How to Change the Tie Rods on a Dodge Ram

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Car Repair

How to replace the outer tie rods on a third generation Dodge Ram. This is a 2006 1500 4wd model, a similar procedure may also apply to other trucks of a different model and even years. Eventually tie rods will wear out over time, they use a ball style socket similar to a ball joint. They’re equipped with rubber boots that keep the grease in and dirt out. This boot can fail to allow the lubricant to escape and enable dirt to enter the socket, this will cause the socket to wear creating play. Or with age the socket will just wear and this too will cause player. Depending on how worn the socket is, you may notch clunking, wandering steering, and tire tread wearing out quicker. In an extreme situation where it fails, the socket will pop apart and make your wheel turn in a random direction potentially creating an accident or causing excessive damage to your vehicle. #oemtools #dodgeram #mopar

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Tools/Supplies Needed:
-new tie rods
-wrench and socket set
-pickle fork
-hammer
-grease gun
-pliers
-wire brush
-tape or paint marker

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:57 Testing the Tie Rod
01:25 Wheel Removal
01:50 Tie Rod Removal (Passenger)
04:15 New Tie Rod Installation (Passenger)
06:02 Wheel Installation
06:13 Driver’s Side Replacement
06:23 Dealing with Rust
08:17 New Tie Rod Installation (Driver)
10:02 Driveway Alignment Check

Procedure:
To remove the wheel, the lug nuts are 22mm. With the tie rods being exposed to road debris, a wire brush is recommended on the threads.

There should be a hex portion on the inner tie rod, but this may vary if yours has been replaced. This one takes a 17mm wrench. Unfortunately with these being extremely tight or seized, the hex will strip easier and the opened end of the wrench will flex open, sometimes even bending the jaws. This one uses a 17mm.

The jam nut locking the tie rod adjustment in place will need to be backed off. This uses a 24mm.

Using a 21mm, remove the nut holding the taper into the steering knuckle.

I moved back the nut on the inner tie rod slightly further. You can use a paint marker, but a thin tape works great too, mark out where the tie rod end stops on the threaded rod. This will keep your position fairly accurate.

Disconnect that taper. Unthread the tie rod.

Clean the taper in the steering knuckle. Compare the old and new tie rods to ensure they are the same. Thread on the new tie rod. And try to line it up as close as possible to the position mark. This can be adjusted slightly when everything is back in place.

Install the tapered portion.

The new tie rod will come with new hardware. This uses a castle nut instead and also had threadlocker pre-applied. The torque spec for this nut is 45ft lbs or 61 NM, then tighten an additional 90 degrees. Make sure the cut outs on the nut and the hole in the threaded portion lines up.

Finish up installing the cotter pin.

Rotate the inner tie rod to get that adjustment in place. The new and old tie rods should be the same, but we’ll check everything once it’s done.

Tighten up that jam nut against the tie rod end. This time around I used a pipe wrench to hold the inner tie rod as it was able to get a better hold than compared to the wrench. To tighten, the new tie rods have a hex so it’s a bit easier to tighten up that jam nut. The torque spec for this jam nut is 94ft lbs or 127 NM.

If yours is a serviceable tie rod, you’ll most likely need to install the grease fitting. Remove the rubber cap and then install the fitting using an 8mm wrench. As a final step, I like to give the joint one pump of grease just to be safe ensuring it’s fully lubricated.

Then the wheel can get installed. The torque specifications for the lug nuts is 130ft lbs or 176 NM.

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