Turbo tie rod....grrrrrr!!! Ideas??

Shakenbake · 04-04-2002, 02:53 PM

Just got started and I'm stuck. Can't get the old tie rod off. I've tried bending the old one down and tried twisting in counter clockwise position...no luck. I can't get anything in there to help pry....any ideas...Chris

Early_S_Man · 04-04-2002, 03:07 PM

Chris,

Yes ... remove the rack.

1. Extend one side fully, then put padding (cardboard, leather, etc.) one the end and put in a bench vise.

2. Remove old tie rod.

3. Repeat on other side.

4. Clean rack & pinion unit thoroughly, and repack with moly grease, which you needed to do anyway, right?

5. Install Turbo ends with narrowed wrench, using Blue Loctite, and same vise procedure to hold ends of the rack. Kind of hard to use a torque wrench with that 'special' wrench, hence the Loctite!

Shakenbake · 04-04-2002, 06:06 PM

Warren, thankfully you don't charge for advice or I'd be bankrupt. I figured out how to get the tie rod off and replace it before I got your message. But I stopped before doing the other side. I'm going to wait and do the complete job as you described (sans, vise for removal of tie rods) just for peace of mind.

Chris

khyden · 04-05-2002, 04:26 AM

I`ll install turbo tie rods on my -74 Coupe this weekend.

kh

CARRERIC · 04-05-2002, 05:42 AM

I'm also installing turbo tie rods on my 75 911 this weekend.

Glad to see warrens advice on this post. Going out to parts store this afternoon to buy Moly and Blue Loctite.

Good luck to everyone.

ES

CARRERIC · 04-05-2002, 05:44 AM

Is it important to have the special thin wrench for tie rods to complete the removal and installation?

ES

pryord · pryord's Garage

Yes, otherwise you can't tighten the tie rods. Get one at a bike store for $5.

RAM · RAM's Garage

I was thinking about installing the Turbo Tie rod kit on my 75 Coupe as well while I rebuild both corners. I'm glad someone asked the question first so I knew what I was getting into.

Early_S_Man · 04-05-2002, 06:26 AM

Eric,

Whether you buy it or fabricate a substitute is dependent on your workshop ... but, yes, a special tool must me used. I found a $4 combination wrench (unbranded, made in India) with the correct open-end dimension of 1-1/4" from the 'odds and ends' bin at an a local auto parts store ... and ground 45° reliefs on it until it fit. The 'flats' on the latest kits are wider than they once were ... so, not as much grinding is needed, now.

Jim Richards · 05-02-2003, 04:37 AM

I'm planning on installing TTR's on Lu's 73E tomorrow. What size is this "thin bike wrench"? Thanks.

BGCarrera32 · 05-02-2003, 05:53 AM

The thin wrench is a "not necessarily" item. I bought one from Pelican for $40 (overpriced for this item by the way) and was able to do it with a thinner crescent wrench, hence I didn't need the thin one. I'd wait till you get in there before dumping the cash. If you find you need it, look at the bike shop (like previously noted) and find the "Park Tools" rack...look for a head set wrench...

I second removing the rack if your tie rod is stuck. I had a stuck one on the passenger side, and it would have been quicker to drop the whole rack, clean it all up, and replace.

-BG

juanbenae · juanbenae's Garage

i used the thin wrenches from a table saw. i have a bone yard of old thin wrenches from power tools, grinder, router etc. they hurt your hands, but stack real nice in the wrench drawer of the tool box.

KTL · 05-02-2003, 07:25 AM

To add to Warren's advice, the amount of grease you need for the rack relube is about 0.8 oz. Which is around 2 tablespoons if I remember correctly.

Check out this info. I got from an old Clymer 914 repair manual. It's how I did mine.

Steering Rack "Rebuild" Procedure

Early_S_Man · 07:01 AM

Another important factor is the choice of grease to lube the steering rack with ...

Several Pelicanheads have experienced stiff steering effort in cold weather resulting from hardened, caked grease originally packed by ZF ... which looks like plain, lithium-based golden wheel bearing grease. Repacking their steering racks with CV-joint grease fixed the problem instantly in all of those cases!

Initially, I used to recommend any high-quality moly grease suitable for CV-joints (like Swepco 101) ... but recently I have had extremely good results with Valvoline's #985 & #986 SynPower Synthetic Grease with Moly ... rated for CV-joint use by all major US, European, and Japanese mfrs. I feel that the cold weather consistency of the grease in the ZF steering rack is very critical!!!

Jim Richards · 05-04-2003, 08:00 AM

Yesterday, Dan (targa911man) and I replaced his tie rods with turbo tie rods. It took forever and a lot of cussing to get one of the old tie rods off. Everyone's directions just say "unscrew the tie rod from the steering rack." Yeah, right. What they don't say, and what made the other tie rod come off quickly, was to back off the brass or brass-looking ring (see pic). Apparently, it's a "lock nut" for the tie rod where it attaches to the steering rack. We ended up tapping on the indentations of this lock nut with a hammer and small chisel to loosen it up. Then, the tie rod can be easily unscrewed without the need for colorful language. One point worth mentioning is that when you back off the lock nut, keep track of how many turns you back it off. Later on, when you're presetting the length of the new turbo tie rod, position the old tie rod's lock nut to it's original spot so that you can have a pretty good reference for the original tie rod length.

KTL · 05-05-2003, 04:56 AM

Of course, the lock ring also acts as a means for the tie rod boot to attach somewhere.

A pair of large channel locks can also be used to loosen the lock ring. As Jim said, you must loosen this ring since it acts as a jam nut against the steering rack and the tie rod end.

Funny thing about setting the new tie rods to the same length as the old ones. It's difficult to compare the new turbo rods to the old regular ones because they're shaped and built differently. Just get them as close as you can and let a knowledgeable shop take care of the rest when you take it in to be aligned.

Jim Richards · 05-05-2003, 05:21 AM

It seems to me that if you want to set toe when you have turbo tie rods, you need to pop the tie rod ends off of the struts and then adjust by rotating the tie rod end. If that's true, it's kind of a pain to set it initially during installation and then again when you go for an alignment. Or am I missing something here?

KTL · 05-05-2003, 05:57 AM

Jim,

You don't need to disconnect the rod ends when you set the toe.

The end at the rack is a greased ball-in-socket assembly and allows the rod spin when you turn it. The outer end at the wheel is of course threaded and will spin when you loosen the jam nut.

Jim Richards · 05-05-2003, 06:03 AM

Thanks Kevin. Now that you mention it, it seems so obvious. I don't know what I was thinking!

snowman · 05-05-2003, 02:55 PM

A suggestion for presetting the toe when changing to turbo tie rods.

After the change, with the car jacked up and the frost wheels hanging you can use a measuring tape to get it in the ball park. Measure the distance between the front of the tires (pick a convienent grove and stick with it). Now measure the exact same place on the rear of the tire. The front distance should be adjusted to be 1/8 inch smaller than the rear distance.

Make certain the steering wheel remains pointed straight ahead during the whole adjuestment.

Do one tierod at a time as you replace them. This helps keep the steering wheel straight.

The alignment will be off some as it changes when the wheels are level on the ground again, but it will be good nuf to get you to the alignment shop. If you know for sure your alignment was good to start with, you could measure everything before you change anything and then adjust to the same measurements as you change the tie rods.