Help please help '06 IS250 inner tie rod replace (d.i.y)

[Lexley]

Hi all. I took my car for front wheel alignment , to fix slight off centre steering wheel position. The guy took me under the car(right front) to show me a slightly bend inner tie rod. The previous owner must have hit something. On test drive, i foolishly assumed it was just a matter of realignment. I was quoted a ridiculous amount and then decided to source the inner and outer tie rod ends myself and attempt to replace it myself. 

Here's my problem: 

I found many tutorials of replacing outer tie rod ends online but non on the inner tie rods. I'm just wondering what can i expect under the rubber booths. Do i need any special tools? Can someone give me as a novice some step by step of how to remove and replace the inner tie rod pls? The outer tie rod end replacement looks simple enough. I'm also aware that i have to do the tracking after replacing them. 

All help will be greatly  appreciated. Cheers!

In this pic you can see the bend on the thread section of the inner tie rod.

 

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Lesley. Just how long have you had the car? I'm assuming not long so basically take the car back to where you bought it and get them to replace the damaged tie rod. If they refuse then threaten them with a small claims court claim and with trading standards. How much MOT came with the car? If it came with a full 12 months then that's really dodgy and you need to get your money back and get another car.

[johnatg]

It's pretty simple really. The tie rod screws into the rack - there are flats on the inside part of the ball joint. I haven't done the job on a IS250 but I have on other cars - they are all much the same. You will probably need a BIG spanner - an adjustable will do. Note the torque setting - 76 ft.lb. That's pretty damn tight.

[Lexley]

28 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

Hi Lesley. Just how long have you had the car? I'm assuming not long so basically take the car back to where you bought it and get them to replace the damaged tie rod. If they refuse then threaten them with a small claims court claim and with trading standards. How much MOT came with the car? If it came with a full 12 months then that's really dodgy and you need to get your money back and get another car.

Tnx for your reply. I bought this car from a private seller, so will be futile to even attempt to get hold of this guy. I've braced myself to just fix the car myself and spare myself the stress of back and forth with the seller. You know how they change after they have your money...

[Lexley]

31 minutes ago, johnatg said:

It's pretty simple really. The tie rod screws into the rack - there are flats on the inside part of the ball joint. I haven't done the job on a IS250 but I have on other cars - they are all much the same. You will probably need a BIG spanner - an adjustable will do. Note the torque setting - 76 ft.lb. That's pretty damn tight.

Tnx for reply. So you just remove the boot and unscrew the tie rod? 

[johnatg]

55 minutes ago, Lexley said:

Tnx for reply. So you just remove the boot and unscrew the tie rod? 

Yep - that's it. Best to remove the whole rod including the track rod end, make a bit of a jig to record the total length then put the old end on the new rod and adjust to the exact old length - although yours is wrong anyway. Then reassemble and get the tracking adjusted. 

[Lexley]

Great stuff! Sounds easy enough.

[Lexley]

Thanks for all the replies. . Love my is250,was just unfortunate to buy one with a few minor/ annoying issues.  I will be here pestering you with stupid questions and asking for your expertise. Hope you don't mind😊

[Mr Vlad]

You pester away Lesley. We're all here to help each other as best we can. 

[Mincey]

1 hour ago, Lexley said:

Thanks for all the replies. . Love my is250,was just unfortunate to buy one with a few minor/ annoying issues.  I will be here pestering you with stupid questions and asking for your expertise. Hope you don't mind😊

Buying an IS250 marks you down as someone with exceptionally good taste. Feel free to pester everyone here as much as you like :-)

[steve2006]

It looks like the locking nut on the inner tie rod is also missing?

This video shows the basic procedure involved, I would recommend getting hold of a ball joint splitter to separate the ball joint easier.

 

 

[steve2006]

Here is the parts list, the missing nut is circled in red.

[Texas]

I don’t think the nut is missing, if you zoom in on his pic you can see the hex on it, and the Flats on the tie rod,

Question though, what does the other  side look like compared to this?

[Razor61]

14 hours ago, steve2006 said:

I would recommend getting hold of a ball joint splitter to separate the ball joint easier

I would also add to get a decent quality one and better still an adjustable type. I did the front lower ball joints on my IS200 yesterday and I needed to disconnect the track rod ends. I already had a ‘fork’ type splitter which does the job but normally destroys the rubber boot, not an issue if the ball joint is being replaced but in my case I didn’t want to destroy the track rod end rubber boots. So last week I invested in a good quality adjustable ball joint separator which wasn’t cheap by any means but it’s a cracking bit of kit and the way the adjustable bit works is excellent. Link to the one I bought is below, there was an older model second hand one on eBay a few weeks ago but it sold for over £40 iirc. I decided to buy a new one.

https://www.sykes-pickavant.com/products/suspension-tools/ball-joint-removal/463

[johnatg]

On Wheeler Dealers, Edd China (and probably Ant Anstead too ) always separates ball joints by hitting the joint from either side, simultaneously, with two hammers. That's never worked for me - I wonder if they separate the joint off camera then put it together loosely for the live take! 😕

I have a Laser one similar to but much less sophisticated than Paul's, but it works fine on the scissor principle.

[Lexley]

Tnx for all replies. Sorry attempting to change the tie rods didn’t turn out that good for me. Almost everybody are using a special tool for the inner tie rod. Surprisingly, I managed to get it loose with my shifting spanner ( don’t know what it’s called in Europe😁) after bending back the washer.

However, I could not for the life of me get the outer tie rod end out after loosening the 17 bold and removing the pin. Tried to hit it with a hammer but didn’t even budge. I finally conceded and reassembled everything. Need the car so taking it to the mechanic tomorrow. 

[johnatg]

If you're going to try and separate ball joints in future you'll need a splitter. Piece of cake with one - really hard without. 

[Lexley]

Yes guys, I think a ball joint splitter would have sorted the problem. Unfortunately all the shops are closed today and ordering online not an option since I need the car. The tracking has to be done anyway, so I think might as well take her to mechanic. 

[Lexley]

2 minutes ago, johnatg said:

If you're going to try and separate ball joints in future you'll need a splitter. Piece of cake with one - really hard without. 

Found that out the hard way😁

[Lexley]

On 4/10/2021 at 5:34 PM, steve2006 said:

Here is the parts list, the missing nut is circled in red.

Hi Steve, that nut is there. 

[johnatg]

You live and learn - mostly by failures! Think of it as a positive experience! 

[Lexley]

On 4/10/2021 at 6:53 PM, Texas said:

I don’t think the nut is missing, if you zoom in on his pic you can see the hex on it, and the Flats on the tie rod,

Question though, what does the other  side look like compared to this?

Hi Texas, other side looks straight. 

[Lexley]

On 4/10/2021 at 5:01 PM, Mincey said:

Buying an IS250 marks you down as someone with exceptionally good taste. Feel free to pester everyone here as much as you like 🙂

Hi James. Thank you sir!

[Lexley]

On 4/10/2021 at 3:43 PM, Lexley said:

Great stuff! Sounds easy enough.

Eating THAT words now...

[Lexley]

10 minutes ago, johnatg said:

You live and learn - mostly by failures! Think of it as a positive experience! 

Yessir! Wife throwing subtle hints of “you bought a lemon “. Told her the car going nowhere. Just a few small annoyances, overall a nice clean car.