Tie rods

[montemason]

Hi people, probably a stupid question but is there a trick to getting my inner tie rod off. I got the outer off with no problems but the inner is not coming out. Loosened the castle nut and tried whacking it with a hammer but it's not popping out. Do I need a pickle fork or something? Thanks in advance.

[cny first gen 71]

Pickle fork will probably work just fine

[montemason]

Is there a way to do it without the pickle fork or is that the only way?

[Leghome]

I usually just hit it on the side of the joint with a BFH and they pop right off

[cny first gen 71]

Are you replacing the center link also? If so you really dont need to get it out.

[montemason]

I hadn't planned on replacing the center link as it looks to be in good shape still. 

 

[jft69z]

Try 2 hammers. Set one on the back side as a back up. Then whack the front side with the other hammer.

They also have tie rod pullers that press on the stud end, but I've had limited success with them. If the hammer doesn't loosen it in the first place, these won't usually work by themselves. I've used them to preload the stud, then whack it with the hammer & then it usually pops off. These are part of an OTC kit.

Also, were you whacking it on the stud end, downward trying to push it out of the hole? If so, try whacking it on the side like Larry above mentioned instead. That'll usually loosen it from the tapered hole. That's what I meant with the 2 hammer thing too, one in back & one in front hitting it from the side of the ball stud.

[1Bad454]

The pickle fork works very good. I paid 10 dollars for mine. I just disassembled all of mine.  

[montemason]

Thanks guys, bought the $10 pickle fork and it worked great 

[cny first gen 71]

So much nicer with the right tools.

[1Bad454]

Definitely! I've bought a boat load of specialty tools over the last few months for my car restoration.