o/s inner track rod - easy diy job or garage disaster?

[chinkostu]

So in my heavy handedness i managed to "banana" the track rod, it's only a small bend but its obviously played havoc with the steering. took it for a cheapy half price alignment hoping they could bend the rod back but alas, no dice. so it appears i need to replace the inner rod.

how hard is this to do on a drive with only hand tools? the biggest issue i can think of is space!

any tips would be advised. garage quoted £70ish to replace and the rods are only £11 or so from ECP!

[Bick]

Do you mean you have bent the steering rack rod? If so £70 is a bargain why get your hands dirty.

[xantia_v6]

I have done the job on a Xantia, and it is not the easiest job, as there is barely enough access, and you may need a special tool to unscrew (and refit) the joint to the rack. It can also be very fiddly to get the rack gaiter back on, as you can't reach it with your fingers.

Then you will need another wheel alignment.

£70 could be a good deal.

[rory_perrett]

Its not that bad a job, the issue is being able to grip the inner track rod housing.

It is much easier if you remover the lower wishbone to give you better access, but I have done it with the wishbone in place.

You need a decent set of mole grips to lock onto the housing and then a good clout with a hammer to get it moving. Without the wish bone in place you can get the grips in from underneath and more perpendicular to the housing increasing the chance of a good hold and more space to swing a hammer.

With the wishbone in place you are coming in more from the side making it more difficult to get a good grip and in a position to wield the hammer.

There are special tools available that make it a lot easier for between £25 and £50 but I do the job so infrequently I've never justified buying one especially as I seem to have cracked doing with mole grips.

And as said you are still going to need the tracking checked/ re set which might make the trip to the garage seem worth while.

depends if its the money or the principle, if the £70 includes the part, tracking and VAT unless you haven't got £70 or are totally mad like me and want to do everything yourself it sounds like a fair deal for a job that can be a bit of a mare.

[chinkostu]

I'll have to get clarification on if its before/after VAT, but it does sound fairly cheap. i'll give them a ring.


the other issue is i don't have £70

[c.morewood]

Been there done that.. 1st attempt was with a grinder.. but that wasn't ideal as Rory says theres not a lot of room.. I bought one of these for the 2nd attempt http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-2-inch-Tie- ... SwT6pVqRVO
Together with a bit of cycle inner tube for grip it worked quite well.
Good luck.