97 RWD
Does anyone know how to separate INNER tie rod end without using the pickle fork?
I would like to reuse it and want to avoid using pickle fork.

In his how-to RACERGUY hammered the side of the joint for ball joints and outer tie rod, but didn't mention INNER.

Thanks.

 

really the only way to get the inners off is to use a pitman arm puller

 

well, tie rod end puller i guess. if you have an autozone or oriellys near they will loan them to you. Dont try buying one form harbor freight.. it will break. ask me how i know lol

pickle fork or puller you're still probably gonna mess up the boots.

 

Thanks. Does PB Blaster help?

Has anyone been able to separate inner tie rod end with Pitman puller?

 

I haven't tried with my 02, but sometimes you can separate them by using pressure of a prybar between the tie-rod and drag link or frame and giving the drag link a sharp blow on the side with a large hammer right where the tie-rod goes through. Works better with two people. If you try this, back the tie-rod nut off but leave it attached to the stud by a few threads, so that when things let go, pieces don't go flying everywhere.

 

If you really want it off to change the outer, spend the $21 and buy a cheap new inner. $43 for a MOOG locally, though one auto parts chain always want to charge $20 more for the same MOOG part.

You could try hammers the center-link a bit, but that didn't do it for mine.

Why save an old TRE?

I know one thing - don't hammer directly on the threaded post to try to hammer it straight out... I tried that and it mushroomed the threaded part badly, making it nearly un-uasable if one were to try and save that TRE.

 

If you really want it off to change the outer, spend the $21 and buy a cheap new inner. $43 for a MOOG locally, though one auto parts chain always want to charge $20 more for the same MOOG part.

You could try hammering the center-link a bit, but that didn't do it for mine.

Why save an old TRE?

Part of the decision to go change more than I had to change was for overall speed and ease. I bought two of the threaded sleeves that connected the TRE's just in case - and boy am I glad I did. I could have saved $15, or what-ever they cost and played with trying to get the old TRE's off of them for a very long time, or I could have new sleeves at the ready to speed my job up - which I did. I ended up actually only needing one of them (one side of the truck would not easily come apart, and it was either PB'ing it and buying a vice AND setting the vice up, or just using a new one) - so I took one back.

I know one thing - don't hammer directly on the threaded post to try to hammer it straight out... I tried that and it mushroomed the threaded part badly, making it nearly un-uasable if one were to try and save that TRE.

Throwing four new TRE's into sleeves I could work with easily was worth the cost vs. more tools and time, and the chance that the truck would be out of commission into Monday - and that was on a budget that I was barely able to keep feeding myself rice & beans (was out of work). part of it, though, was that it was a northern truck, so rusted together parts and the possibility that the old sleeve that was stuck wouldn't work anyway were a factor in putting out a little extra money to just get the job done.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I cannot work on the truck now. I will report back in a few weeks.

 

That's awesome - if you have that much time to work on it, then yeah, you can play around and try to save parts.

The angle I was coming from was that it was your daily driver. With mine, anything that I do needs to have the truck running again by Sunday night.

 

Tie rod end puller. Will not damage boot as long as you don't pinch the boot.

 

I tried it without success. I wish the opening between the lips was a little narrower. I sprayed PB Blaster a couple of nights ago. I will try again in a few days.

The truck is not my daily driver. Time is on my side.

Thanks for tips.

 

Just like pickle forks are different sizes, surely Tie Rod pullers come in different sizes as well to get closer in on smaller TRE's?