jackpine

Hi All,

Brand new to the forum, lots of great info here. I own a 2000 Tacoma 4x4 extended cab V6 Standard Transmission. I don't necessarily off road in terms of a hobby, more of a weekend warrior in terms of to get to where I need to go I need to put it into 4x and it sees way more abuse than 90% of trucks on the road. I have a question that hopefully some of you could guide me in the right direction with the decision. I recently brought my truck in for routine service and they mentioned that my left inner tie rod has excessive play and should be replaced. I am going to get a second opinion since I don't have much play in the steering wheel? Anyways as you all know the labour cost is crazy and the part price is also pretty steep. Part price is 225 (CAN) and they want 270 for labour. I don't have a problem paying that price for the part if it's my only option, however if there is an aftermarket part that someone could suggest that would be great. I have never replaced a tie rod before, I am a do it yourselfer, ie change all my fluids, have changed front brakes etc. Don't know if this is out of my league but 270 is a lot of labour. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, ie alternate part brand/source and tips and tricks.

Thank You

Jackpine

Crux

I just replaced my left inner tie-rod and outer tie-rod last night.

It was actually pretty easy - which is saying a lot since I'm pretty much a n00b with very little experience.

Semi-write up on the outer tie-rod (will get you started)
https://www.yotatech.com/~corey/tech...boot/jowie.htm

Some questions I had:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f16/do-i-need-puller-replace-inner-tie-rod-60717/

Another couple threads with good info on the inner tie-rod:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/inner-tie-rod-replacement-help-37158/

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/tie-rod-ends-stuck-5825/


I bought the parts from www.1sttoyotaparts.com
Inner tie rods were like ~$96USD/each
Outer tie rods were like ~$41USD/each
Boot was ~$12USD

jackpine

Thanks a lot for the info, it is very helpful. Do you know if an alignment is required or just suggested?

Crux

I think if you make sure to measure and count the threads you should be ok...
But I haven't driven my truck yet (going to do the other side tonight), so I guess if it pulls real bad one way I'll get an alignment.

Steveh29

I'd say that any time you replace tie rods it should be aligned. It's so hard to get the adjustment straight even if you count threads/measure when winding off the old rod and on the new one. I've even tried putting chalk marks on the tire, measuring the front and back of the tire and several other shade tree alignment routines. But of course I may just suck at alignments!

jackpine

Sounds like it's a good idea to get an aligment just for peace of mind. Reading through other posts it's suggested to replace both the inner and the outer which makes sense to me, I guess the other parts can always be used as spares in case of an emergency in the bush. My question is why would the tie rods on the other side need to be replaced if they are in good condition? Is this just more of a preventative maintenance thing assuming they will be going soon if the other side has excessive play?

Jackpine

Steveh29

Correct. The assumption is they're going bad due to wear.

data

anyone have any pictures of where the inner tie rod is located?

Mad Chemist

Its attached to the steering rack, mostly covered by a plastic boot. Very first picture in this thread shows the outer rack end and inner tierod (under the boot):
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...=steering+rack

Jackpine- I'll give you a deal on a set of inner/outer Tie rod ends off a 99 Tacoma. I bought the setup for the steering rack, didn't need the TRE's. 100 bucks and both inner/outer from both sides are yours. Off a vehicle that did not see offroad use, so they should be in pretty good shape.