yohy Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 1997 Legacy 2.2 126,000. Was doing some maintenance on my son's Legacy and noticed a torn tie rod boot which needed replacement. Well the sad story is the ball and socket joint is bad on the inner tie rod end (passenger side). Now my questions: 1) can you replace the inner tie rod end while the rack is still on the car? 2) is it just better to replace the entire rack seeing the car has 126K on it? 3) if a replacement is needed, where/who would you suggest I get it from? 4) is the rack replacement a driveway project? do you need to drop the exhaust system? Thoughts/comments are appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnan Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 Hi, Racks are expensive and 126k miles really should be no big deal. Tie rods are designed to be replaced so I'd do that before I take the trouble (and go through the expense) to replace the rack. Can't answer your question about changing while the rack's still on the car but I'd bet that you can. It would be a pretty poor design, if not. Regards, Adnan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradosubarules Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 The inner TR can be replace while the rack is on the vehicle. You will need a large adjustable wrench (cresent) and a good set or ramps or jackstands. I like to use ramps so the wheels do not move like they tend to do when being suspended. Once you have the outer TR out of the spindle, hang them with bungee or the likes and move to the inners. Be prepared to have your arms in the air for sometime. Undo the clamp on the boot towards the rack and slide it out of the way. Using your LAW, undo the ITR. If you can afford it, replace the inner and outter tie rod at the same time. It is really easy this way and you can match the old against the new assuming you didn't mess with the old assemblys lenght. Assembly is reverse order. As with any steering or suspension work, it is always a good idea to have you vehicle aligned. I hope this helps. You can do it. I have faith in you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yohy Posted September 25, 2004 Author Share Posted September 25, 2004 The inner TR can be replace while the rack is on the vehicle. You will need a large adjustable wrench (cresent) and a good set or ramps or jackstands. I like to use ramps so the wheels do not move like they tend to do when being suspended. Once you have the outer TR out of the spindle, hang them with bungee or the likes and move to the inners. Be prepared to have your arms in the air for sometime. Undo the clamp on the boot towards the rack and slide it out of the way. Using your LAW, undo the ITR. If you can afford it, replace the inner and outter tie rod at the same time. It is really easy this way and you can match the old against the new assuming you didn't mess with the old assemblys lenght. Assembly is reverse order. As with any steering or suspension work, it is always a good idea to have you vehicle aligned. I hope this helps. You can do it. I have faith in you... coloradosubarules and Adnan, Thanks for the input, now the outcome. I was able to free up the ITR ball and socket with two hours of massaging wheel bearing grease into the joint. As it ended up, the ball was free to rotate in the socket with no play. I have now put the new boot on it and have done a test drive. The suspect noise, a thunk/clunk at random times is now gone. Again, I truly appreciate your time and effort on replying to my plea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradosubarules Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 At least you know know you can do it if you have to. It's like my hurricane shutters....I put them up just to be safe. Because I don't want to be sorry if I didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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