Tie Rod replacement

So my truck (165k miles) makes a knock when I brake every time. It also jerks really hard to the right when I hit minor potholes/bumps in the road. It looks like the inner tie rod on the passenger side is bad. I'm trying to figure out how I should go about replacing and picking parts.

Should I just replace both outers and the inner? Or just the passenger side stuff? Should I replace the steering bushings now as well? Anything else I should knock out while im down there. It looks like lower ball joints are fine for now. What else should I replace while I do this job?

Also OEM inner looks like its 175 bucks at an online dealership and 45 for the outters? Is this a part i need to go OEM on or will aftermarket suffice? If aftermarket, what is the most OEM while being affordable? Thanks.

 

OEM, do both inners and outers.

You can go 555 via low range offroad, at least for the outers.

 

are the inners the same part number for both sides?

 

I would take it to a shop and have them take a look, maybe try to align it. It could be all of those parts, or it could be none of those parts.

what makes you think those parts are bad?

 

I took it to a shop and they informed me the knock was the inner tie rod on the passenger side. At first I thought it was the brakes as I just did those, but it turned out to be the tie rod

 

Ah ok. What shape is the rack in? When I replaced mine, it was 500 for the oem rack, which comes with new inner tie rods. At 175 each inner tre, it’s worth considering replacing the whole thing if it’s near end of life

 

I am not sure about the quality of the rack, I will look into that. How much more difficult would replacing the whole rack be vs just replacing the rods?

 

If you haven't done it, probably a good idea to replace the rack bushings.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/steering-rack-bushing-suggestions.523952/

For outers I went with Toyota and for the inners I grabbed them from Low Range Offroad (555 bs). I should've went with OE across the board but didn't. Piece of mind, suspension/steering/critical component thing... oh well, next time.
https://lowrangeoffroad.com/toyota/tacoma-1995-2004-hilux-1997-2004/steering.html
https://youtu.be/--HcOQlv03U

Make sure the lower ball joints are good and if you do replace, I would go with OE and don't forget the bolts.
https://youtu.be/rteeAOQlrKY

If you change the lower ball joints and/or tie rods you will NEED to have it aligned after. For the tie rods, take your time to research the r/r process. Very easy to throw your clock spring out of whack.

 

The inners are the same.

Get 555's all around. You can go OEM on the lower balljoints, but the 555's are honestly the next best thing and half the cost. I've been running them for years and they're great. I plan to replace them fairly regularly out of an abundance of caution, so the extra cost of OEM isn't worth it to me.

https://lowrangeoffroad.com/toyota/...er-tie-rod-end-left-or-right-45503-39075.html
https://lowrangeoffroad.com/toyota/...-2004-toyota-tacoma-outer-tie-rod-end-rh.html
https://lowrangeoffroad.com/toyota/...-tacoma-outer-tie-rod-end-lh-45047-39175.html
https://lowrangeoffroad.com/toyota/...04-toyota-tacoma-lower-ball-joint-4wd-lh.html
https://lowrangeoffroad.com/toyota/...04-toyota-tacoma-lower-ball-joint-4wd-rh.html

 

The bottom line is how do you use your truck?

If it seldom sees hard core off road I went with Napa Outer tie rods** Toyota Inner Tie rods and did the lower ball joints ( Toyota) at the same time.

Then it was before the inflated prices !!

** they are easy to change and can be had almost any place in the country in a day or two and spares are not expensive.

 

one question I have, Is on some of the steering rack replacement guides, I see the nuts that hold it in place have to be torqued to 141lbs. Thats kinda crazy, the lug nuts on the wheels are only to 85lbs. My torque wrench only goes to 100 i think. How are you tightening those nuts to 141lbs, I dont even know if I can get it that tight with all my might laying under the truck.

 

You just need a torque wrench that goes to 11. 150lbs isn't that much. When you think about it, you should easily be able to put your body weight on the lever that is the wrench and get there.

 

Completely do-able. Watch the vids, you'll see how they get at them with the torque wrench. Time to pick up another torque wrench.
I've been using this one lately and it does the job - decent review as well.

$125 DEWALT Torque Wrench, Micro Adjust, 1/2" Drive (DWMT75462)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JVE1C84/

Prior to the DeWalt, I was using a tekton. I also have had Precision Instruments recommended to me. https://www.torqwrench.com/



https://youtu.be/4lSj8WMKfEs?t=427

https://youtu.be/YywcR0E9bM4?t=1299

 

Why not just make 10 stronger?

Nice reference man

 

Thanks everyone. I think you gave me enough resources to get the job done. Gotta go buy some tools to complete the job. I dont have that front end service set and I need a bigger torque wrench (mine was for working on old beetles. They dont need anything over 100 lol) I wonder how much I'll save to do it myself vs take it to a shop.

 

You'll save quite a bit doing it yourself. The front end service kit Tim mentioned should be available to rent (in most cases for free) at local auto part shops. Secure with a credit card and you're good to go. If you're going to do any wrenching in the future, you'll definitely need a decent torque wrench.

 

One more question. What parts would I be looking to replace on the truck to get a much smoother ride when driving over Marylands crappy roads. There are so many potholes and uneven surfaces cause all the salt in the winter. The truck feels really stiff and then when I hit a pothole or crappy asphalt, its super rough. I know replacing the steering rack will fix the jerk and knock when I brake, but what specific parts will make the ride feel much smoother and just glide over crappy roads. Im open to getting aftermarket suspension.

 

So here is my take on it... of course, take it with a grain of salt

If coils are original, replace.
If shocks are original, replace.

Steering rack bushings will help to tighten everything up.

Inner and outer ties, if you're doing the rest then yeah - get them done as well.

Lower ball joints (and these really need to be first on the list) - ALWAYS maintain and replace if there is any movement. Make them a periodic maintenance item.

Its going to get expensive but trust me when I say its going to feel 100% better in handling and performance. I remember hitting pot holes and thinking the entire front end was going to fall apart with clunking and jerkiness. After refreshing the front end components, it was like a new truck.

 

That's how it feels right now, I hit a pothole or asphalt change from old to new on the highway at 60 mph and, holy hell, it feels like the whole truck is about to turn into a sled from the bottom falling out lol

 

Get a bigger torque wrench...

If you ever plan to do something like your timing belt (if a v6), then you'll want a bigger torque wrench for the crank pulley (211# iirc). I have one that goes to 250#.

There's tons of stuff on these trucks over 100#