Ford 7T4Z-3280-A
Inner Tie Rod

You must first remove the steering gear for tie rod inner servicing and take notes on the alignment between the pinion shaft and steering gear housing since these marks will help reinstallation. A soft-jaw vise should hold the steering gear to avoid damage during service operations. The tie-rod end jam nut needs loosening to separate the outer end but this component requires tightening to 90 Nm (66 ft. lbs) upon reinstallation. During right-hand inner tie-rod end removal it is necessary to detach both bellows boots which require removing four bellow clamps and two steering gear bellows boots. Apply a suitable wrench on the piston shaft when removing the inner tie-rod end because you should tighten it at 103 Nm (76 ft. lbs) during assembly. Under no circumstances should the procedure continue without holding the piston shaft during inner tie rod tightening because subsequent new lock washer crimping is mandatory. The reinstallation process carries out procedures exactly opposite to removal steps.

The procedure for tie rod inner servicing begins by removing the steering gear followed by pinion shaft and steering gear housing marking for accurate installation reference. Steering gears should be placed inside a soft-jaw vise for protection from damage occurred. The tie rod jam nut should be loosened before installation where it needs to be tightened to 90 Nm (66 lb-ft). You should remove the outer tie-rod end followed by the tie-rod jam nut before reinstalling the part by tightening the jam nut at 48 Nm (35 lb-ft). Both bellows boots must be detached prior to right-hand inner tie rod removal so technicians need to remove the 4 bellows clamps and the 2 steering gear bellows boots. Specific wrenches should be used to hold the piston shaft for removing the inner tie rod until the rod reaches a tightness of 103 Nm (76 lb-ft). Tightening of the inner tie rod begins with piston shaft holding before you use the new lock washer but make sure to crimp it after tightening is complete. The removal procedure should be reversed while all parts get cleaned thoroughly before reuse inspections and new parts should be installed.

The service and repair of inner tie rod starts with steering gear removal with supportive markings on pinion shaft and steering gear housing for future reinstallation needs. Position the steering gear into a soft-jaw vise but protect it from harm before loosening the tie-rod jam nut according to specifications and finally tightening it to 90 Nm (66 lb-ft). After tearing out the outer tie-rod end and tie-rod jam nut replace the new components by tightening them to 48 Nm (35 lb-ft). The correct replacement of right-hand inner tie rods requires complete removal of both bellows boots together with four bellows clamps and two steering gear bellows boots. You will require an appropriate wrench to maintain the piston shaft steady when eliminating the inner tie rod then apply 103 Nm (76 lb-ft) torque during installation while continuing to hold the piston shaft. When reinstalling perform the removal procedures in reverse order while also checking reusable parts for cleanliness and inspecting them before installing new components if needed.