videos is an actual "toe-in" adjustment. As long as you do it carefully and double-check your work, it can be as good as done by a professional machine.


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