Car is finally done. I got it back with new tires and the alignment! Pics Page 4

[Q-Ball]

Update March 31st 2007:

Ok, I got a few parts off now. I made a few mistakes, but I think I got everything going alright now. What I'm doing now is taking apart the whole assembly as I was told to do. I got the lower ball joint off which was a reall PITA! All that seems to be left that is connected to the assembly is the driveshaft? The part that actually turns the wheels. So, in theory, once that is off I can remove my strut mounts and the whole assembly should fall through?

 

Once I have it out, I can than put the spring compressors on. Do I need to remove my strut to get at the bearing plate? After thats changed, I'm going to go ahead and try and remove the inner tie rod. If all that goes well, I should be able to get everything back together.

 

If someone could answer all my questions that would be great!

 

ORIGINAL POST:

 

Well I'm replacing both sides with all new parts to get my alignment. This has been put off since December so I want to get this done asap. My passenger side work has been done by someone else. I have the new monroe outter tie rod on, I just need to put a new boot on the inner tie rod and connect it and its done!

 

As for the drivers side, I cant get the damn old outer tie rod off. Reading on I found there are some nice tools. So, I'm gonna be renting some tools for this job. So the outer tie rod will be ok.

After that I'm replacing the inner tie rod, the lower ball joint and the strut bearing plate. So I need to re a tool for the outer tie rod, inner tie rod, ball joint and a spring compressor.

 

I think I can do it all, but what worries me is the innner tie rod. I was reading in my shop manual and it was telling me it can be loosened with 2 wrenches. I see the flat surface on the inner tie rod, but not on the other part where it connects too.

 

Can anyone clear this up for me? Or show me a tool that I can use to get the job done.

 

Also, I found these tools online so far. I'm just using them as visual aids so when I rent them, I can make sure they are the correct ones.

 

TIE ROD END AND BALL JOINT REMOVAL TOOLS

 

Spring compressor

 

Inner tie rod tools

I have seen these 2 on the forum here. Just wondering how they work and what they do:

 

 

 

Called a skating tool?

[GutlessSupreme]

Inner tie rod tools

I have seen these 2 on the forum here. Just wondering how they work and what they do:

 

 

I have this tool and it works MINT.

 

After you remove your tie rod end and the inner's dust boot, you slide the tool over the tie rod and then reach up and slip on the properly sized adaptor for our tie rods. turn a little thingy, which locks it in, and then you can throw a ratchet on the end of it (it's got a hole for it) and just loosen it from there. MUCH easier than trying to reach up in that small space and dick around with a few wrenches for hours.

 

It's not too cheap though, I think I got mine for like $55-60 shipped? off of ebay. Well worth it, supposed to work with a lot of vehicles.

 

Called a skating tool?

 

called a staking tool. Ideally, you should use one of these. it crimps the end of the tie rod onto the rack so that it won't back off. I just used loc-tite on mine but who knows how well that will hold lol. I just didn't feel like spending another $90 or so for a tool at the time.

 

[White93z34]

when i did mine i had one old outer tie rod end stay stuck on really good, so i cut it off with a sawzall.

 

but that long wrench tool is what you need for R&R on them, it will make more sense once you get in there.

 

as for the staking tool, there was no way, no how i was getting that in there, maybe with a 3.1 there is more room, but its been a good long time since i did mine and they have yet to go anywhere.

 

now for holding the boots back on, i just used some real good zip ties. and make sure to get an alignment immediately afterwards.

[Q-Ball]

Thanks for info guys. Well I called Canadian Tire and they have everything to rent out except the outer tie rod removal tool. They said they tie rod is a kit. So it might be for both innner and outter tie rods. Well, atleast thats what I'm hoping for. I rent everything with my credit card and I have 3 days to use the tools. I just bring them back and I get a full refund. So thats pretty sweet. If they kit doesnt come with it the outer tie rod tool, they have one on the shelf to buy for 25 bucks. I cant wait to get this done! Soon as I'm done I'm calling to get a 4 wheel alignment. If I did anything wrong, will they be able to fix it? I'm really just worried about the inner tie rod with the lock tight or using this crimper. I dont want to damage anything.

[Q-Ball]

Well, I got the outer tie rods off! I went and rented 500 bucks worth of tools. Who thought they would be so expensive... Anyways, I had to buy a tie rod puller because they dont rent them. But my god, I few good whacks and that baby came off. I just had to grind the bolt a little bit cause it was mushrooming from me beating the hell out of it. But its off! So now I got both new outer tie rods ready to go. Hopefully I can get the rest off tomorrow.

 

The tools I rented is: Spring compressor, ball joint remover, inner tie rod remover kit.

 

And this is what I had to buy, I got it for free though, the girl at the counter thought it was a part of the rental tools.

 

[Regal_GS_1989]

I have one outer, and both inner tie rods that i need to change on my cutlass. Along with doing the struts. I just hope that the canadian tire's around me rent out the inner tie rod removal tool. Hell, im almost tempted to replace the ball joints when im at it.

[Q-Ball]

I'd do it while your at it.

 

Ok, new problem. I got the spring compressor, looks identical to the one in the pic. But I dont have enough room to compress it. It's like the threaded part is gonna hit the top of my car where the mount is. I tried it the other way, but I dont have enough room to even get my wrench in there.... any idea's?

[19Cutlass94]

Drop the whole assembly. You cant use spring compressors on that type of assembly.

[Q-Ball]

So I have to remove that whole thing? Than use the spring compressor once its off the car?

[Crazy K]

this to replace the spring bearing plate??? whats wrong with the one there right now? and are you doing the strut cartridges too?

[Q-Ball]

this to replace the spring bearing plate??? whats wrong with the one there right now? and are you doing the strut cartridges too?

 

I need to get it replaced. Its causing my memory steer. I already have a KYB GR-2 in there. Struts have maybe 500 km on them.

[Q-Ball]

Heres the update so far. Turns out I didnt even need the spring compressor!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Arnold, my little helpers....

[19Cutlass94]

NIce! Glad to see you got it off! I would deff invest in some POR-15 while your that far apart though!!!

 

Now you just gotta get it back together!

[CSI_MuNkY]

nice snot around that joint, lol

just a suggestion, you might wanna cover that up with a plastic bag and elestic or something, the last thing you want is debris getting in there while your doing your other work

 

Jamie

[Q-Ball]

NIce! Glad to see you got it off! I would deff invest in some POR-15 while your that far apart though!!!

 

Now you just gotta get it back together!

 

Yeah, I'll paint it up. I got some stuff from where I used to work.

 

 

nice snot around that joint, lol

just a suggestion, you might wanna cover that up with a plastic bag and elestic or something, the last thing you want is debris getting in there while your doing your other work

 

Jamie

 

I'm just keeping up in the air so no dirts getting in it.

[Regal_GS_1989]

I gotta ask why you took apart the CV joint, instead of just pulling the whole thing out of the Transmission? I just pull the whole thing out. It just seems like taking it apart is a lot of extra work.

[GutlessSupreme]

I know whenever I pull my axles at least one side will have the joint pop apart. boot doesn't come off though. scared me the first time. I just pop it back in and give it another shot.

[ron350]

Q-Ball

 

Good clear pictures thanks.

 

How did you take the strut assembly apart with out a spring compressor?

 

 

[Andrew]

I would deff invest in some POR-15 while your that far apart though!!!

that stuff is expensive!!

[Bake82]

I would deff invest in some POR-15 while your that far apart though!!!

that stuff is expensive!!

 

Much cheaper than replacing rusted parts tho!! or even a new car because rust has eaten away at it

[19Cutlass94]

I would deff invest in some POR-15 while your that far apart though!!!

that stuff is expensive!!

 

Much cheaper than replacing rusted parts tho!! or even a new car because rust has eaten away at it

 

Its $35 a QT and half a QT did the whole underneath of my car twice!

[CSI_MuNkY]

Q-Ball

 

Good clear pictures thanks.

 

How did you take the strut assembly apart with out a spring compressor?

 

 

 

 

that was my idea...

I told him to jack up the a-arm slightly, just enough to compress the spring a bit, then unbolt everything from the top. Then slowly let the jack down. This is the way we did it on my brothers MX6 because you would NEVER fit a spring compressor on his springs but we didn't want to take the whole damn thing apart to install his lowering springs.

 

Only somewhere along the line he went wrong because when he unbolted the top everything dropped and thats when the C/V joint popped out (if I understand him correctly) My guess is he didn't have the jack under the a-arm like i told him to.

 

Jamie

[Q-Ball]

Well, really it was an accident. I took off the ball joint and I already had the top mounts off. I had my jack jacked up under the assembly so I could remove the ball joint. So what happened when I released some pressure off the jack was the spring uncompressed and popped out my CV joint. It took the bolt and the clamo off with it too. Nothing was damaged, but this way I didnt have to remove the hub nut which would probably be impossible with out impact gun.

 

I also removed my bolts for the front sway bar last night. I'm just trying to manuever to I can cut the clamp on the inner tie rod/rack and pinon boot.

 

But, I was scared when I heard the pop. But a closer look at it, I figured it out and wasnt too scared.

[Q-Ball]

Well heres an update. I got all the new parts on. Just having a bit of trouble getting this breather tube reconnected to my new rack and pinion boots. Which by the way took almost 3 days to get in.

 

After that, I got the spring compressed as far as it can go, but I cant quite seem to get the strut bolt through the mount. I'm thinking I can re-assemble everything and just use my jack to jack up on the rotor to push the spring? Cause looking at this spring, a spring compressor doesnt work very well with it. Since the coils are smaller on top, if you compress it, it tends to bend/stretch. So I took it off and lowered the springs, but i cant even compress them enough to get the strut bolt through the mount. Any idea's?

 

I must say, I'm really getting fed up with this.

 

/end rant.

[intern8tion9l]

i didn't use a spring compressor either