I really want to install the set of Moog rod ends I've got sitting around but, I don't want to pay the ridiculous stealership prices to have it done. Has anyone here successfully installed new rod ends at home and then driven the car to the dealership with a passable alignment? If so, how did you do it?

I planned on marking the position of my current rod ends with some sort of tape or paint and hoping that the new Moog units aligned well enough.

 

yes...you just leave the nut in place so itll be close to being in specs until you can get to where you need to to have it aligned, thats what i did.

by that nut i mean the inside nut...i believe theres one merged into the outer tie rod end and another one that it 'locks' to. the one it 'locks' to, is the one that you keep as close to where it was as possible so you can drive without complications

 

The main thing is to keep the hub in the same position. loosen the lock nut (make sure to turn clockwise to loosen!) on the tie rod, then remove the castle nut holding the tie rod end to the hub.

This is the critical part. Break the tie rod loose from the hub, then re-insert it, making sure it's in the correct position. For safety, count the number of threads on the inner tie rod that are above where the tie rod end is.

Now carefully lift the tie rod away from the hub, ensuring the hub stays in the same position. Unscrew the tie rod end from the inner tie rod and replace with the moog one. Tighten until the same amount of threads are showing.

If this does not slip perfectly into the hub, you need to adjust it until it does. My aftermarket tie rod ends were not the same size (length) as the OEM ones, so it was different. The point here is to maintain the same total tie rod length to ensure proper alignment. If you do this, you shouldn't have any alignment issues...

 

I cannot think of a way to secure the hub properly in order to use your methode LA02MAX.

Since I was changing both the inner and the outer tie-rod, I made sur my new assembly was exactely the same lenght as the old one.

 

mine didn't seem to have an issue with staying put. if the axle and lower ball joint are supporting it, it shouldn't move without any force being applied to it..

 

Since I replaced just about averything on the Max lately, I was under the impression that the Shock was detached from the knuckle. I do agree with you that if you only remove the tie rod, It should stay in position.

 

Good to hear, I'll get to this sometime this week.

 

This is more time consuming but do one side at a time. When you change one side drive it and adjust the tie rod in and out until it drives pretty straight then do the same to the other side.

 

before you loosen the OEM nut, wrap blue painters tape around the threads on the backside of the nut. This should need minimal adjustment afterwards.

 

is the Moog tie rod the exact same length than OEM? If yes, good method!

 

Unfortunately, i'm not sure. Now that i think about it, I think the inner thread portion of the MOOG go in further than OEM. I'd have to get some comparative measurements.