I took my car to get aligned at the local tire shop because I have a alignment balancing and rotation package from them. They told me that the tie rod ends on the passenger side were seized and quoted me to fix them, but since me and my dad do our all own work we decided we would do it ourselves.
Where are the tie rod ends and how do I fix it? Will I need to replace anything?

 

they bolt to your knuckle and are part of the steering system. specifically threaded to the steering rack. because they said it was siezed i suggest you just soak both of them in some penetrating lube, PB Blaster for example, and then try to loosen it up yourself and then drive back to the alignment shop and have them do the rest.

oh yea and this is the DIY. if you wanna replace them yourself. but you can see what a tie rod end is in this DIY so you get the idea.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/faq-tie-rod-end-replacement-2333340/

 

so there is only 1 per side?

So that means that if they said its seized then i only need to break that first bolt free?

 

Well, you need to break the lock nut and you also have to be able to rotate the tie rod itself on the shaft. Apparently this is some times difficult to do and the inner end also needs to be replaced. It's never happened to me though.

 

There are two joints per side, not bad to replace at all. Take your wheel off and turn all the way to the right for the driver side and you will see the outer end, grab the rod and see if it moves easily, if it does the rod end is worn out and needs to be replaced. Just looking at it you will be able to see how to take it off.

Just make sure to keep a rough count of how many threads are out so you dont get your alignment all crazy before you take it in. Repeat for other side.

 

1 inner and 1 outer PER SIDE.

 

i just replaced my outers last year, its easy once you get things broken free from rust.

 

ah ok it doesnt seem too hard. I get my car aligned all the time and it never had a problem before, I just had it aligned about 3k ago and was going to get it aligned again beacuse i go over alot of speed bumps @ my university and that tends to fk up the alignment.

Thanks for the help guys

 

yup, easy stuff. I changed my inners and outers after a 30mph interaction with a grapefruit sized stone. Took about 30 mins per side, but I fcuked up the alignment so when I drove off the tires weren't both pointing straight ahead.

I pulled strings from the back wheels to the fronts, and used that for a rough alignment and I've been driving on that ever since.

 

When you get your rods switched out or whatever conclusion you come to make sure to post up results for other people to read when searching. Also, make sure to mention how replacing tie rod ends help a sloppy feeling steering.

 

yea ill post it up, although my car drives perfectly fine right now, i just have my alignment off by a little bit.

 

it took me 20 min to replace 1 side, without any idea of how it would come out. it's that easy