Tie Rod - Inner Ball Joints - How Do You Get Them Undone?

[rarefir]

I'm going to change the inner ball joints on my R reg Avensis this weekend, has anyone done this?.

Even at full lock with the steering gear bar fully out there not much room to get a big spanner onto the ball joint (is its spanner?) or apply what i'm expecting to be a huge load (as they may also be glued on) to get them undone.

Does it need a special tool?, does the steering gear need to come out :( ?

Does any know before i potentially waste half a day and lots of knuckle skin in trying.

Cheers

[Beagh1958]

Do you mean track rod ends at the end of your track arms on either side of your rack & pinion unit.

[rarefir]

Do you mean track rod ends at the end of your track arms on either side of your rack & pinion unit.

yes, the end (covered with a boot) that screws directly onto the rack & pinion steering gear.

[Beagh1958]

Require a special socket in some cases. Sold by Snap-on or Sykes & Pickavant, any good motor factor should be able to advice you requiring S&P tools.

[rarefir]

Require a special socket in some cases. Sold by Snap-on or Sykes & Pickavant, any good motor factor should be able to advice you requiring S&P tools.

They only do tools for track rod ends (the outer adjustable end),so, i'm going to make a long 'socket' (foot long ish bit of 50mm square section with some flats welded across the end) just in case.

The inner ball joints may undo without too much trouble, if they don't then i have a back up.

[Beagh1958]

You could try UK Snap-on website to find your nearest dealer. Only problem is they are very pricey for something you will only use once? Sorry, cannot think of anybody else that makes specialist tool's maybe you could try Britool or Facom. Good luck anyway.

[rarefir]

You could try UK Snap-on website to find your nearest dealer. Only problem is they are very pricey for something you will only use once? Sorry, cannot think of anybody else that makes specialist tool's maybe you could try Britool or Facom. Good luck anyway.

Thanks for the help and advice, if i do have to make something i'll post a drawing or photo on this forum, to save everyone else the brain pain. I simply cannot pay a garage a hundred quid to do something that takes 15 minutes with the right tool.

Just for a laugh I got the Toyota main stealers to quote for the job - after jabbing away wildly at the random price generator button on their till they came back with ...with for it...a totally disgusting £447 (that's including vat).

£447 get you :

x2 tie rods (£65+vat each)

x2 small boot clips

x2 large boot clips

x2 boots (the boots were £23 =vat each!).

x2 hours labour

Luckily i'm familar with the concept of the telephone and after 2 calls found pattern part tie rods for £15.50 each. I'm planning on reusing the boots and clips - something that Toyota said isn't possible. So that's £31 all in then!.

Evil money grabbing B's.

Bl@@dy good car though.

Cheers again.

[Beagh1958]

If your just changing your track rods & not your track rod ball joints. Simple trick, remove wheels undo locknuts ( 22mm spanner? ) against ball joints & just unscrew track rods from ball joints leaving ball joints attached to your hub units. Why remove ball joints & chance damaging rubber seal. Once new track rods fitted to steering rack, just screw them back into ball joints.

[Beagh1958]

Sorry. Should have said I was out in the garage this evening, found an old track rod could be of an Avensis. It has to flat slots on either side of it are you sure large spanner is not the tool you need?

[rarefir]

Sorry. Should have said I was out in the garage this evening, found an old track rod could be of an Avensis. It has to flat slots on either side of it are you sure large spanner is not the tool you need?

Have just welded a 33mm socket onto the end of a 2 ft long piece of tube, my pattern parts are hex with 33mm across flats so i'm hoping the OE parts are too, if they're not i've only wasted £2.99 on the socket. To the other end i've welded an old 5/16 inch socket just to get my cracker bar onto. The plan is paint mark the track rod end position on the track rod, remove the track rod end, then slide the huge home made socket thing over the entire length of the track rod onto the (I hope) hexagon of the inner ball joint. If it doesn't work I'll try something else.

Don't you just love bodging!

[rarefir]

it didn't work

The hex is behind the ball joint, so special tool 1 doesn't fit (it will fit the pattern parts though), I now need to make another tool to go over the top of the ball joint and down onto the hex , can't get onto it from underneath the car :( as the wishbone is in the way.

Looks like i'll have to make a some kind of crow foot wrench using a cut through combination spanner (don't know how i'm going to stop it spreading or slipping though).

Defeat is not an option!.

[garethpaul]

it didn't work

The hex is behind the ball joint, so special tool 1 doesn't fit (it will fit the pattern parts though), I now need to make another tool to go over the top of the ball joint and down onto the hex , can't get onto it from underneath the car :( as the wishbone is in the way.

Looks like i'll have to make a some kind of crow foot wrench using a cut through combination spanner (don't know how i'm going to stop it spreading or slipping though).

Defeat is not an option!.

How about a set of mole grips on the flare spanner to stop it opening up - depends if you've got the room though

[rarefir]

it didn't work

The hex is behind the ball joint, so special tool 1 doesn't fit (it will fit the pattern parts though), I now need to make another tool to go over the top of the ball joint and down onto the hex , can't get onto it from underneath the car :( as the wishbone is in the way.

Looks like i'll have to make a some kind of crow foot wrench using a cut through combination spanner (don't know how i'm going to stop it spreading or slipping though).

Defeat is not an option!.

How about a set of mole grips on the flare spanner to stop it opening up - depends if you've got the room though

There's not much room back there, i may be able to get onto it, also thought about wrapping it in a large jubilee clip.