| expat |
I am in Germany, having a German Nissan repair business telling me that I need a left and right tie rod replaced. Is there such a thing? I need the order the parts and have them install it. THe Euro is so strong that I have to order it from the states.
I need help!
Thanks |
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| zebelkhan |
quote:
Originally posted by Lightninrod
Yes, there are two different control arms.
Dan
Actually, tie rods and control arms are two different things. Tie rods are the shafts that stick out of power steering rack and pinion assembly on either side of it. There is a ball joint piece, called tie rod end, that attaches to it and connects it to the steering knockle, which in turn is held in place by the control arm.
I wish I had a picture but I don't, Anyways, to answer to your question, there is a tie rod on each side of the vehicle.
Why do they want to replace the tie rods? Short of them being bent or cracked, they don't wear out. |
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| expat |
I work on a secure U.S. military installation. When I come in everyday (4 years), I go over treacherous speed bumps and around obstacle courses.
I think the tie rod has been bent. What brought it to my attention was the unusual wear on the outside tread of my tire.
The German mechanic says my tires will not meet road standards for Germany. I bought new tires and they are being shipped over. He won't align the tires until I can get the outside tie rods fixed because I will just wear out the new tires.
I guess it doesn't help that I drive 90 mph on the autobahn and then go up winding roads to get to the Army post!
What is the best place to buy online the tie rods?
Thanks for your help. |
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| Eclipse1825 |
quote:
Originally posted by expat
What is the best place to buy online the tie rods?
Thanks for your help.
I would try here they have pretty good prices. If this is not the right screen just pick from the menu on the left side to the page of parts you need. Hope this helps.
http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasi..._5304_5306.html |
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| zebelkhan |
Here is the exploded view of the steering system. I have shown the tie rod end with an arrow. It seems the tie rod itself is part of the rack and pinion. Let's hope your mechanic wants you to replace the tie rod end only.... :rolleyes:
Edit: Red arrows point to Tie Rod Ends. Green arrows point to Tie Rods. It is hard to imagine tie rods wearing out as they are nothing but a solid shaft.
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| BikerJohn |
There is also a ball joint at the outer end of the tie rods; they too can wear out.
Your mechanic sounds like he cares that the work he performs will last and will not cause other issues.
Wow; a MO on the Autobahn!!! How fast have you had the car and how did it handle? Now that's a "Freeway"!!!:D |
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| mgthe3 |
from the exploded diagram, both tie rods have the same part number.
It would be very hard to bend one.
I have seen tie rods worn out on honda's in less than 50k (which is rediculous). But it happens. Probably not lubed from the factory(supplier), a one in a million thing. You can check for this easily by laying beside the inside of the wheel from the front and have someone start the Mo and move the steering back and forth about three inches from side to side. You will see the tie rod end rise and fall as the direction changes if it is worn. If it does not rise and fall, it is not worn out. If it is bent, it won't rise and fall as well, but, you should be able to eyeball them both for comparison. If it doesn't appear to be bent, take it and have it aligned on a good machine when you get new tires. |
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| TopazM3 |
quote:
Originally posted by zebelkhan
Actually, tie rods and control arms are two different things. Tie rods are the shafts that stick out of power steering rack and pinion assembly on either side of it. There is a ball joint piece, called tie rod end, that attaches to it and connects it to the steering knockle, which in turn is held in place by the control arm.
I wish I had a picture but I don't, Anyways, to answer to your question, there is a tie rod on each side of the vehicle.
Why do they want to replace the tie rods? Short of them being bent or cracked, they don't wear out.
Actually they DO wear out. I just had to replace the right one on my 03. It wasn't really symptomatic, but they found it to be worn and a bit loose when I had an alignment done after replacing the struts. Car has 79K. Interestingly, although done at a dealer, they used a NAPA part. |
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