Tie rod — removal and installation

The tie rod can either be removed leaving the link in place or removed as an assembly with the tie rod link.

Engage the handbrake, jack up the front of the vehicle and secure it to jack stands under the bridge. Remove the front drive wheel.

If the tie rod is to be removed completely together with the control link, then the ball joint of the suspension strut and rod must be disconnected, as indicated above in the previous section.

If the tie rod is to be removed without the control link, then loosen the tie rod clamp bolt that secures it to the link.

Remove the lock plate from the steering gear to tie rod end bolts, then unscrew and remove the bolts, washers and spacer plate.

Installation is carried out in the reverse order of removal, taking into account the following.

The steering lock plate must be replaced during installation.

If the tie rod is installed as a set, connect the tie rod ball joint to the suspension strut and tighten the new self-locking nut as required.

If the tie rod is installed with the link already attached to the vehicle, screw in the threaded part of the tie rod to approximately the same position as it was before removal, and tighten the bolt.

After finishing work, check the installation (collapse, convergence) front wheels and adjust if necessary. There is no harm in having a small car run to check wheel alignment.