First, I took my car into Tires Plus to have my tires rotated and balanced and as usual they do a vehicle inspection. The only thing they found wrong was a loose left front tie rod. They want $150 to fix it but I figured this might be something I could be able to tighten myslef. Does anyone know anything about how to do this?

Second, I think I have a loose belt because when I shift into any gear (manual) and then accelerate it makes a quick squeak and then goes away. Any ideas on fixing this?
thanks for the input!

 

If its the inner tie rod, then let them do it. Trust me its easier that way. If its the outer tie rod, then its a piece of cake.

Get yourself a Haynes or something. The most important tool you need to seperate the tie rod from the knuckle is a puller. This is the exact one I used when I replaced mine.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36861

I had this to seperate balljoints on Hondas/Acuras I used to own and it works perfectly for the Max.

Get a tie rod from those online Nissan parts dealers ($30-35 shipped) and the above puller and the haynes and everything will cost you a little over $50 (assuming you have all the other tools (floorjack/jackstands, ratchet wrench, etc etc).

No idea on your second question.