Hey guys,
Well, after saving myself nearly 200$ in labor by changing my own starter i think im going to tackle my tie rod ends next. I have a fair amount of play in my steering, and after getting it checked by the local shop they told me it was the tie rod ends, and idler arm.

I wont be doing my idler arm, as that requires a rebuild and i dont feel safe doing that. Is it easy?

Im wondering if anyone knows of a good walkthrough or forum topic explaining how to remove and install new tie rod ends? I own a 1991 SR5 V6 pickup.

Let me know, thanks guys!!

 

Ill tell you this much, remember how many turns it takes to get the old tie rods off and measure the length also. It will help with the adjusting to get the tires even when your finished. And then you might want to tkae it and get a front end alignment.

 

after you take the carter key out of the tie rod, screw the nut to the end until it is flush with the end of the threads. Hit it with a hammer to knock it loose and take the nut off. Loosen the clamp/bolt at that tierod and unscrew it. Put it back together and do the other side. Before I put in new parts that have boots I try to open the boots and put more grease in them especially if they do not have grease nipples

 

Go to the autoparts store and get a set of ball joint separators. They are basically large wedged forks you hammer between the ball joint and the metal it bolts to. In all likely hood you will not get them off without this tool. Most places give them to you free for a day. With that and a small sledge! you should have no issues. You *may* also have to replace the threaded sleeve and the other end if the sleeve is frozen. I couldn't get mine loose and just replaced the whole thing.

No experience with the idler arm yet.

 

It's not hard to do.... I bought a tie-rod puller (basically a clamp with a bolt through the middle) it works better than the pickle fork and hammer method since you dont risk damaging any of the other parts or you hands lol and it only costs a few dollars more than the fork and has other uses as well.
Get both tie rod ends and the sleeves. Buy greaseable tie rod ends but don't use the cheap ass nipples that usually come with them spend a few cents more and get good nipples separately.
Remove the old tie rods as a unit one side at a time with the truck on the ground.
Assemble the new ones using anti-seize on the sleeves... measure distance between ends and amt. of thread showing on old ones and do new the match. Re install on truck and then do other side. If your truck was properly aligned before it still should be but to be safe take truck to an alignment shop and have them do their thing.
hope this helps

 

Do you have a friend in Langley that you can swap tie rod ends at? The only reason I ask is there is a Firestone in Langley. I just went yesterday for their lifetime alignment. If you are planning on eventually tackiling the idler arm assembly it might not be a bad deal. Considering its 75 for a one time alignment. It ended up being 139.99 plus tax. And its good at any Firestone!!

 

Sorry to be anal about this, but its a COTTER PIN. Not a carter key.

Anyways, yea, just whack the snot out of it with at LEAST a 3lb hammer. Whack the meaty part of the knuckle where the tie rod goes through (NOT the tie rod itself) a few times and it will pop. I've been doing this for years at work and at home, never damaged a single one. And I've only had to use a pickle fork a time or 2.

Idler rebuild is pretty easy too. Here's a link http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/idler/

You could just replace the whole idler arm if you dont feel comfortable rebuilding it.