# Inner Tie-Rod



## jvaruzzo (Aug 23, 2003)

Anyone know if there are any online tutorials / guides / or instructions on replacing the inner tie-rod on ?

I finished my big clutch job, (car runs GREAT by the way!) woo-hoo!! but It failed inspection because of the driver side inner tie-rod.

I pulled the wheel off to take a look, and saw that there was the outer tie-rod, then a big boot. 

Never did tie-rods before, and the Haynes manual REALLY sucks... I quote the Haynes Manual:

"Remove the tie-rod end, from the tie-rod end.".

I find statements like that confusing and hilarious 

Thanks,
Justin


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## 95sentra (Aug 28, 2003)

The inner tie rod is found inside that boot. To get to it you have to remove the wheel, remove the out tie rod, remove the boot and then you are at the inner tie rod. Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## crazy4honda (Feb 24, 2004)

I would also appreciate if someone could elaborate on this. I think my driver's inner tie rod needs replaced. With the car turned off, I can rock the steering wheel back and forth and hear a distinct "clunk." When I went underneath the car and had my friend move the steering wheel, the sound is coming from the steering rack/inner tie rod area. Not sure if the steering box would be worn out or if it's the inner tie rod. My car only has 105,000 miles.

So, you simply remove the rubber boot, and the inner tie rod is under that? How do you replace the band clamps that go over the boot? Does it require a special tool? 

Thanks for any help!


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## jvaruzzo (Aug 23, 2003)

crazy4honda said:


> I would also appreciate if someone could elaborate on this. I think my driver's inner tie rod needs replaced. With the car turned off, I can rock the steering wheel back and forth and hear a distinct "clunk." When I went underneath the car and had my friend move the steering wheel, the sound is coming from the steering rack/inner tie rod area. Not sure if the steering box would be worn out or if it's the inner tie rod. My car only has 105,000 miles.
> 
> So, you simply remove the rubber boot, and the inner tie rod is under that? How do you replace the band clamps that go over the boot? Does it require a special tool?
> 
> Thanks for any help!


I'm not sure the official way to "reattach" the clamp. Mine broke apart trying to get it off, I just replaced it with a standard hose clamp from the autostore (50 cents?).


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## nova73guy (Mar 30, 2004)

That clunk could also be the mount bushings. I've heard they go bad after several years. However, if you do the inner tie rods, you might as well do all 4. You're gonna have to get the alignment done after anyway, so might as well get 'em all in one shot.


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## headrush (May 20, 2006)

I just replaced the inner tie rod sockets on my 92 sentra. I have a Chilton's manual, and it says to remove the steering gear and have it rebuilt by a pro. That would be way too much work, so I did it the "easy" way and left the steering gear in the car. The inner end of the socket only has 4 flats, and access was extremly limited, so I bought some giant vise grips. As it turns out a large cresent wrench was the most useful. Here are the tricks I learned:

1) There was a split plastic washer called a lock plate betwee the socket and the steering gear. As far as I can tell it serves no purpose except to prevent you from getting a wrench on the flats. I broke them out and didn't bother to replace them.

2) You will probably need to get some heat on the sockets to weaken the loctite so you can get them off the steering gear.

Otherwise it was pretty straightforward. Your success will depend on how much access you have to get a wrench on the socket if you choose to leave the steering gear in. Removing the sockets using 1/32 turn at a time was a pain, but much better than the alternative. It may not be possible on some models, and it may be much easier on others.

I aligned my car with a tape measure, measuring from tread-to-tread on front and rear of the tires. I haven't driven it much since the repair (finished today), so I am not sure how well I did on alignment, but the car drives much better

This was the best reference I found: 
AutoZone.com | Repair Info | Vehicle Repair Guide | Select Year

My god, bad sockets on a 2002? I guess those engineers at Nissan don't learn very quickly.


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## headrush (May 20, 2006)

Some additional info. You don't need to remove the wheel or the outer tie rod from the hub. Since the inner tie rod is a ball and socket, each end will turn independently of the other. You can simply unscrew each end from the steering gear and from the outer tie rod.

You will be spending some time under the car and applying some torque/force. Make sure your jackstands are secure! I lifted one side at a time and used 3 jackstands.

The steering gear end of the inner tie rod socket is sized for a 30 mm wrench on my 92. A crescent wrench works better in this situation because you can loosen it to a 31 or 32 mm and get the wrench on when the rotational position of the flats is not optimal.

Yes, it may be a good idea to replace the outer tie rods at the same time, but I didn't. They were tight, inspite of the poor condition of the rubber. My car is a commuter pile, so I keep my investment to a minimum.

Inner tie rod sockets were $24 ea at Pep Boys and $42 ea at Checker. They are the exact same part.

This is a nifty tool I just found (I didn't use it): Inner Tie Rod Tool


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