I ran into a guard rail and....

[corymaloy]

Originally Posted by Propaganda

I don't know where you got that bolt to put in there, but mine has both sides threaded

Both sides are threaded so that you can torque both of the bushings in place. The way I saw it is that you only had it torqued on teh bottom

well its an aftermarket sway bar, that might be why. I have no idea what brand or anything because it was on there when I got the car.

[corymaloy]

ok so, I have all the broken stuff out... welll kinda. In the process of taking out the tie rods I found power steering fluid in the boot, meaning its leaking. Prior to my accident I was having problems witht he power steering so I'm guessing this wasnt a result of my wreck. I have been told I can leave the leaky rack in and just turn the wheel harder or replace the rack. Since im low on money I want to get my wheels movin again then I can replace the rack later, does this sound like a viable option??? also... the end of the rack is jsut sitting without a boot... should I put the boot on temporarily till I get the tie rods?

[jr_ss]

NVM, you got the ball joint out already...

[aznpoopy]

i don't think it matters. but if you're really that worried, just put a plastic bag over it and secure it with like a rubber band or something. no need to put the boot back on... plus the boot has a big hole on the end anyway.

yeah you can drive on it that way. just disconnect the belt. i would personally just buy a replacement rack. they are like $300 rebuilt after core refund. really not that much money. do it now and save yourself the trouble of getting the car up and taking shit apart again.

[eek]

If your rack is leaking your powersteering will be affected. When you turn you will notice the its smooth then stiff and so on. If you have the funds, replace it since your already taking out the tie rod. If you do, get some new poly steering rack bushings, either Nismo or Energy Suspension. I would order some new sway bar endlinks from Nissan or if you want get some aftermarket ones.

[Sir]

Originally Posted by corymaloy

I have unbolted the tension rod and LCA but I cant seem to get the LCA ball joint disconnected from the hub... any ideas?

You probably will have same issue with a tie rod.

Hammer is the answer.
But don't hit the thread on top.
Hit the spindle.

[corymaloy]

So is there a trick to installing the new LCA? IDK anything about the ball joints, do I just tighten the nut or wat...

[Sileighty_85]

Originally Posted by corymaloy

So is there a trick to installing the new LCA? IDK anything about the ball joints, do I just tighten the nut or wat...

[aznpoopy]

you only need a press (or a ghetto press - see above) if you bought the ball joint seperately from the lca.

if you bought them as one piece, just install and tighten. don't forget the cotter pin.

[1slowS13]

yep, the lca you got has the bushing pressed in, just install and tighten.

[corymaloy]

Ok guys, well I have all the parts now, finally! cant expect much for $7 shipping.. anyways now I just need to put everything back in, I'm just trying to figure out the best order of putting it all back. Also people keep saying something about making sure both tie rods are the same distance, what do they mean, and how do I make sure they are?

[aznpoopy]

i think they mean try to keep your tie rods the same length as they were before so your toe isn't totally fucked up. but your old ones are broken and your toe is probably going to be fucked regardless.

just eyeball it the best you can after you're done fixing it and get it aligned at the closest decent shop you got.

[S14DB]

1) Lower Control Arm
2) Traction Control Rod
3) Tie Rod
4) Tie Rod End
5) Sway bar End link

[corymaloy]

so I beat the hell out of my old LCA to get all the nuts/sway bar endlink bits out.

[1slowS13]

so is it done?

[corymaloy]

no its not done, im workin on it... but I think its about to rain and I have no cover... :\

[aznpoopy]

men work in the rain. get her done

[corymaloy]

ok guys, LCA has been installed, heres a pic.... tell me if it looks like a f*cked up!

[1slowS13]

looks fine, mount it up and take her for a drive! it feels okay, get her aligned

[corymaloy]

welll after I made that last post, I tried to connect the tension rod to the LCA and had some trouble, it looks like something is tweaked. I think the crossmember that holds the LCA is shifted back just a little bit. There is about a half inch difference to where the holes are and where the bolts on the tension rod are. I'm not sure what to do. I think I might try to shift the crossmember and tension rod bracket around till things line up, but its gonna be a pain in the ass! Not to mention I dont know if the tie rod will line up right. I will give it a shot tomorrow.

and also, you guys HAVE to see tropic thunder... its so funny!

[S14DB]

bolt the TC rod to the LCA. Then pull it forward to the bracket. Would not be surprised if you have to bash the cross member a little bit forward.

[corymaloy]

well guys, I dont know why I was having trouble before, this morning I went out and put the LCA and tension rod in, no problem. (I had them bolted together before installing)



The thing is, take a look at the tension rod where it connects to the tension rod bracket, it looks twisted! I dont know if its supposed to look like that... But when I looked at the other side of the car it was the exact same way... This 240 was wrecked a looong time ago before I owned it and I think they welded a new front end onto the car, so it may be related. anyways I dont know how long the bushing in the tension rod will last....




Somone tell me if this twisted look on the tension rod is supposed to be there please.....

thanks!

next up, tie rod!

[S14DB]

It's twisted cause it is at full droop. They twist as the LCA goes though it's motion. It will look more normal on the ground.

[corymaloy]

I dont know why I didnt think of that... wow talk about a newbie...


anyways so im trying to install the tie rods and I can't find any information about them anywhere in any of my manuals... its kinda strange...

so anyways I took the broken one off and now im installing the new one. I'm worried because I dont know how hard im supposed to torqe it into the rack, if at all..

Also there is this clip that used to fit the old tie rod but doesnt seem to work with the new one, I dont really know what to do with it. you can see it in this picture, I can tighten the tie rod in, but the clip keeps it from being fully threaded in.



I was curious how the clip had fit originally so I looked at the other side, here is how the clip is supposed to fit.



I'm not sure if it even matters, right now Im thinking about just screwing it on there as far as I can and throwing the boot over it, let me know if you have any insight on this!!

Also, just for the hell of it, here is my engine bay! lol

[corymaloy]

ok so I downloaded like 5 shop manuals before I finally found any info on that little "clip". Looks like its called the "lock plate" and it doesnt seem to fit my new tie rod.... also, as you can see in my last post, the pictures from one side to the other look different where the tierod enters the housing, it looks like there is a piece missing. im pretty sure its called the "End Cover Assembly". if my car drove without it before then its gonna continue to do so until I have someone put a rack in it for me.. lol

bahhh its late, im tired, I need to look at things again in the morning before I start making crazy decisions... lol

[jdmstatuS13]

dude i replaced my OE tie rods wih the tein inner and outer...u dont even need that locking plate...

u will be fine and im glad u got most of that crap fixed. haha

[aznpoopy]

u dont need the lock

but at a minimum, it wouldn't hurt to put some lock tite on the threads

[corymaloy]

I'm a little worried about the "End Cover Assembly" that I mentioned earlier, you can see in the pics, it like the cap at the end of the rack, and im assuming it olds all the fluids and shit in there... But when I took the boot off there wasnt one there (there was on passenger side, just not driver side) and I cant seem to find a replacement... Im guessing it comes with a new rack which im planning on getting in about a month. But i just feel uneasy about sealing it up knowing its wrong...

what do you think?

[corymaloy]

ok so, according to my manual, there is supposed to be a nut at the end of the outer tie rod.... im guessing it tightens it somehow... well my new one doesnt have one of those.. There is one on my old one but the thread is bent. anyways heres a few pics to show you what I mean.

Old outer tie rod...



New outer tie rod....



pic of the manual....



What shall I do?

[S14DB]

Yeah most assume you are reusing the old nut. Get a new nut.