Outter TIe rod replaced now out of alignment

wool · Post by **wool** » 14 Jul 2021, 18:18

I've replaced both tie rod ends on my 2004 XC70. I was careful to keep the lock nut in its original place so as not to disturb the alignment before I can take it in for an alignment. When I was done the car was undrivable. Both wheels were severely turned inward. Should mention that the lock nuts original position were nearly to the end of the threads. Also, the front end was raised higher than normal until I turned the whel and the front end lowered itself to the normal height. very frustrating Thank you...

Post by **abscate** » 15 Jul 2021, 02:33

Did the replacement parts match the originals exactly? On P80s , there were two flavors of steering rack which required different tie rod ends. Not sure about P2s

ignatz · Post by **ignatz** » 15 Jul 2021, 06:05

If your wagon, before you touched it, drove with the steering wheel straight up and down while driving straight..........then if you replaced ONE tie rod end, the steering wheel would probably be off after the replacement of ONE tie rod end.
Then you start adjusting the tie rod until the steering wheel straightens out.
You will see from adjusting the tie rod how the steering wheel gets closer and maybe over shoots the center position. Get the steering wheel as straight as you can, lock it in place......then replace the Second tie rod end and adjust that one. As a former Ford Escort owner, inner and outer tie rod replacements were common. The key to my madness, is only doing ONE tie rod end at a time.
And yes, you have to drive it between adjustments to see how the steering wheel is truing up.

Post by **GlennG2759** » 15 Jul 2021, 07:18

I believe you may have the wrong tie rod ends. Do they measure up exactly to the old ones?

wool · Post by **wool** » 15 Jul 2021, 08:22

I did match them up. Identical. thanks for the help.

Post by **oragex** » 15 Jul 2021, 12:40

It is too late now, but as explained by ignatz, for future reference the trick is to replace one side, then drive and see if the steering stays straight - if not, adjust the replaced one a little either side (no more than 1/4 turn at once), until the steering gets straight, then proceed with replacing the second tie rod. Also, even if the nut stays at its place, the new tie rod ball joint stud will not be aligned, so it needs to be rotated correctly to align it with the wheel hub

That said, don't worry, you can adjust the geometry quite well at home, see the second video. Personally, the last time I went to a garage for a geometry was about 15 years ago, and my tires wear all uniformly since then, so with care it is very doable and helpful if you live in an area with poor roads

Post by **vtl** » 15 Jul 2021, 13:16

All my local wheel shops tend to ignore any suspension problems besides front toe. They are lazy. For the front toe I've got a mirror+diode with scale called "Trackace Laser Wheel Alignment" on ebay. Doing my own alignments since then. Touching the suspension is not a problem anymore, don't have to shell out $125 just for the tie rod end's nut quarter turn.

Post by **cn90** » 17 Jul 2021, 07:57

When I have time, I will post detail on alignment 101 DIY.

For now, the basic is:
- Do this inside garage flat surface and no wind.
- Get a piece of 2x4 wood long enough to span both front wheels.
- Put masking tapes on where the Plumb Bobs will touch down.
- Get a Plumb Bob and string, add a piece of wood (between the tire and the Plumb Bob) so the string does not touch the tire. This way the Plumb Bob is pointing down to the masking tape part of the 2x4 wood. Mark with pencil.

- Measure the difference between measurements of the fore and aft parts of the front tires.
- If the toe-in is negative 1mm, it is perfect.
- Drive the car and notice the SW position (is it straight in the cockpit).
- Adjust the tie rods as needed so the SW is dead straight.

PS: I have not gone to alignment shops in the last 25 yrs...
The technique shown by @oragex above is only approximate. Once you get a hang of the plumb bob technique, it is dead on. I have confirmed this with friend at alignment shop, every time I used the Plumb Bob trick, it is the same at the alignment shop some 25 yrs ago...

Post by **erikv11** » 29 Jul 2021, 10:38

A proper alignment on these cars checks/adjusts four wheels not two. You need to start with the rears, then adjust the thrust angle before you do the toe on the fronts. This is very difficult to do DIY in the home garage. Take it to s shop that knows what they are doing and get a four wheel alignment.

Once it is straight, you can adjust the front toe periodically by a DIY method. Lots of very simple ways to adjust the front toe.

Post by **cn90** » 30 Jul 2021, 17:20

In the O.P.'s original post...

The REAR was never touched, and assuming that the car was aligned prior to the FRONT tie rods work,
then adjusting using proper home-made items works.

I used my techniques some 15 yrs ago, every time I went to alignment shop on different occasions to confirm, they said everything was good.
They did not need to adjust anything.
Since then, I do all my alignment at home.