Okay so this is part of a previous post I had for balljoints and front end clunking noises in my PT cruiser. I took it to the shop and everything appeared to be tight to them except for the passenger side tierod. They advised it could be the tie rod or the stabilizer bar bushings. I didn't ask if it was the inner or outer tie rod however, when they took me out and showed me, when they moved the wheel from side to side it looked like it gave a bit near where it connects to the wheel ( or whatever it connects to). I am assuming that is the outer one. Anyways, I need to change the front brakes on it this weekend and was wondering if I should attempt to do this while I am in there. Never did it before. Couple questions
1) How can you make sure it is the outer rod and not the inner or both
2) can one or the other be changed or should you do both at the same time
3) what are the steps to replacing and do you need any special tools

Thanks

 

an outer tie rod is easy enough to change the inner would probably suggest you let a shop change out any play in either joint means it bad and need changed if you do end up doing it yourself clean the threads off good and you will have to get an alignment as soon as your done as your toe will be off and your steering wheel will likely be off center also.

 

Problem with doing this yourself ..............

The vehicle will need to be aligned after replacement of a front end component.....Thats a given..........

What I do with tie rod ends, is just "Crack" the Locknut. Count the number of rotations it takes to unscrew the joint from the inner shaft. Replace it by turning the same amount of revolutions on the way in. In a perfect world, the joint will "BUTT" back up against the locknut. Now the problem....

Unless you go to Chrysler and buy a FACTORY REPLACEMENT tie rod end, there are major design differences and tolerances in the aftermarket parts. The alignment will Correct for these differences, but until its aligned, it can quite likely be rendered "Uncontrollable".

A 5 mile drive to the alignment shop with a car that doesnt steer is not fun. Either Get the dealer part, and get it relatively "Close"..or take it somewhere and let them do it all.