Inner tie rod or entire steering rack?

[peculiarodor]

My 88 sr5 has some mystery clunk issues but after checking tie rod ends, ball joints and bushings, all seems fine there. the play seems to be coming from further up the assembly. My certified nissan mechanic friend said to do the inner tie rod. i had heard talk that there is no inner tie rod on this vehicle and that it is integrated into the steering rack assembly. can anyone confirm or deny this? when i search online for replacement parts i have been unable to find inner tie rods, only outer/ends which leads me to believe that there are no serviceable inner tie rods. true? thank you!

[Gottolovem]

I'll give this a shot others may have a better explanation.
oem Part#44503e is the inside tie rod end "flexible joint" it is really the outside "flexible joint" on the steering rack if this is the part you need to have replaced i would just get another rack all together. I don't think their that high priced and you would have piece of mind that the entire steering unit is new

If i'm wrong i'm sure someone else will correct me soon enough

Your clunk could also be a number of other things
Bad cv joint
broken engine mount(this happened to me)
wheel bearing
broken strut mount"top of strut" (very common)

[Petros]

yes, there are both inner and outer tie-rod ends, but as DLB points out, the inner one actually attaches to the end of the steering rack. It is not too bad a job if you have the right tools available (they can get really stuck in place).

Usually you will not get a noticeable clunk from worn tie-rod ends, and it has been my observation that even with a little play in them, they are a long way from failing or causing any detrimental effect. I have driven many many thousands of miles with worn and loose tie-rod ends (both inner and out), and no one driving it would ever know it. If they are worn and have some play in them, they should be replaced, but there is usually no panic or need to rush to get it fixed.

If you have something worn enough in the whole steering system to cause a noticable clunk you will usually feel it in the steering wheel, as it feeds back up through the system. If you can feel it in the steering wheel, it is easy to check, jack the front end up and than pull the wheels in and out, put your other hand on each of the joints: lower ball joint, outer tie rod end, inner tie rod (under the acordian boot), and on the steering rack. also have someone saw back and fourth on the steering wheel and do it again. alos check the steering u-joint on the steering shaft just above the steering rack. You can also put the wheels back on the ground and do it again from the steering wheel, push and pulling on it hard, and than observe the rack mounts, if those are worn out the whole rack with slop around (a small amount of controlled movement is normal for it since it is mounted in rubber mounts).

Any of these can be worn and have play, a slight amount will not be noticeable, it would have to be really loose and sloppy, with noticeable both visual and felt play in any of these parts.

If you do not feel it though the steering wheel than more likely it is lower ball joint, or inner bushing on the lower arms, or anti-sway bar mounts on the lower arm or on the front ones from bar to frame mount (less common). Less common but it can occur, is bad struts, or upper strut mount (the big rubber mount you can see from the engine compartment at the top of the strut tower).

One other thing I had happen on mine (which has close to 400k miles on the chassis, most on rough gravel roads), is the welds around the lower suspension mounts (including the welded nut on the inside of the frame that holds the bolts on the suspension), and around the upper mount on the strut tower, will fatigue and break off, or get full of tiny cracks that allows more flex in the frame. This will cause poping and groans, everytime you stress the frame. the most severe flex where you will notice this is when you go down a driveway to the street at a diagonal, where two wheels get light, and most of the weight is carried on two oppostie side front and rear wheels. The fix with this is to add a strut tower brace, and stitch weld all of the compromised steams and welds.

good luck.

[Petros]

Fyi:

steering rack mount:



inner tie rod end (it is under the accordian boot, the short threaded end goes into the end of the rack):


outer tie-rod end, with threaded adjustment sleeve:


front sway bar mount:


lower ball joint:


Upper strut mount:

[dlb]

tercels have inner and outer tie rods, they are two separate components. the inner ones are easy to replace, the only tip i recommend is this: the flats of the inner tie rod are pretty thin but they are torqued into the rack pretty good. so what i have done is grind down the sides of the jaws of a large crescent wrench so that i can really secure it on the flats. the rest of the job is very straight forward.

oh another more obvious tip: whichever side you're working on, turn the steering wheel to that the area you're working on has the best exposure possible. i really struggled with poor access until i realized i could just turn the wheel and move the part i'm working on.

you'll have to check and adjust your toe in afterwards. use keith's easy as pie technique.

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2273

[peculiarodor]

Thanks everybody. My Nissan mechanic friend and I did those tests this a.m. and the noticeable play we discovered in the wheels was in horizontal play (front to back) rather than vertical play (top to bottom). When playing with the steering wheel with the wheels lifted and on the ground, the play felt like it was coming from under the accordion boot into the rack. He diagnosed a left inner tie rod. Does anyone have a good online resource for these inner tie rods? My usual source only seems to supply the outer tie rods. Thank you for the pictures, too. This is a great help!

[Petros]

rockauto.com. has everything you need at great prices. search this forum for the current discount code too.

[ARCHINSTL]

Helpful links on tie rods and rack bushings with some photos:
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ack#p66023
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ack#p41212''
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ing#p16370

The steering rack bushing Petros shows is for the D/S only; the P/S is different; see below pix.
Many parts vendors do not show any difference; dunno about RA.

When looking for part numbers, be sure to check the Part Numbers - OE and Aftermarket Forum for exact numbers.
Tom M.