Suboobaru Inner Tie Rod Replacement.

I have a Subaru in the shop that needs some suspension work. It needs an inner tie rod changed and 2 wheel bearings replaced. I had a little bit of time so I figured I would bring it in and start on it. I will let you figure out why my post is titled the way it is.

 The tie rod is really easy to change. First thing to do is jack it up and support it on a jack stand. Pull the wheel off and pop the outer tie rod out of the steering knuckle. I find that the best way to get these out without damaging anything is to hit it with a hammer or rivet gun right on the side of the knuckle. They will usually pop right out and you don't damage the threads of the tie rod or damage the boot as you sometimes do with a pickle fork. I just used a hammer with this one because the outer tie rod was replaced recently.

 Next remove the clamps that hold the boot on. This one had a shield on the outer side of the boot that was held on by 2 bolts. Remove all that and slide the boot to the outer side of the tie rod. This will expose the flats so you can remove the inner tie rod. Wipe the grease off them so you can get a good grip on it with a tool. They make a special tool to remove inner tie rods. I don't own that tool so I didn't use it. They rent them at the popular auto part stores for free if you really need it. You can also use a crows foot and a long extension or just a wrench if you can get on it. I was able to get a regular wrench on this one and it came off really easy.

 Here it is out of the car. Remove the outer tie rod (You can do this while it is in the car if you want) and slide the bellows off.

Dixie came out to spend some time with me. It was nice having the company. I didn't even get mad and hit her with a wrench on accident like I did when we were first married. I have a lot more patience and wisdom than I did back then.

 Install the inner tie rod by twisting it on. I used high strength Loctite because I don't plan on doing this job again and I don't want it coming off while it is being driven.

 Install grease on the end of the ball before you completely install the bellows. Install the bellows and your outer tie rod and your ready to rock and roll. I measure the length of the old tie rod and match it with the new one so the alignment is somewhat close. It will still need an alignment done by a professional shop but this will get you by until you can get it there.

 Put everything back on and your done. It is a really easy job and can be accomplished rather quickly.

The next job for this car is a front and rear wheel bearing. They might suck because I need to remove the hub and press the bearings out at work. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. If you need to do that on your Subaru check back and I will show you how it worked for me.