Early last week I added some more negative camber to my driver side wheel to stop the rubbing. After that, every now and then I would hear a kind of popping sound, but I never thought anything of it because it sounded just like the occasional popping/clicking my coilovers make (D2's). Well Friday night as I was pulling out of a parking lot I heard and felt a loud pop and then my car couldnt turn. With the little turning radius I haed left and just dragging the drivers side wheel I was able to parallel park it and walk home.

Turns out those pops I was hearing were the threads on the inner tie rod end skipping over the threads on the steering rack and the big pop was it just finally falling out. When it happened all I could tell was the tie rod broke but I couldnt see much because my car is so low, but I went back tonight, pulled off the tie rod and took some pictures. The pictures are all 500-800k in size and pretty large so Ill just post direct links;

Steering rack

Steering rack close up

Tie rod 1

Tie rod 2

Tie rod 3

Tie rod 4


Its kind of hard to see, but there was a little bit of damage done to the threads in the steering rack, fortunately most of the damage was done to the tie rod. As you can tell from looking at the threads on the tie rod, only the first few threads are stripped. Looks like the last person to install this one either didnt screw it in all the way or didnt tighten it down enough. Im guessing the latter and when ever I did my alignments (Ive done about 3 since then), as I was turning the tie rod, I was loosening the rod from the steering rack. As long as the first few threads in the steering rack arent too bad I should be able to get another tie rod in there. I was prepared to replace the whole rack, hopefully I wont have to do that. If it does come to that, I may just try welding a tie rod directly to the rack, hehehehe.


edit: anyone know what the thread size the end of the tie rod end is? I know the outter diameter is 4.125mm, anyone know the thread size or pitch or distance, what ever its called. Also, is the steering rack steel or aluminum? I didnt have a magnet with me.

 

You want advice, so here goes: I would not fool around with the damaged threads in the steering rack. Looks to me like there is very few remaining good threads there. Steering & brakes are two things that I don't gamble with. The next time the thing fails could be at high speed or somewhere with no margin for error. As for welding the new tie rod to the rack, well it is steel. But I hope you were only kidding.

And yes, I know that replacing the rack is a pain, I just did one on an ABS equipped I30.

 

I agree, I would not muck about with steering or braking.

This is a good time to put in a new rack. if you can find Kevlo's old thread, there was a link to a place where you could purchase the 99 rack for $150. Not bad, then install and you'll have a fresh new steering car.

new tie rods and new rack your car will feel fantastic.

 

Ya I found Kevlo's thread yesterday. Even if I do decide to change the rack, which I dont really mind doing, I wont have time for at least another week, maybe two. So I may just see if I can shove another tie rod in there. That would atleast let me be able to move it for street cleaning so I dont get tickets

 

I gotcha.

One wheel drive?

 

hehehe. If my street were big enough I would be able to move it around by steering just one wheel, but on my small street I wouldnt have enough room.

 

what about those wheel dolly's?

pretty maneuverable, and they arent really expensive.

 

+1
good idea