has anyone here replaced outer Tie Rods or Idler Arm?

[k0yla]

Originally Posted by CateraMV6

I got it when it had 59K on the clock and as of today some 8months later it has over 76K so i am not afraid of driving it.

Now I guess I have to replace the idler arm and the tie rod end on the driver side because they are loose and i can tell some shutter and play in the steering. So once I do that I will post some more pictures for you guys to see how its done.

i've ordered the parts. 2 tie rod ends, and an idler arm.
i wanted to do the install myself, but i am thinking it'd be a better idea to involve the dealership for at least the idler arm - unless it is something super-easy.

[CateraMV6]

Originally Posted by k0yla

i've ordered the parts. 2 tie rod ends, and an idler arm.
i wanted to do the install myself, but i am thinking it'd be a better idea to involve the dealership for at least the idler arm - unless it is something super-easy.

Where did you get your parts from. i got the tie rod ends from ebay for a wopping price of 70$ for the pair which is about 50% cheaper then the dealer but so far no luck with the idler arm.

[lakesidepark]

I did the inner / outer tie rods and the idler arm. It was easy enough, breaking loose the old joints of the tie rod ends is the hardest part.

The idler arm comes with a shaft that mounts to the frame with two bolts. The shaft is separate (I think). If you use the new idler and shaft it is easy. My idler arm bushing was shot but the shaft was OK...I replaced it anyway since I bought it already.

Make sure the length of the replacement shafts match the old ones, if you replace inner / outer at the same time you just match the assemblies. Be sure to note the location of the 'concave'. It is the outer arm and it needs to be concave towards the spindle. If its not, or the ends are swapped, the rod end will drag inside the rim on very sharp turns (you will notice it when backing out of the driveway and cutting hard

[k0yla]

Originally Posted by CateraMV6

Where did you get your parts from. i got the tie rod ends from ebay for a wopping price of 70$ for the pair which is about 50% cheaper then the dealer but so far no luck with the idler arm.

The Idler Arm was purchased through ebay for $103.00 USD excluding freight (gm-delco-parts-direct - these guys have a ebay store, but they are in fact a Cadillac Dealership, haha.)
The pair of tie-rods, I also ended up buying them from ebay from midwestautoparts, they have charged me $60 USD for a pair. However, these parts are not genuine AC DECLO parts, they're from a German parts supplier. I am a bit skeptical about the pair, considering this seller initially thought that these tie rods would fit any year of the Catera.
Then later, after me pointing it out, he claimed that these parts are actually for 00-01 Omega.

[k0yla]

Originally Posted by lakesidepark

I did the inner / outer tie rods and the idler arm. It was easy enough, breaking loose the old joints of the tie rod ends is the hardest part.

The idler arm comes with a shaft that mounts to the frame with two bolts. The shaft is separate (I think). If you use the new idler and shaft it is easy. My idler arm bushing was shot but the shaft was OK...I replaced it anyway since I bought it already.

Make sure the length of the replacement shafts match the old ones, if you replace inner / outer at the same time you just match the assemblies. Be sure to note the location of the 'concave'. It is the outer arm and it needs to be concave towards the spindle. If its not, or the ends are swapped, the rod end will drag inside the rim on very sharp turns (you will notice it when backing out of the driveway and cutting hard

are you serious? is it really that easy?
the dealership wants to charge 2 hrs labor on the install.
bastards!

[lakesidepark]

heh...it took me less than 2 hours to do it wrong AND do it over! Guess the caddy mechanic a little slow and messes up a lot. Or...it could be greed.....

[k0yla]

Originally Posted by lakesidepark

heh...it took me less than 2 hours to do it wrong AND do it over! Guess the caddy mechanic a little slow and messes up a lot. Or...it could be greed.....

haha, i suppose i'll give it a shot myself.
at least for the idler Arm, because you make that seems less complicated than the tie-rod ends.