Looks like I am going to have to replace the tie-rods on my 2004 Mini Cooper. Hit a pot hole pretty bad. Right ball joint is definitely bad. Shop I stopped by indicated that right tie-rod ends were bad as well and they thought the left side tie-rod should be replaced as well. Given that the Coop has ~125k miles probably not surprizing. Ball joint is easy but alittle worried about tackling the inner tie rod ends. Any tips on how to make this an easier project? How can you tell in the inner ball joint is bad. I am assuming you would have to feel some looseness in that joint.

 

Just had it done on my 2004 MCS with 160K. Aligned about 60K ago but one was now frozen, so had to do both inner and outer. If you are OCD about torque settings you will need a special socket designed specifically for inner tie rods.

 

I would replace the inner rods if the boots were found to be torn, and the grease was all gone. Otherwise, just replace the outers, and get it realigned.

 

Thanks for the comments. I will get it up on jacks this weekend and do a closer inspection. WRT to drivers side, the tech indicated that the tie-rod wouldn't turn????? I wasn't sure what he meant and didn't question him as I was planning on looking more closely at the Coop on the weekend.

 

It is possible that the outer tie rod is rusted onto the inner, and cannot be turned for adjustment or removal. In that case, you will have to remove the inner rod.

 

Thanks. Make sense. Likely what they meant.

It seems like you need a special wrench to disconnect the inner tie rod? Is that available as a loaner tool?

 

I used this tool to remove my inner tie rods:

Relatively inexpensive, and they literally popped right out.

 

I used this DIY write up to change mine. Though I was able to use a big crescent wrench to loosen the inner tie rod instead of the thin wrench that they say you need.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...eplacement.htm

It's a fairly easy job, I think, I bought lemfoeder tie rods and they've been good for 50,000 miles so far. I think I did replace my outer ball joints at the same time.

 

As Racingguy04 said, it's an easy job. I also used Lemfoerder tie rods and they are excellent quality. For the removal and installation of the inners, I used the Harbor Freight tool.

https://www.harborfreight.com/inner-...set-63705.html

 

I am going to tackle this over the next week starting with the passenger side. I also have to replace the passenger side axle as the boot is torn and throwing grease everywhere. I inspected the drivers side axle and it seems OK so plans to replace it at this point.

 

As long as the CV joints are not ruined from the intrusion of water and debris, you can purchase reboot kits for a fraction of the cost of new axles. I did this a few years ago and have had no problems with either axle. I removed the axles, removed the inner and outer boots from both, thoroughly cleaned the bearings, re-greased and rebooted the axles. It's a bit messy, but it is do-able.

 

Thanks for the tip wrt replacing the boots.

 

+1 on rebooting instead of replacing. there's tons of threads about aftermarket axles going bad, and OEM axles are expensive. I did reboots on the inner joints on both sides 5 years ago and the axles have been good as new ever since. I had never taken a cv axle apart before, but it was very straight forward, and not near as messy as I thought it would be. You will want to do it asap, because once they start making noise, it's too late and you'll have to replace them.

 

So replaced the passenger side axle, and tie-rod and lower ball joint. Took my time but the project was straight forward. Will get an alignment tomorrow before I actually drive much but I did set the length of the tie-rod to match what I had so I should be close. Thanks everyone for the suggestions and tips. THis was not as difficult as I was expecting.
Ian

 

That is great news Ian! Hopefully it was somewhat fun and rewarding.

-Jeff

 

It was Jeff! Thank you. Now if I can just get rid of the DSC/tire pressure lights. Take care

 

How hard is it to work both inner and out tie rods?