I am working on changing the steering rack boots. I am putting together a detailed DIY with lots of pics. However, I am stuck because I can't get the outer tie rod to separate from the spindle. Anyone got a tip? I tried one of those fork style separators from harbor freight, as well as putting the nut back on and hitting it with a dead blow. No joy so far.
I have not removed the tie rod on the 355, but I do both things suggested when removing a tie rod. . I put a tie rod remover on the tie rod (leaving the nut on loose), add some pressure, and hit the the spindle with a hammer, pops it right off on the second or third tap.
I tried hitting it but on jack stands I really can't get a good swing at it. I should have bought the tool 2NA suggested from the start. Oh well, lesson learned. Always buy the best/right tool for the job. There's always next Sunday. Thanks guys.
Try turning the wheel all the way so the tie tod has some tension. Then wack the outside of the tie rod holder. It should pop off.
anyone know the torque spec for tightening the nuts once they are ready to go back together? I looked in the WSM but the descriptions dont make sense to me EDIT: My good man DR dropped the knowledge on me. 63 Nm (~ 46 ft/lb) as per page F53 of the WSM.
I'm hoping to get back to this project today (3 weeks later) Is there any sort of grease or lubrication I should be applying to the rod(s) that slide in and out of the steering rack cylinder? I tried googling in general but get conflicting info. I bought some multi purpose lithium grease jic.
Those seals are made to keep dirt out . I never lubed the outer section because then dirt could stick to the grease...and then tear up the seal in my opinion.
So I got my ass kicked today. This car...many things are mechanically simple but mother@$@! impossible to do. I started at 3 pm. Car was already jacked with the wheels off and tie rod nut undone. I popped the joint with the harbor freight version of the tool 2NA posted. Spun the outer tie rod off and I was ready to remove the old boot. Should be easy right? Wrong! From 3:30 to just about now I struggled to get the old boot off. The main difficulty was opening the retaining clip on the rack. I did eventually get it open and removed the old boot. Getting the new boot on? Impossible with the rack in the car (at least for me). I struggled for hours. Eventually I got the large boot opening over the rack but I could not re-secure the clip. I repeatedly jammed my hand in that tight space and tried to maneuver. My hand is literally battered and bruised. I'll be surprised if my hand doesn't look like a blue balloon tomorrow. I tried to make the stooges proud today. I failed. Someone tell me there is a trick. I don't want to take this to the shop. This should be simple.
Finally did it. Definitely stooge style. Passenger side took 5 hours last sun plus 1.5 hours today. Once I developed my technique the driver side took 1.5 hours from start to finish. Detailed DIY to come.
I never separated the tie rod ends. I unscrewed them from the rack. Sounds like you've got it sorted though. Here's my thread on the subject. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/430060-how-remove-steering-rack-355-a.html
I have seen this thread and it is exactly why I tried to do it without removing the rack. All I needed to do was replace the torn bellows. The rack itself was not leaking (knock on wood) It took me forever, and I learned alot, including that some jobs are worth every cent a professional charges.
I have a Stahlwille. I have tried real hard to break it without success but it doesn't always get the end loose either. My big hammer and a big drift on the other hand have a 100% success rate.
Dude, drift? You need to take Karate classes LOL For a swift swack I have a sledge hammer I cut the handle down to 10 inches. One pop maby 2 for a truck ball joint
