Technical Steering - track rod - how to change it???

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Technical Steering - track rod - how to change it???

Fiat_Bohmer

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Hello to everybody.

Have somebody changed the steering track rod yet?
See the picture what I am asking about.

How to do it? :confused:
Need help!
 

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i am not native english speaker, so have a patient with me (y)

make it clear to me :idea:

so, there is the main part - steering, then the middle part - rack, and then the end - called track rod. Yeah?

So and i need to change the middle part - rack.

Is it screwed to main part of the steering, or not? Do I need any special tool?
 
What is wrong with it?
That is a very difficult, if not impossible, part to change with the rack still on the car. If you remove the whole steering rack then it's not a big problem, of course, but there just isn't room to turn it with it still in place. Which is why people just renew the rack usually if that part is worn
track rod end.JPG
This is what we call a track rod end or tie rod end

tie rod.JPG
This is what we call a tie rod - almost impossible to remove without removing the rack first

Is the tie rod bent? Are you getting a rattle though your steering on rough surfaces?
Many people think that it's the tie rod which is causing the rattle but it's more often the anti roll bar links

links 3.jpg
anti roll bar links
 
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And you also wont be able to buy that part as fiat only supply the complete rack:bang: and not the control arm as a seperate item :bang:
 
You can get them from Fiat to replace say,if you've bent it
tie rods.JPG
but if the tie rod bearing is worn then there's usually similar wear in other parts of the steering rack and better to change the whole rack whilst it's off the car
 
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There is the joint on the rack, on the side nearer to the steering column. And that joint has... been "loosen".... its not firm... dont know the english word... sorry... simply its not OK.

Its not anti roll bar link. Its not bearing. And its not suspension.
Its the rack.

Yeah, I could change the whole steering, but its at least 200. And the rack is only 10!
 
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You can get them from Fiat to replace say,if you've bent it
View attachment 24966
but if the tie rod bearing is worn then there's usually similar wear in other parts of the steering rack and better to change the whole rack whilst it's off the car

If he's bent it I could straighten it for him problem being the distance he would have to travel :chin:
 
Hey Deckchair5!

What for software of spare parts do you have?????
You are the genius!(y)

I have ePer, but there is the steering shown as one part, not as at the picture which you put here.

Now I am sure that it is possible to change it, if ithe rack is shown as separated part.

Now only the question how? :confused:
 
Just ePer but it's hidden away in a sub menu!
Type in product code search 9949216 then expand the menus near the bottom of the page "Stilo BZ/DS ....... etc

Be SURE that the bearing is worn out! It's a lot of work for nothing otherwise.

tie rod.JPG
To test it, undo any clips and loosen off and pull back the rubber boot 1b from the bearing. Then hold the bearing whilst someone moves the steering left and right just a little. Watch your fingers! Feel it move or knocking?

DSC00024.JPG
Make sure it's not just the tie rod end at the other end making the noise :)


Ok, I haven't done a Stilo but the tie rod is usually held in by a rivet or some locking device like a tab washer and is then often fluid thread locked into place. You might be able to get access to remove the locking device but I doubt it. Then you'll need a special C spanner to turn the tie rod bearing housing. Good luck if you can!

rear subframe.JPG
You will, most probably, need to remove the rack and you will, most likely, need to get more space by allowing the rear cross member to drop a little and then remove the rack through the driver's side
 
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Deckchair5, THANK YOU! (y) :worship: :slayer:

I´ve just found it in ePer also. :)

So, I hope, I´ll manage to change it :yum:
 
Hey men,

today I changed the rack and the track rod on the right side of my car. It was hard work, lasted 2 afternoons, almost I finished desperate from it yesterday.
And because of my mood, I didn´t take any pictures, sorry. But I think, the pictures wouldn´t be helpful to anybody.

There is no chance to completely remove steering without dismantling half of the car :bang:
So I only released the steering and moved it on the right side and then unscrewed the rack with more than half meter long spanner.
The ball-joint of the rack was absolutely damaged and the track rod also.

The assembling of the steering was as awful as dismantling.

Now I understand why the Fiat services change the whole steering, and not only the rack. It´s the same work and time. Only for the customer is it different, in price, 200 or 40 :)

So the car is working fine again, the terrible rattling has gone, but I´m going to change yet the antiroll bar links in closest future.
 
Well done. It's a grisly job, I know from doing it on other cars and the Stilo doesn't look as if they've made it any easier. Was the track rod damaged in a collision with something solid?
 
Track rod has had 104.000 km, so it was the highest time to change it :rolleyes: The left one I changed 2 years ago, after 70.000km, when I bought the car.

But hard to say what damaged the joint of the rack. I hit big hole with the right wheel 1,5 year ago, and had to set geometry of the steering after that. Maybe this was the reason.

I hope I did it last time :eek:
 
Sorry to bring up old topic,but seems that i have maybe the same problem. First also i'm not native English speaking and sorry in advance if say or write something wrong, and second that track rod problem maybe come also to our car. We bought it on 36 000km, and now is around 78 000km. Just in a couple of weeks ago on raw surface road there was strange noise, and remind me that the rod end bolts are.. going to die. After that come that "floating" to the right if i drive over 40km/h and not keep the steering wheel.
I replace both of them and also anti roll bar links, although the last one was almost ok in my opinion.Follow service check for the right canister(was that the name of the inside wheel angle) and drive. The "floating" has gone for some time, but now again that small annoying rattle come. Now is even bad,if i make full right with the steering, drive slowly back and start to straight there is in some point one "knock" and if continue to go to full left..nothing.No noise or knock..
If the car is not moving,no contact with the key, and try to move left and right, there is no noise turning right,or not that big, but just when change to left there is, and the again nothing if continue. Also i check anti roll bar rubber bushes.. seems ok. Then i test, putting the car on jack first left wheel up, right one on the ground and try to turn, again the sound is there. Then the right one up left down the "knock" is... there.
I try to go under the car and catch with hands both of the steering rod links and friend rotate slowly left-right, right-left and again..
There is little "knock" feeling from the left one but still i`m not so sure that is 100% that the problem.
My front suspension arms bushes seems to be in bad shape already and need replacement,also the brake disks and pads..
The last one for sure is not the problem for that,because i`ve try to rotate while push the break pedal - same story.With or without brakes pushed.
That rod link part is available for sale here for 18e, just.. the work is much and then again wheel angle check.. , that is why i wish to be almost sure where is the problem.
Is it possible also that inside joint to be loosen, i mean that thread that connect the rack with the rod to be open in some reason and to make that noise.. Now 3 days later that noise start to be even more and mostly knocknig in sharp moving of steering wheel..
Also have that small idea that is possible the outside rod end ball joints to not be ok, even they are new..
And where are that bearings that all of you mention in the posts ..? and is it possible to be that
sp_a0193_447.jpg
plastic bush (which should be somewhere on top of the rack control teeth wheel and how can i test is that?

Any idea will be more that welcome
 
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The steering rack bush is a big problem in Romania because we have such bad roads. With time the steering arm will start to have movement in all directions. Because the bush is not a Fiat replacement part a lot of us replaces them with hand built ones.
The same thing I've done to my car by myself.

Sorry for the non ENG words from the pictures.
 

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Great prictures(y)!Just help me alot..
How did you take that rods only without take the whole rack out? I was with the idea that is impossible, or let say - quite bad for doing that. Maybe i`ll reconsider little that minds :D. More obvious for me that i'm going to the same direction of part replacement.Ofcourse Fiat will not sell that plastic bush. It`s much easier to sell new mechanism for minimum 240e(have zero ide about the price) instead 2 plastics for about 4-10e... Huh.. now again i need to go under the car.. :cool:
 
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