Tie Rod Issue - Any help appreciated!!

[Dewyaw]

While changing out my front shocks on my 88 Carrera, I think I stumbled on a problem with my passenger side tie rod. I hope someone can help me troubleshoot the issue...

After removing the nut at the top of the shock, I pushed the shock down into the wheel well, and after it cleared the opening, the whole assembly torqued pretty violently to the front of the car. I have to use some brute force to move the wheel assembly aft. I noticed that the torque seems to be coming from the tie rod end at the rack. When I changed the shock on the drivers side, there was no resistance, I was able to freely move the assembly back and forth.

As the picture shows, the tie rod end at the rack is bolted on in a vertical position; that is, the bolt is vertical. However, on the drivers side, where there was no torque issue, the tie rod end is bolted to the rack in a horizontal position. Is the vertical orientation of the bolt the issue? Should it be horizontal? I checked 101 Projects, and the picture Wayne has shows a horizontal bolt orientation.

Thanks for any help!!

[Flieger]

Now is a great time to upgrade to Turbo tie rods.

[pete3799]

The yoke on the rack should be horizontal.

[john walker's workshop]

the eye that screws into the rack is angled. yours is angled upward, causing a bind. angle it to the rear. when replacing front inserts, complete one side at a time, or you have to fight the sway bar tension.

[JohnJL]

In addition to the advice above, have you tried simply turning the steering wheel to allow better access and relieve the binding? And leave the sway bars disconnected for now.

[Techne]

Originally Posted by Flieger

Now is a great time to upgrade to Turbo tie rods.

+1

In my car, new turbo tie rods and new ball joints made a HUGE difference on steering and suspension feel - particularly at highway speeds. Much tighter now even with the original 150K shocks still installed.