Tie Rod Ends

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

G'day all,
Has anyone ever replaced their outer tie rod ends on their 150?
I'm putting new upper control arms in and since it will need a new wheel alignment I was thinking of what else I could do while I'm at it.
I got a price of $60/side from Repco but not sure about it. Has anyone got a price from anywhere else?
There is no excessive play but it's going on 160,000km with a lot of offroad work.

Cheers!

[foxclan Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close foxclan]

Have you tried Toyota for a price Jimmy?
Could be surprised one way or the other.
Regards

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

If you're going to replace your outer tie rod ends then do the inners as well as its the ball joint wear on the inner that will cause excessive free play later on. That will save you down the track having to take the outer ones off again to replace the inner tie rods. I'd say you'd be about 150,000km off needing to replace the tie rods unless you've been off-roading in muddy or salt water with leaking boot sleeves, but early preventative maintenance never hurts. The outer tie rod bush can wear a little bit before the inner tie rod ball joint but I would recommend replacing both at the same time.
They're only a relatively cheap and easy part to replace.

[JimmyC Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimmyC]

Hi Brett,
Thanks for the advice. There is no play (that I can tell) in them but I was thinking of what else I could do while I was in there. Most of my offroading is high speed dry dirt and the boots seem in good nick.
I'll get a Toyota price and see what they can do.
Cheers

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

just incase this is your first time removing tie rods, don't rely on a standard hammer to free the outer knuckle when you give it a good thump. Use a larger heavier hammer to save you hours of getting nowhere. You'll probably need a mapp gas torch to free the middle nut. Before threading that bolt back on, grease the thread with drive shaft grease. It'll make it easier if you ever have to remove that nut again. It'll also make it quicker & easier for your wheel alignment guy in future years. Grease the thread of the outer tie rod before screwing it into the inner tie rod as well. Im an ambassador of greasing threads . It also enables you to have near guilt free beach driving.

High speed dirt road driving won't stress the tie rods too much. They'll more test shock absorbers and shock absorber bushes if it's a bit bouncy and rough at times. The tie rods are put to the test with rough low speed, low range off-roading, especially in rough rocky terrain. Sand driving through rough, soft sand tracks throwing your car from side to side, and heavily corrugated roads.