Fellas,

I'm going to be tackling the replacement of my inner tie rods this weekend. My 240 has had this terrible vague handling feeling for the last week or so and I'm almost positive that the issue is caused by the inners.

Is there anything I should be aware of that might hang me up during this repair? Any odd pitfalls i might over look that you guys may have encountered when doing this job yourselves??

I know I'll need to be care opening up the clips that secure the inner tie rods. I also realize that I would want to check the rack itself to make sure its not jacked up too. If the rack is messed up I'll be really pissed because it a HICAS rack with the tighter ratio.

I'll post up the results in my build thread, just for the sake of showing you all what a mess it was...if it is anyway.

Any ones input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Guys!!

 

what makes you think its the inner tie rods? are they bent?

describe more of this 'vauge handling'
what condition are your TC rod bushings in?

 

TC rods have been replaced with energy suspension bushings. FLCA have new ball joints and energy suspension bushings as well. Tie Rod ends are new and were replaced @ the time of the rack install. All these items have been replace in less than a years time.

The symptoms are just an odd kind of wander feeling...and a slight "pull" to the right, though all roads are crowned that way to allow rain run off, its more than the normal drifting toward the roads edge.

Nothing extreme mind you, but i used to the car feeling very tight and quick, as you can imagine when considering its all "new". Right now it does not inspire any confidence when entering a corner.

 

odd pitfalls:

1) Assuming a conclusion.

2) Proceeding to buy parts before a hands on inspection.

3) Believing "its all New" when in fact its 90% all old.

4) Forgetting that your car has 17 year old rack bushings leaving trails of dry rot rubber all over Tampa.

all in all not too many pitfalls

 

but really, take a look at your steering rack bushings. The problem is seldom the steel and often everything else touching it.

 

if this odd "wander" feeling is when you hit a bump, your alignment might be out. I had the same problem when my caster dropped 1* on the driver side.

 

I left out that i did replace the rack bushings too...again energy suspension items. Pretty much the only items that have NOT been replaced were the inner tie rods.

Most of us have heard the "assume" saying... I've been there and do realize that experiencing a problem yourself is often the best teacher.

Im certain that after 215k miles that the "ball" in the inner tie rod (not a 240 tie rod but they are pretty common) in the pic below has given up and is what could be causing the handling feel I'm experiencing .




At this point they need replacement for safety sake. One thing is for certain. I didnt go out an by a new rack because of assuming it has got bad. As I said before I really really hope thats not the case.

Thanks for the great feed back so far guys!!

 

Whatadobo:
That could be it too. I'm about 1.5" down on agx's and megan coils. I have camber wear like there is no tomorrow...its hard to judge it its alignment since it worn tires like that since i've lowered the ride hight. I'll have to have it checked once I replace these inner tie-rods. I need to get camber plates but i'm saving for some good coil overs.

 

Did I just read your on AGX and megan coils? meaning...front is different than the rear? that doesnt help the feel on turn in.. haha

Also, the caster changes in your alignment would cause that bump steer your experiencing.. I only know because my caster is hella fucked up

Take it to get an alignment before replacing parts just to see if its the problem..

 

LOL, no no no, coils springs all around...not coil overs on front only or rear only...that would be a mess. The 1 hour job to replace the inner tie rod would just give me peace of mind I guess, due to the mileage on them. Bump steer is common with out rollcenter adjuster type ball joints...I hear ya though.