temporarily removing the inner tie rod from a power steering rack

[LMHmedchem]

Hello,

After fighting with my power steering rack trying to remove it through the drivers side wheel well, it occurred to me that it might have been easier to try to remove the drivers side inner tie rod. That would have given me the room to drop the rack out the bottom. This seems an obvious solution, but I have never seen it suggested in any thread or video. I suspect that this means there is a very good reason why this is not a good idea but I thought I would ask.

My main interest is that I have to get the new rack into the same space and am anticipating the same issues I had removing the old one. Would it be relatively straightforward to remove the drivers side inner tie rod in my shop and then re-attach it once I have the rest of the rack in the vehicle?

Information would be appreciated.

LMHmedchem

 

[410Fortune]

sorry Gen III I have not done a rack and pinion on
The gen II trucks, just remove the inner tie rod end = no biggie!

 

[LMHmedchem]

I will try to remove the inner tie rod from the old rack before I send it back for re-manufacture. That way I can see what tools are required and judge if it is reasonable to put it back on after I have installed the new rack.

I know that the inner tie rods are replaced at times, so it must not be too difficult to do. It may generally require special tools. I hope the fact that the rack will not be attached will give more flexibility than the standard repair with the rack installed. If this does work, it will be very much easier than other methods for removing and installing a rack and pinion. It still seems odd to me that I have never seen this suggested since it seems an obvious work-around.

Maybe I will find out why it has not been suggested when I try doing it.

LMHmedchem

 

[410Fortune]

on the gen II trucks all it requires is a big ass crescent wrench to fit the big nut on the inner tie rod end, they just unscrew from the rack
You have to pull the boot back out of the way, turn the rack all the way to the side you are working on and then unscrew the inner TRE

Your tie rod ends (2002+) look just like ours (95-01)

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[LMHmedchem]

Unfortunately, my truck is now buried in 2 feet of snow thanks to the lovely storm on Thursday. It will probably be next week before I can get back at this. I will let you know how it goes.

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

How do you go about removing the boot clamps to get at the inner tie rod ends? These don't loosen with a screwdriver or socket like hose clamps. Is there a special tool or method?

The replacement boots look like they just use zip ties instead of a traditional hose clamp. Can I use a hose clamp or do I need one of the bands that requires a band tool, etc.

LMHmedchem

 

[Mr. Alligator]

You can pry the clamp off with a screw driver, but there is a special tool for installation. You can get this tool at Harbor Freight, cheap.

I might be concerned that the weight of the hose clamp fastener would cause problems. A zip tie would not be as secure.

Good luck!

 

[LMHmedchem]

Does anyone know that part number for the two clamps? There is a large one and a small one. I do find it odd that the replacement part comes with zip ties. Would it be so hard to include two band clamps?

LMHmedchem

 

[410Fortune]

because you would also have to provide a band clamp tool
You can use zip ties or regular hose clamps here, these are simply dust boots to keep grease in and dust out of your inner tie rods

A flathead screw driver will release the band clamps, funny this thread pops up this am as I just took the TRE off of the steering rack on a 07 Ranger last night!

 

[LMHmedchem]

I just removed the bellows from the drivers side of the rack. That was straightforward enough but I did have to remove both clamps to be able to see what the part looks like.

I cannot get the inner tie rod end to budge. I tried with a pipe wrench since my largest crescent is a bit too small. It doesn't want to move. I put a fair amount of force on it and nothing.

Does this turn off to the left as I would expect? I could go get a larger crescent wrench but I wouldn't have expected it to be so difficult to remove. Am I missing something?

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

I was able to get the inner tie rod off with a pipe wrench and a breaker bar stuck in one of the holes for the bushings. Pushing the two in opposite directions was able to break it loose.

After getting the drivers side inner tie rod off, it was very easy to install. I removed the drivers side bolt from the rack bracket and swung the bracket down out of the way. I was able to lift the rack in from the bottom. I did take the passengers side tire off as well so I wasn't bumping into it with the tie rod on that end. It wasn't too hard to maneuver the rack into the bracket and get the bolts through the bushings. It took about 10 minutes total, compared to over an hour to get the old one out.

The bands holding on the boot I removed had some colored dye on them. I am guessing that by removing the band I have affected the warranty in some way, though this would be ridiculous since the inner tie rods are meant to be removed for maintenance. This may be the reason why this has not been recommended as an installation solution.

Altogether, this is a much easier method to remove and re-install the rack then unbolting the lower control arm.

LMHmedchem