Changing track rod ends

[JamesLennox]

Changed the track rod ends today as they were perished, changed them and driver side track rod end was shorter than the other one?
Changed it over any how and then went to get the tracking done, and the bloke doing the tracking said he couldn't do it anymore because the tie rod is at the end,

Not really sure what to do the bloke at the garage has lined the wheels up but not to the steering wheel, he said to put the wheels dead in like no matter where the steering wheel is and take the steering wheel off and reposition it,

What do you guys think???

 

[Bigjohn84]

Well 1st of all if you bought two new track rod ends and one was bigger than the other you should have taken them back straight away instead of putting them on, if ones shorter than the other then that's why he can't get them dead centre, I'd go buy another set make sure they are correct, take the new ones of and put the newer ones on then take the 1st ones back were you got them from, that's what I would have done mate.

 

[JamesLennox]

No sorry the 1 shorter one was the old one already on the car - the perished one
But I put my reg in on euro car parts and bought front and left

 

[JamesLennox]

Front left and right

 

[Bigjohn84]

Mate euro car parts have a few to pick from for our cars u really need to look at urs b4 u buy something, there's straight TREs and bent TREs, means track rod ends lol

 

[JamesLennox]

Yh so I've heard, Yh basically find it odd that when I was taking it off the front drivers side was shorter than the passenger side

 

[Bigjohn84]

Weird mate, try get the proper one or measure them befour u go buy new ones,

 

[JamesLennox]

well I've already put the new ones i bought on......lol
its kicking it out but no tie bar left on drivers side to adjust them so stuck on what to do.

 

[Bigjohn84]

Nothing you can do mate, like I said take it off and take it back, phone them up first and explain what's happened

 

[bruceR]

Would have been better if you had either taken yours into shop or measured the new one against your original

 

[supa_sam]

When I changed mine not long after having the car the left and right were different sizes at the inner rod, left side was standard from mk4 golf and right was lcr, ended up changing the lot inner and ends, crazy how some people will bodge things up

 

[Bigjohn84]

True mate, it's really hard to trust someone now when your buying a car, best thing to do is make sure u check everything and never buy a car in the dark or when it's raining

 

[JamesLennox]

I think that might have been the case with mine, how did u align the tracking after changing them mate? Because I went to get tracking done and one side the track rod wouldn't go any more because the different size track rod end?

 

[Bigjohn84]

Ur tracking must have been well out mate, sometimes you can just be lucky, only need to move it a tiny bit, but urs must have needed a big move

 

[JamesLennox]

Ye mate they don't the tracking put didn't put the wheel clamp on the steering wheel to make the wheels dead straight so I've got to park on a dead flat road and put the wheels straight and then take the steering wheel off and reline put it back so it's right

 

[Bigjohn84]

People think if your steering wheels squint ur tracking isn't done properly, that's not correct, if the tracking is dead on with the lasers and your steering wheel isn't straight when driving then something else is wrong, could be ball joint had gone, tie rod has gone, shocks or spring has gone, there's so much that can be wrong. Everyone thinks that if the steering wheels squint the tracking off lol not the case