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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > DIY Guides > Diy Tie-Rods (inner & Outer) (Meyle HD) from Harold@HPAutowerks



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      01-19-2016, 07:55 AM   #45
robc1976
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chriz1 View Post
Just about to do this and want to know will I get a adjustable wrench to loosen the inner bolt or will i need a spanner of some shape lol
big adjustable
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      01-19-2016, 09:05 AM   #46
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I haven't received my new tie rods yet but would I need to grease the inner joint?
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      01-19-2016, 09:27 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chriz1 View Post
I haven't received my new tie rods yet but would I need to grease the inner joint?
nope, maintenance free.
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      01-19-2016, 02:06 PM   #48
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Cool thanks
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      03-03-2016, 04:32 PM   #49
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Great write up. Just to inform everyone, the XI models don't have a 21mm nut on the tie rod ends. It's 24mm.
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      03-29-2016, 04:13 PM   #50
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For Xi models, how do you undo the inner tie rod from the rack? it seems like the inner ball joint is way in there, do i just turn the wheel all the way to extend it out?
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      03-30-2016, 10:33 AM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by martin328 View Post
For Xi models, how do you undo the inner tie rod from the rack? it seems like the inner ball joint is way in there, do i just turn the wheel all the way to extend it out?
Sorry its been several months since I did mine BUT from what I recall....You do not want the rack fully extended when you break the inner tie rod free as the torque can apparently damage the rack at close to full lock, I'm guessing by mangling the seals. I can't remember where I read this, it could have been earlier in this thread or maybe Bentley's. I know I used a big ass crescent wrench with the steering turned just enough to get in there and break it loose, then did whatever was comfortable from there to disassemble and reassemble....Same thing with torquing the new one in, get as much of the rack cylinder in the housing as possible before you start really torquing things back tight. I am starting to recall doing a lot of steering wheel turning when I did mine, I did both sides at the same time.
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      03-30-2016, 03:02 PM   #52
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thanks for the response, i need to replace my steering boots so i'll give it a shot.
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      05-16-2016, 09:29 PM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteFury View Post
Great write up. Just to inform everyone, the XI models don't have a 21mm nut on the tie rod ends. It's 24mm.
Same goes for the nut on the "wishbone" (front lower control arm) ball joints. Just did mine and they're definitely 24mm.
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      10-04-2016, 07:30 PM   #54
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You need a 38mm or a 1 1/2" 12pt crows foot in order to properly torque the inner tie rod to 100#.

Also, if any of the ball joints, on the back side of the hub, don't want to come out by using the Torx - 40 bit and the 21" wrench, you can strip the rubber bushing off the joint itself and get a pair of heavy duty vice grips on it to keep from moving. You'd need an air gun to get the bolt off from there.

Next, I found that an air gun is "almost" essential for any one doing this DIY in a northern state.

Use Kroil Oil and soak the joints over night, you'll be glad you did.

It would be extremely helpful to have ratchet wrenches, no question.

Just a couple of tips

I bought the 11 piece set from FCP Euro and Lemforder Tie Rods and did it all in one, fell swoop. I had 130k on my car though.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...e93-bmwmcaktfr
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      03-31-2017, 01:31 PM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alucard136 View Post
You need to tighten the tie rods and all other suspesion parts under load or they will be under constant stress and fail.
What do you mean by "under load"? Do I have to put the wheel back on and lower the car before torquing to spec?
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      03-31-2017, 02:08 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tadaska View Post
What do you mean by "under load"? Do I have to put the wheel back on and lower the car before torquing to spec?
Everyone seems to think that both ends of the control arms are to be tightened under load. The Bentley manual, which I assume is correct, says to tighten the ends to the steering knuckle then lower the car and tighten the ends to the subframe under load. This is a link to a recent post I made on this subject. http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1363945

BTW, the text in quotes is from the Bentley manual.

I don't know about tie rods, but, would assume the end attached to the steering knuckle is the same as the control arms. Also, somewhat safer as it takes a lot of force to get that 90deg after reaching the torque spec.

How much it matters if the steering knuckle ends are tightened under load - I have no idea. But it is pretty easy to torque the ends to the subframe with the car on ramps.
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      07-22-2017, 06:04 PM   #57
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Completing this...what a bear of a job on this car!

I must have just had the worst luck. 2006 E90 325i. 110,000 miles on it, first time replacing tie rods and control arms. The tie rods came off at the knuckle, but then needed to be cut off in order to get the boot off (seized tie rods). Then every bolt at the knuckle of the control arms, upper and lower, required cutting off with a sawall and a cutoff wheel. broken about 6 t-40 bits trying to unscrew them loose. C-clamps didn't work to hold it in place. I'm guessing it was just so worn it was going to spin in the socket no matter what. probably others have suggest it, but do the tie rods and the control arms together, you will want the space to make it easier. And removing the wheel interior fender plastic and the lower plastics made it easier to move around, much easier. Another thing that seemed pretty simple but overlooked was that the new control arms (OEM) did not come with replacement nuts, so you have to get them. Tie rods (OEM) did. Took a ridiculous amount of time to do, at least 20 hours of breaking bits, discovering that my big tools were not big enough, and getting enough torque to break something free or tighten it up. For the giant nut on the tie rod, I needed a 15 inch adjustable to get it. My 12 inch went to 1 1/2" and still was about 1mm short. I'm glad I had a compressor, a sawall, and a cutoff tool along with everything else. I put anti-seize on everything, so hopefully the next time (60 thousand miles of life?) it will be easier.
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      09-02-2017, 10:16 PM   #58
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Thread revival and to clarify, bentley manual seems to state the following for torque values:

Per section 320-13:

Tie rod to steering knuckle: 59 lb ft (vs. 122 lbft stated on page 1)
Tie rod to steering rack(ZF Pentosin CHF 11S):88 lb ft total (vs 100 lbft stated on page 1)

I'm a fan of Robc's diys (though he's moved on unfortunately) but I have to wonder if overtightening is what lead to the meyle hd part failures. If anyone sees different torque specs, I'd like to see them.
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      10-07-2017, 02:04 PM   #59
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Great DIY. Adding some edge details.

Ring in post 22 is a lockring. Older BMW steering racks (e30) had notches cut into the outside of the rack ends at 12 and 6 o'clock. The lockring's ears would go into the rack's notches, and then the outside of the ring is pinged with a hammer and drift down over the hex end of the tie rod to stop the inner rod from rotating out. Not shown or presumed needed for an e90, probably because they are kind of a pain to get unfolded when disassembling. In the box because these rods likely work for other older BMWs too (tie rods have not changed in 30 years...).

Tie rods don't get installed "under load". They don't have any load most of the time. That's only for parts with rubber bushings.

To turn the ball joint nut, you can use a "helper jack" on the bottom of the tie rod end ball joint to compress the suspension a couple inches to load the outer tie rod ball joint taper into the steering knuckle hole. This works very well to keep the ball joint from turning, and it can still be tapped loose with a hammer afterwards. I don't use the torx / hex (?) connector at the top of the ball joint shaft. I keep a cheap $40 hydraulic jack around just for loading suspension parts once the car is up, but a bottle or scissors jack works too.
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      07-30-2018, 10:43 AM   #60
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I realize that I’m reviving an old post here. I’d like to say that this thread was very detailed and helped me tremendously through this process.

I just completed my replacement of the inner and outer tie rod assemblies and in the process of getting my alignment done. However, after I replaced both sides my car threw up an amber “brake” and DTC light. Guys at the shop doing the alignment want to clear the codes for $120. Is this something I can reset myself? Thank you in advance
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      01-11-2019, 11:05 PM   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MotoJP View Post
I realize that I’m reviving an old post here. I’d like to say that this thread was very detailed and helped me tremendously through this process.

I just completed my replacement of the inner and outer tie rod assemblies and in the process of getting my alignment done. However, after I replaced both sides my car threw up an amber “brake” and DTC light. Guys at the shop doing the alignment want to clear the codes for $120. Is this something I can reset myself? Thank you in advance
Yes you can reset yourself. Buy an OBD2 scanner and read what code you have. After figuring out what the code stands for, you can erase it.

On another note why would a tech replace only the outer tie rods on a car over 100k. The complete tie rod is 5 bucks more than buying just the outer rod. Also what would happen if an older inner tie rod was used with a new outer tie rod?
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