How to - Inner Tie Rod Replacement

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ItsAnArse

Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2021
Messages
81
Hi all,

Having bought a Puma with MOT advisory of:

  • Nearside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s) ()
  • Nearside Front rack end slight play

And hearing a knocking over on bumps I decided to investigate. Firstly I could see the alignment was off and the steering wheel was not centered. I tried to get a picture of it but you can't tell. Basically, the passenger side front wheel was toed out.

The inner tie rod is the same as a Fiesta MK4 (unless you have a FRP I think), here's the part number 1044014:

IMG_20211008_125038.jpg

This cost me £28.99 delivered from Rates Ford on eBay.

I started by jacking the car up and checking play in the wheel. Moving the wheel side to side I could hear something knocking.

PLEASE NOTE: I did this job with the front end of the car in the air. This allowed me better/easier control of the steering which makes the job easier.

Take the wheel off. I'm only replacing the inner tie rod and not the end. This one is in perfect working order.

IMG_20211009_160828.jpg

Start by undoing the nut on the tie rod, this is a 22mm. You may need to clean the thread with a wire brush/wheel and hold the tie rod with another 22mm spanner.

Once the nut is loose you can twist the tie rod anti-clockwise to un-screw it from the tie rod end. You probably want to move the steering rack a bit to give you more room as it comes out the end.

With that out you next need to tackle the boot. This was a right pain in the arse. There are two clips holding it on, one at the rack end and a smaller one on the rod. The small one is quite easy to remove with a pair of pliers and reusable assuming it doesn't get mangled.

IMG_20211009_155804.jpg

The inner clip is different. You may know the type, the name of it eludes me. I think there is a tool for these but I don't know.

The way I removed it was to use a really long flat headed screwdriver, slot it into the clip, wiggle and push to expand it. This will allow it to come loose.

There is also another thing to remove. This is a breather pipe that goes to the boot on the other end of the rack, circled in blue below. This should just pop off the boot, there is no clip.

IMG_20211009_155751_LI.jpg

Once done, pull the boot off of the tie rod entirely

IMG_20211009_154105.jpg

Now here's where you might struggle. I had to buy a tool.

IMG_20211009_153807.jpg
IMG_20211009_153827.jpg

This is a 'universal inner tie rod removal tool' which cost me £17.99 on Prime https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089YNCXXN
There is also the Laser 3829 tool which I went to get from Machine Mart for £45 but they didn't have it in the shop.

Pretty easy to use, place the tool over the tie rod and use a 1/2" extension and breaker bar. Here's what I used:

IMG_20211009_153846.jpg

Screw your new tie rod in and do the reverse of the steps above. A few notes:

  • Use either the correct tool or a pair of side cutters to crush the clip thing (the one at the rack end of the boot)
  • Use an extension bar or long screwdriver to line up the metal breather tube with the hole in the boot. It can be tricky!!!

Hope this was useful for you.
 
grogee said:
Thanks for this, very useful guide. How much was the tie rod tool?
The tool was £17.99 then it went back up in price. The tie rod from Ford was £28.99.
 

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