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Just replaced the inner and outer tie rods on my 2003 C230 sedan. I am having trouble with the final step of tightening the outer tie-rod joint at the steering knuckle. The joint keeps spinning while I am tightening the nut. I also noticed the wheel is pointing toe-in a bit (I did not measure the exact alignment settings, just counted the number of threads).
(1) What is the correct procedure to deal with this situation? The WIS does not mention anything special about tightening the nut other than 50Nm + 60deg.
(2) Did I damage the joint by spinning without counter-holding using the 5mm hex opening on the opposite end of the joint?
Not sure what you're referring to exactly (I'm thinking of 2 possibilities), so I'll just respond to both. Are you talking about the ball joint where the outer tie rod meets the steering knuckle (my confusion stems from the fact you mentioned a joint and not a ball joint), or the the other end where the inner tie rod threads into the outer tie rod?
The ball joint has an indent for holding the shaft steady. Not sure what the indent for the OEM joint is, but for my aftermarket tie rods the indent is Torx. Keep that steady with a ratchet + bit and turn the nut with an open box wrench. Yeah it's a bit stupid how it's basically impossible to measure the correct torque, since the ball joint itself provides plenty of resistance.
The inner tie rod has a section with a hexagonal cross section. Use an open box wrench and turn the shaft from here while holding the outer tie rod steady. Once in the correct position, tighten the nut.
No you didn't damage anything. Ball joints can spin freely.
Hopefully we are talking about the same part(s). A photo would help.
Lastly, you probably want to get the car professionally aligned afterwards. Counting threads is good enough temporarily, but probably isn't precise enough for long term. Even a difference of 1/4 turn would move the edges of the wheel 1-2mm I imagine. Because the alignment is designed to be adjustable, I imagine the tolerances for the threads and inner tie rod shafts would be fairly loose from a manufacturing perspective.
Last edited by slammer111; 07-25-2021 at 10:20 AM.
Slammer11, here is a picture for clarification. I was indeed referring to the outside ball joint on a Lemforder aftermarket part. I did back out the tie-rod end by about 3 turns, and the steering knuckle is now pointed straight as far as I can tell just by looking at it. As you suggested I will get an H5 ratchet bit (in place of the Allen key shown here) so I have more leverage. With a 21mm crowfoot wrench I might be able to get it torqued closer to spec. Worst case I can always ask the dealer to check it while they do the alignment tomorrow. Hopefully it will be good enough for me to drive it a couple miles...
07-24-2021, 11:00 PM
