What is the torque spec on the nut that secures the outer tie rod end? I couldn't find it in the Service Manual.

Section 11, nut "B" in the attached image (right side of page).







See my earlier Tie Rod Ends thread.

 

Torque Specs are 32 lb-ft located on page 17-71

 

@mykizism Thanks, myk. I looked everywhere but there. I had a memory that we had discussed 32 ft-lb, so I went ahead and bought a torque wrench, but when I went back to check the torque value, I couldn't find it.

About the job, I feel comfortable doing this in my carport. I'm just worried about the alignment afterwards. I've got a tire shop two blocks away, but I don't know them, and I've got an alignment shop that I do know, but it's 20 miles away. I'm afraid that, on the freeway, the alignment might be so far out the front end will start shaking and vibrating.

What is "10 x 1.25 mm"? I thought that nut was 17mm.

 

One revision I would consider, incase your outer is a little stuck, is that you CAN touch the forbidden nut! You can keep the outer in place and screw that nut far enough away to fit a sharpie, piece of tape, what have you. Then butt the new outer up to your tape/mark, remove said tape, and tighten up your nut.

Jeez, why did I ever count threads?

Oh, and the fastener dimensions you mentioned!! They have nothing to do with socket size! 1.25 is the thread pitch, and the other number (already forgot) is the diameter of the stud it's fitting onto/the hole in the nut.

When you go to buy hardware it's a real headache... You'll see bolts listed as (example): 8x60x1.25 That's an 8mm diameter, 60mm length of shaft excluding the head, and a 1.25 thread pitch (how far apart the threads are from each other). In construction one would be more accustomed to a pitch being labeled as "fine" or "coarse"

All that stuff is a headache, inclining me to purchase one of at some point when I'm flush with cash. A lot of times the hardware I pick up through Ace or elsewhere will wind up fitting in a different socket. Goodbye 12mm, hello 13. If your new fastener came from the dealer though, you should be good!
And mind yuh, when doing torque on the castle nut it is okay to need to tighten a smidge beyond in order to line the nut up with the cotter pin hole in the stud.

 

M10 is the size of the bolt (like the diameter of it) and 1.25 is the pitch of the tread (which is a metric sized pitch)

You should be fine driving 20 miles to your alignment shop as long as the wheels are pointed somewhat straight. You can mark the threaded portions with a marker (where your factory ones are currently) so you can have a ball park area where the new tie rod end should go back to.

 

@mykizism @Pyts Thanks.

The video that I saw and liked was one in which the guy counted the number of turns to get the old tie rod end off. Then, he used the same number of turn to install the new one. Another was where the guy said to loosen the lock nut just enough, then leave it as a mark to install the new part in the same position (roughly).

If that doesn't make sense, I'll post the videos.

 

I'm a dummy. This is what I was referring to. Sorry I didn't read your post more carefully this morning.

 

@Mister Coffee No worries!
Every method is a winner so long as the outer tie rods wind up secured close to where they should be. I think I may have caused excess concern with my earlier story about a botched install and howling tires. On that job, the number of threads was something like 7 on one side and 13 on the other, and I flipped my measurements! So it was super pigeon-toed and I was too tired and sun-burnt to fix it. If you use any of the above methods we discussed you could easily ignore alignment, but don't
Did tie rods semi-recently for a friend. He said he took it to an alignment shop and they told him it was already fine. BULL. I drove it. It's a 200hp and torquey 3.0 Escape with an automatic transmission. Throw it in drive and it doesn't move a millimeter forward on its own even on a flat surface. THAT MEANS THE TIRES ARE FIGHTING EACH OTHER! (maybe not in all cases, but in every auto I've touched.) Just because it holds the direction it's turned to doesn't mean it's perfectly aligned. But he could care less. And I don't blame him, he's going through a lot financially, emotionally, and work-fully. But with the imperfect alignment that I gave him (by using one of the above methods, I forget which) he's driven for several months. It hurts his MPG and MPH some, and the tires will wear a little quicker, but he's essentially just fine.

It would nauseate me a little for someone with a more modern car, what with their large diameter wheels and low profile tires, to screw around long term with a bad alignment. They don't have tread to spare, or much if any give between the sidewall and the treadblock, so they'd get eaten up quicker. and decent tires for the 03 or 05 mustang I botched cost ~$900 installed.. Foregoing a $50-70 alignment in a case like that is just insulting to a poor guy like me.

All that to say: Have confidence, my friend! There's not a doubt in my mind that you can handle your situation If you were only a few hours out, I'd come do it with you. If you run into any trouble, reach out! Maybe give a heads-up when you start so I can keep the phone handy.