More Windstar repairs

Before I can build a cradle for my sailboat, I have to have a vehicle to transport lumber..  so for now back to fixing the Windstar.  It needs two inner and two outer tie rods, a front right axle, and a master cylinder.  The past few days, I have done the tie rods, a simple job was delayed due to having to get the right tools to do the job.

Look here, a bunch of brown widows have made my car into their home.  I get to reach my hands into their nests, thankfully they are shy little critters and nocturnal.  Still, they will bite when cornered, which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.  After doing the first side, I just dived in.  If I get bit, then I get bit.  As a side note, these lug nuts were way too tight, using the tire iron that came with the car stripped on.. so I had to use my ratchet, and use a tube for leverage.  This resulted in a broken ratchet, stanley tools didn't hold up to the task.  A husky ratchet worked though.

I love this little tool, makes the job a lot easier.  yes, the bolt is still on the outer rod, I took it out after snapping this picture.  

This is the inner tie rod tool, it makes life a lot easier.  They are also pretty expensive, rent one at advanced auto parts or autozone.  It will require about $75, but that will be returned to you when you return the part.  If you rent it, make sure it comes with the clasps you see in my hand.  The first time I rented it, it didn't have any.  As a side note latex gloves make the job a lot less messy.  My wife bought me a box of 100 at publix, at the price of $7.99.

You place the clasp, over the ball joint of the inner tie rod, then you slide the long tube through the rod on the inner tie rod and connect them together.  Then you grab your 1/2 ratchet and have a go with it.  One side for me was easy, the other side required me to prop up the tube with a piece of wood, connect a pipe to the ratchet handle, and push down on it with most of my weight.  It was a real pain in the ass.

     And there you go, not one bite thankfully.  I was going to be charged $300 to have all of the tie rods replaced, doing it myself brought the price down to $80 for the purchase of two inner tie rods, two outer tie rods, a 1/2 inch ratchet, a 3/8ths inch ratchet that I had to replace.  If I had not broken my ratchet, and didn't need the 1/2 ratchet it would have been $50 for just the tie rods.  If you stumbled on my site, be sure to do a lot more research before attempting this yourself - I'm just covering the basics for friends and family.  

     I think I will get the master cylinder done next, so I can drive around and test the brakes.  Then I will get to the right front axle.  After that, I can get back to updates on my sailboat, hopefully I will have built a cradle by then.