Tie Rod Replacement

I try to be as much of a Do it Yourself person as I can, however replacing old tie rods sounds a bit fightening. Is this something that can be done fairly easily up on a jack one wheel at a time or should I take it to the pros?

I try to be as much of a Do it Yourself person as I can, however replacing old tie rods sounds a bit fightening. Is this something that can be done fairly easily up on a jack one wheel at a time or should I take it to the pros?
outer tie rods are a piece of cake inner tie rods usually require special tools.plus your toe will be way out if you do replace them so i'd advise you to take it to a trusted front end shop.

I just replaced the outer tie rods on my tempo last weekend. It isnt that hard but you need to put the front on jackstands. After that you just take it to a alignment shop and presto, saved some $green.

Here's some tips for folks who would like to replace outer (or/and inner) tie rods ... and avoid the trip to the alignment shop afterwards.

(Before proceeding, and having success, with instructions below , your van must meet the following assumption: The before-replacement alignment must be be "correct" ... no uneven tire wear, ... vehicle steers correctly; no left or right steering tendencies ... and the steering wheel doesn't lean to left/right when driving staight ahead.)

Do the tie rod(s) replacement on a single side. Count turns as you remove old parts ... and install new parts with the same number of turns. This will put the new parts back in at "close" to their final correct position.

Now drive the vehicle. Unless you are extremely lucky, you will notice the steering wheel is not "located" correctly. Make adjustments on the outer tie rod to correct the steering wheel location. It will take a few efforts to get the hang of it .... a small fraction of a revolution can make a big change in the steering wheel ... so go slowly. MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ONLY ON THE SIDE THAT HAS THE NEW PARTS.

After you are confident you have the steering wheel back where it was ... (i.e., the alignment is again correct), you can proceed to replace parts on the other side.

Here's some tips for folks who would like to replace outer (or/and inner) tie rods ... and avoid the trip to the alignment shop afterwards.

(Before proceeding, and having success, with instructions below , your van must meet the following assumption: The before-replacement alignment must be be "correct" ... no uneven tire wear, ... vehicle steers correctly; no left or right steering tendencies ... and the steering wheel doesn't lean to left/right when driving staight ahead.)

Do the tie rod(s) replacement on a single side. Count turns as you remove old parts ... and install new parts with the same number of turns. This will put the new parts back in at "close" to their final correct position.

Now drive the vehicle. Unless you are extremely lucky, you will notice the steering wheel is not "located" correctly. Make adjustments on the outer tie rod to correct the steering wheel location. It will take a few efforts to get the hang of it .... a small fraction of a revolution can make a big change in the steering wheel ... so go slowly. MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ONLY ON THE SIDE THAT HAS THE NEW PARTS.

After you are confident you have the steering wheel back where it was ... (i.e., the alignment is again correct), you can proceed to replace parts on the other side.
i have to disagree with you on this one. recognizing toe wear takes a trained eye as it is always not that pronounced.and even being extremely careful, i would bet that your alignment will be off if you replace tie rods, especially should you replace inner tie rods.even the slightest movement will cause your toe to be out of tolerance.i believe the best you can hope for is to get "close" to tolerance but your alignment will be off i can almost guarantee it.

I accept your critique.

I should have included the comment ... "only for the skilled repairperson" ... for there are many systems on a vehicle, that with improper repair, can render the vehicle unsafe.

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that the "professional mechanic" (one who charges for his services) is often a less skilled repairperson than many DYI's that I know.