Jeep Grand Cherokee Tie Rod Replacement (1999-2004)

Step by step instructions showing how to replace the tie rod and do an alignment yourself on your '99-'04 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
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RIGHT tie rod end - amzn.to/2XsAneo
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[@CatandMouse4]

Fantastic video bro, you explain everything in detail but not to the point that it is overexplained. And you have a good choice in car

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Thanks!

[@Zazquatch1]

You could also use ROST-OFF, and then again you can count the threads in the rod or color spray it before taking the old one off and then count them if the new rod is anything close to the old one. Also, the end of the TAPE MEASURE is suppose to move like that. That is how you get it accurate measuring from both sides. I use TAPE MEASURE every day at work. Thanks.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Yeah but over time, the rivets that hold the tape measure end to the tape itself will make the holes bigger and therefore make the first inch not accurate anymore which is why I typically opt to just start at the 1” mark. The paint on the tie rod ends is a good idea though!

[@d.l.9453]

That's my weekend chore, thanks for the video!

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Any time, good luck!

[@davecody5997]

Tony your method for toe in is friggin awesome thank u for sharing that!!!

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Isn’t perfect but works pretty well haha. Someone back in the day taught me.

[@surfferb]

Thanks bud. that helped me out and was well shot .

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@michaelaguero3768]

Your video has been the best and most informative one I've seen here. Thanks for sharing this

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Appreciate the positive feedback!

[@addisonglanville730]

Good stuff. Appreciate you taking the time to do this

[@dougfields5798]

Very informative,thank you I need to do this very shortly.

[@zachrice4375]

Very helpful and informative thanks!

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Glad it helped, thanks for watching!

[@michaelkroll5989]

Great video. thanks a bunch for all the information you have provided us & spreading the knowledge you have learned. thanks

[@ryanfarag333]

Just an FYI. The wiggle on the tape measure is there on purpose so if you are pressing the tape against a wall or have it hooked on something it gives the same read, if that makes sense I might not be explaining it properly. I’m gonna give this a to this weekend thanks for uploading!

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Good to know! I feel like some older tape measures have more worn out holes where the rivets hold the end onto the tape though so I just start at the 1" mark so I know for sure I'm accurate. Good luck with your tie rod replacement!

[@michaelkroll5989]

Lol.

[@PropertyProblems]

The "wiggle" is to account for the thickness of the clip itself. So if you're pushing the clip against something to get an inside measurement, it retracts, otherwise your cuts would be short.

[@hustleforall1876]

Good video! I found that turning the tie rod bar about 1 full rotation is close to 1/4 inch movement in either direction

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Yeah, that number will vary depending on tire diameter, but it's good to know a rough estimate.

[@CameronDC-Grimes]

Quick question. Is it fine to measure from the inner side of tire on front of tire (driver to passenger tire) then back of tire from driver to passenger tire? Are you just seeing if the front of the tire is equal length to the two back of tire from driver to passenger. So 60-⅜" front, 60-⅜" back measurement would be acceptable.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

That would not be an acceptable measurement because you want the front measurement to be slightly smaller than the rear measurement by about 1/16”. I also don’t recommend measuring from the sidewall of the tire, because they are not perfectly true. The best was is actually to spray paint a line on the tread while spinning the tire, and then scribe a line in the paint and measure the line fore and aft of the tires. I didn’t have spray paint handy so I did it this way.

[@domnicclassi3823]

Bro, you ever used that penetrating oil stuff? It's magical with rusty stuff!

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Yeah, but even with that stuff, an old tie rod tube can be very stubborn to turn which is why for the price, we just went with a full assembly.

[@loganwork7024]

Remove tire 3/4 or 19" socket (break or remove the pin) Steering shock 15mm nut 19mm on back (3/4)

[@Kingpin_Estrilla]

Great video!

[@bradmetcalf5333]

Hey thanks a lot man. Good video

[@megdalenagonzalez-mounce1776]

The stud on my tie rod end is spinning when i go to put the castle nut back on... Does that mean it's bad?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Not necessarily. The tie rod end COULD be bad, but it needs to be bolted up tight to check for that. Make sure your stud threads aren’t damaged. If threads look good, you have to somehow supply some upward pressure on the stud while you’re tightening it to keep it from spinning. You can try a long pry bar and pry up on the tie rod end as you tighten the castle nut, or very lightly jack up on the toe rod end just to apply some pressure and keep the stud from turning. Once the stud is actually tight, you’ll have someone shake the steering wheel back and forth while you watch that tie rod end. If you see any movement in the ball and socket operation , then the tie rod end is bad.

[@megdalenagonzalez-mounce1776]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy thanks man, I learned more about it and found the spinning to be acceptable, so I tried jacking it up to the point the weight of the front end was on it and it still wouldn't stop spinning the stud; c clamps, nothing stops the spin. I'm gonna try the cutting a slot in the top to place a screwdriver method next if I can't figure it out any other way.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

@@megdalenagonzalez-mounce1776 It’s much harder with a wrench or ratchet and not an impact as well

[@megdalenagonzalez-mounce1776]

came to update: swapped castle nuts with another tie rod and both went on fine in first try with the impact and pressure of the jack underneath. SMH

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

@@megdalenagonzalez-mounce1776 Gotta love the old damaged threads 🤣 Glad you got it!

[@naturalrebel6301]

Great video

[@mrno3525]

I recently change the pitman arm tie rod end, do I need to align the tires again?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Yes

[@mrno3525]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy thanks

[@mrno3525]

Even thou I rotate it the same about amount of turn as the one da I took off

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

@@mrno3525 Yes. Even 1/2 of a rotation off could be several degrees of toe adjustment.

[@bobby26050]

So kinda forgot how much thread went in on one tie rod and now one wheel is facing a little inward. Will an alignment straight it out, or do I need to take it off again?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

If 1 tie rod end is threaded in all the way and the other one is barely threaded into the tie rod tube, I would adjust the tube or drop the end down that isn’t threaded in as far and spin it in a bit more. If you feel like both ends are threaded in enough for safety but just aren’t adjusted evenly, that can be corrected during the alignment.

[@bobby26050]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy I'm gonna have to thread it out a bit. I tried driving and you can feel and hear the tires fighting each other lol.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Yeah I mean even if the ends are both threaded in the same distance, the overall rod may be to short or too long which will cause scrubbing. Won’t be perfect until alignment is done

[@charger19681988]

SICK!

[@jat-justamaturetech-philpj8285]

Can you replace the stabilizer after a wheel alignment without having to realign again??

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Yep! The steering stabilizer just dampens any sudden left to right steering movement, it doesn't actually do anything with the front end geometry.

[@1manarmyguzman629]

Good video! My jeep wj is pulling to the right n left at 55 or 60mph and also while de accelerating slowing down... needs tie rods n alignment?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

You’d have to have someone shake the wheel while you inspect tie rod ends and drag link ends for play. Also wouldn’t hurt to check ball joints. But any of those things being worn or even just a bad alignment could cause a pull

[@1manarmyguzman629]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy Went to check the tie rod end n theres soo much play in it! Lol gotta get that fixed asap... Thanks for the feedback 👍

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

No problem, good luck with repairs!

[@tylerdubois9020]

could be rear control arms. I had that in my jeep, when I accelerated it would pull one direction, left of the throttle and it would pull the option direction, almost as if the vehicle was 'drunk.' Replaced the rear lower control arms and it cured the issue.

[@edwardsabo8368]

Some KZbin expert just had a stroke that’s not an impact socket.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Yep. Gotta do what you gotta do, though. That grammar gave me a stroke 😂

[@edwardsabo8368]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy ...corrected.

[@Sam-xd3ib]

U da bomb

[@kosta2177]

Is that necessary to grease ball joints after replacing?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

If they are greaseable ball joints then yes, it’s mandatory. Otherwise they will wear out much faster.

[@kosta2177]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy so is there an option to buy non greaseable ball joints? I’m doing that for a first time so I would appreciate your advice.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

@@kosta2177 Yep, there are many companies that offer greaseless ball joints.

[@kosta2177]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy thank you :)

[@jamesdewer]

There's a night and day difference after you grease it. The steering feels tight and responsive after greasing it. Before it was.slugish laggy.

[@southbay281]

I used map gas and heated the tube and it came right off

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Gotta love heat haha

[@shotbydon651]

is there inner & outer tie rods?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Inner and outer only applies to vehicles with independent front suspension. Since the Jeep is solid axle, it just has the main tube section and then a left tie rod end and right tie rod end, no inners/outers.

[@shotbydon651]

Tony The Truck Guy thank you so mucj

[@sports4ever90g]

No but there are upper and lower tie rods, he did the lower ones. The upper ones attach to the pitman arm, which transfers the motion from the steering column to the entire system. The adjusting sleeve for the upper tie rods is shorter than the lower one.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

There are no upper and lower tie rods. You have 1 tie tod assembly on these Jeeps which consist of a tube, and 2 tie rod ends. The one that goes from the pitman arm on the steering gear to the knuckle is the drag link. The tie rod is used to adjust the toe, while the drag link is adjusted to center the steering wheel.

[@floridaflyfishing3457]

A little excessive on bending that cotter pin brother

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Overkill is underrated! 😋

[@theUltimateLord]

My grease gun isn't fitting on the grease fitting

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Is it a new grease gun or grease tip?

[@theUltimateLord]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy I ordered a grease gun from Amazon. I have the same tie rod ends as yours

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

@@theUltimateLord New tips are pretty tight. At the end, there should be 2 flats on the tip where you can loosen it just a bit (where the actual 2 parts of the tip thread together, not where the tip threads onto the hose). Sometimes loosening that up a bit helps get the tip onto the grease fitting easier.

[@theUltimateLord]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy ok thanks I'll try that

[@drdozer]

Would've been easier getting that cotter pin out if you didn't use cutters

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Maybe. I’ve tried pliers, vise grip, putting a punch in the eyelet of the pin and using a hammer. Always come back to the side cutter.

[@horsemania4356]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy try needle nose, in the loop, and a hammer. Don't beat your pliers to death.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

@@horsemania4356 Lifetime warranty I’m not worried haha

[@TireSlayer55]

@@TonyTheTruckGuy same

[@AlecDaStar]

Is it necessary to grade your tie rod ends?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

What do you mean?

[@AlecDaStar]

Lol forgot what I was trying to say

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

😂

[@MrSrtman18]

Penetrating oil is your friend.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

So is heat 😂

[@brianbrewster6532]

Before I remove ANYTHING, I use WD-40 spray lube. And unlike you, I have great success at removing cotter pins and can actually reuse these a couple times provided they are not so rusty they become brittle. Maybe you need to learn to lube these parts with thick lube more often. And using dykes is a dumb idea. Sure - these are beefier than delicate needle nose pliers, but they are designed to sheer metal, not grip and pull pieces along. And I was told to mark the thread width on each piece to eliminate the guess work on how to align these later on. I was wondering how to figure out which of the 4 tie rod ends goes where. These all look so similar to one another. And NEVER tap atop your driver unit like that - it will mess up the delicate bearing inside! Better idea: remove driver and band directly atop the hardened metal socket instead. Nothing to break that way. Speaking of which - ever hear of a breaker bar? It is a much longer driver that gives you tremendous torquing power for breaking free stubborn bolts. You may be knowledgeable sir, but your mechanical skills are as rusty as the Jeep you worked on.

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

I love when people act like they're so smart and perfect, yet here they are, watching my video 😂

[@chrismaggio7879]

Wow, what a condescending schmuck! haha Yes, he should have used liquid lube to presoak some bolts (in many people's opinion) and yes tapping the tools can cause issues with the bearings, and yes using side cutters goes against the usual method of removing instead of cutting the cotters.. but at least he isn't sh-itting on someone who is trying to help others who have not done this procedure. When I do this I will avoid some of the tool methods but watching him complete this makes me more confident in doing this myself, and I thank him for that.

[@TireSlayer55]

Wow, you come off like a tremendous douche Thanks for blessing us with your knowledge oh great one 😂🙄

[@norcal8718]

Hey do you think if the drag link adjuster sleeve and the tie rod adjusting sleeves are left loose that might cause a death wobble?

[@TonyTheTruckGuy]

Can’t say for certain, but I would imagine it’s not helping anything lol. You would get a fair amount of wiggle without the clamps being tight.