"*the note*"don don don....

[bnpimpn]

i left my car at a mechanics to look and find out what all needed replacing on my front end...they never charged me...so they came back with a list for me..

:both tie rods,both lower ball joints, drivers side axle.

doesnt seam bad eh?....well i guess he thinks its SOOOOO bad that he made me sign a note that says....

"This vehicle is NOT road worthy due to Front End work, advise that it is not driven at *ALL* till repaired." :thumbdown

i have a ton of play in my steering wheel..and a nasty squeek...so the diagnosis makes sence to me....im just wondering how hard would it be to replace these things on a 1-10 scale ? he wants to charge me ALOT of money for him to do this... so im thinking of doing this myself. I've got a manual....and can rent/buy the tools....

he figured : 3.5 hours to replace "rack and pinion" he figured at least 300 for this part.
4.0 for ball joints
4.0 for axle

labour = $700 not including parts

would this be a good weekend job??
and where would be a good place to find these parts...(ive got an axle already)

 

[RoasT BeeF]

He is probably right on the steering rack. Those things are a bi***. Ball joints take a little time as well. 4hrs for a mechanic might be pushing it though. The axle can be done in about 2 hrs. and the tie rod ends are like a 1 hour job.

But thats just me.

 

[bnpimpn]

he said that the steering rack was part of the tie rods...and that he wasnt too sure whether or not the whole thing needed replacement or just the tie rods.

 

[ArticNemesis]

ball joints will be the biggest pain... They can take somework sometimes. The axles I can do in about 45 minutes to an hour a piece if there aren't any problems (ie, stuck bolts).

 

[jott5555]

make sure to get a aligment after you do it all. its easy stuff.. a local machine shop shoudl have a press pulling the a arms isnt a problem then just get the new ball joints pressed in. the rest is cake to do while you have it ripped apart.

good luck

 

[bnpimpn]

are there any special tools im gonna need? what are they...and what are they for.

 

[jott5555]

get a impact hammer with a pickle fork adaptor that makes poping the ball joints eaiser.

get new bushing while your in there and new wheel bearings. just make sure to take your time and double check everything.

 

[samuraitekno]

from a mechanic to you... i do this stuff all day long at my job.. and it isnt that hard.. first thing the hours he says it takes are labor rates.. they arent how long it will take him... like tie rods i have done in about 10 minutes before.. but they could call for 2 hours of labor. thats just a labor rate so they can figure how much to charge to do the job.. like if he makes 80 an hour it would be $160 for the tie rods.. thats just an example i am not sure what rates he is working at. so anyways.. if you are replacing the tierods all you need is a socket to take the nut off then you could beat the tie rods out with a hammer that is if you are replacing the inner and outer.. if not you should get a pickle fork. it kinda looks like a tuning fork that musicians use and you hit it with a hammer and it kinda works like the back of a hammer when pulling a nail.

The ball joints are a problem if they are pressed joints.. because you would need a hydraulic press to get them out and put the new ones in.. did he happen to show you any of this? at my shop we take the customer out to the car and show them the play so they can see what the problem is that way they dont feel like you (like you are being ripped off) the axle you are refering to is kinda tricky to a beginner.. you have to unbolt the wheel then remove the axle nut , pry the hub out of the way and depending on how the thing is in there pry the shaft out of the transaxle.. which should spill some tranny fluid. so remember to refill before you drive off..

My other question is have you thought about going to some other shops to see if you can get a better price.. that seems a little high to me for labor.. try somewhere like a sears that doesnt use hourly rates.. they have set prices for install.. like i think the axle shaft is like $80 to install...

this is just some friendly advice.. i would say do it yourself if you have another car so youre not stranded in case you run into something you cant do. if you want to check the parts yourself you can have someone sit in the car and move the steering wheel left and right while you hold the tie rods to see if you can feel any play..

good luck

 

[crankbender]

I don't know what kind of a mechanic you are or how deep you want to get.

Why does he think you need whole new tie rods? are they bent?

The axle on a DSM takes like 1 hour TOPS. I have done axles in like 10 minutes before...it is only like 3 bolts.

All in all mechanics charge because they can. If you want to do it yourself these items don't take a rocket scientist and can all be done in a weekend in your driveway. You may need to work on the ball joints as mentioned above.

 

[bnpimpn]

he said that he couldnt tell if they were completely facked.... so he recomended change the whole thing....i dont think i will..what other tools...o tips do u guys have that may help me change that stuff.

 

[jott5555]

32mm socket

 

[aleccolin]

If you buy a remanufactured (or new) steering rack, it will come with inner tie rod ends/tie rods, you'll just have to buy the outers. Something to consider.

 

[bnpimpn]

how can i tell if the inner ones are screwed? cause i dont wanna spend "300" bucks on something that isnt needed.

 

[bnpimpn]

i just bought the outside tie tod ends, and the lower ball joints for each side...cost is around 150ish...for the entire rack they quoted me a prive of 400....lil to much for me right now.once i get the new parts on is there any way to check if the inner tie rods need replacing?? please help.

 

[BISHILVR]

you can get the ball joints at napa or some other auto parts store.....autozone will lend you the ball joint press tool to remove and install the joints for free, but you'll have to leave a deposit or major credit card until you return the tool.....i've done several recently and they are'nt usually that bad to do, prob about 1.5 hours per side total, the axle will be easy to replace once you have the ball joint seperated for removal, just pop the axle out of the tranny with a prybar and pull the hub away from the outer end of the axle and thats pretty much it for removal......tie rod ends=no biggie undo the nut, then use two good sized pipe wrenches to remove the threaded end of the tie rod end from the actual tie rod itself.............

 

[bnpimpn]

ive got the tie rod ends on the tie rods....i pulled the lower control arms off and have to take em to a machine shop...since we dont have and auto zone. the only thing im having a problem with is now that i have all that stuff off of the front end...its imposible to turn the nut thats holding the axle....due to two factors...1 tires off and it will spin....2 even when i had someone go inside and hold the brake down it was impossible to turn.....any suggestions please!!?? ive got to get her back together its my daily driver...

 

[samuraitekno]

large pry bar in between the lug studs... holds it from moving.

 

[jott5555]

ya you really should crack that first thing. really just get a 1/2 breaker bar. with a 32mm socket

have someone hold the breaks down as hard as they can. then just put all your weight behind it and break that nut.. a impact wrench wont even do it..

what i did was out a 12 inch bar over the top of the breaker bar and that was a little eaiser. more leverage = more power to break the nut loose

good luck.

 

[giester2]

how can i tell if the inner ones are screwed? cause i dont wanna spend "300" bucks on something that isnt needed.

on your inner tie rods where they attach to your rack & pinion there is a ball and socket assembly. This is part of your inner tie rods. When the inner tie rods wear out there will be wear between the ball and the socket. This allows the rod itself to move in and out of the socket housing. The movement is minimal, but any movement at all not good and can cause noise or handling problems. You also cannot get a toe adjustment with loose inner tie rods.

If need be I can upload a picture of the inner tie rod tomorrow to help you get a better understanding of what an inner tie rod looks like (off the rack).

 

[AdoreGSX]

Word of warning, I retardedly broke Seven 1/2 inch drives trying to crack that thing a good while back...

 

[bnpimpn]

i guess by the sounds of it i do need to get new inner tie rods, there is play when i wiggle them. Is it safe to drive for a few more weeks until i can get more money to fix that as well? I have a buddy comin over in a bit to give me a hand with that axle nut...so hopefully i can find a pull bar somewhere. So if that inner stuff is screwed i may as well Not get a wheel alignment after i do this huh? A pic would be nice if you could.

 

[giester2]

hey bnpimpin here is the picture that you requested. The ball & socket is where the play will most likely occur. The socket and where the tie rod attached to the rack shaft are covered by your boot or bellow (which is used to protect the rack shaft and the inner tie rod socket from moisture and debris). Hope this helps a little bit

 

[bnpimpn]

thats exactly where the play was/is.... i got it all done wasnt that bad of job to do...it seams to have ALOT less play in the steering wheel now than before....so seeing as the ball & socket have play would it be worth it to get an alignment? im not sure when i'll be able to change the rack.