E28 Tie Rod Replacement

4 minute read

Start by finding your jack location, luckily it’s very easy for this e28.

The frame is very visible, jack it up and add your stand.

Loosen your lugs while your wheels are still touching the ground, it was especially nessisary with these rusty lugs.

Use a 17mm wrench to loosen the bolt on the inner tie rod end. I used a second wrench to get more leverage.

The end will probably be stuck in there pretty well. A hammer and pickle fork will help, but a tie rod removal tool makes it a bit easier. Just keep tightening and it will eventually pop off with a large bang.

Next you need to get the tie rod the same length, and position the ends in the correct orientation. The nuts on each end of the middle rod fixes the position of the tie rod ends. Unless you are going to do a garage alignment you’ll want to orient and tighten them down before installation. If you install and tighten them while the car is lifted they’ll be fixed in the wrong position since the suspension is fully extended. Another option is measuring the distance from the fender edge to the wheel center and jack up the hub so it is at the correct height then tighten. 

Assuming they were done correctly before, the orientation of the old rods are what you should aim for.  You’ll want to get an alignment done anyway after doing this procedure.

The inner tube is slightly longer on the new part compared to the old one, so counting threads between the tube and rod end won’t work. Use a ruler to measure the length.

Tighten the locking nuts on the tube with 2 13mm wrenches to hold the ends in the right position.

Remove the nuts and end covers from the new tie rods and install.  As you tighten the nut it will pull the rod end into the hole.  The torque spec is 27-30 ft-lbs for these nuts. If the joint starts spinning inside the tie rod you can use an Allen wrench to hold it in position like in the photo above.

With one side done, the other side reqires the same steps.

When finished put the wheels back on and you are done. At this point you can do a garage alignment if you have the tools and know how, or take it right to a shop to do it for you. For the sake of your tires, don’t drive it around misaligned for too long. You also won’t be able to appreciate the tighter steering if your wheels are pointing the wrong way :)