tie rod installation help!

[e30hereicome]

question, while doing the first side I had trouble unbending the tie rod lock plate so after an hour of trying the prying it, it finally unfolded. now I had such a hard time on it i decided to just unscrew the inner tie rod itself and came right off. now my question is what tool did you guys use to pry it out? i used a longnose but it took me a LONG time. anyhow so im up to the part where i place the tie rod plate inbetween the inner rod and the steering rack, but when i tightened the rod itself I saw that the little metal peice off the tie rod lock plate had broken off. Sh*t, now is that peice really important? even if i tighten the rod to the steering rack tight? another thing i didnt do was fold the tie rod lock plates... it was just to hard to fold. what tool would i use to fold it? would i be fine leaving it as is just as long as the rod - steering rack is tight? anyone hear of it getting loose overtime if that plate isnt folded? or if the hinge from the rod lock is broken off? thanks for the input guys

[CarsSuck]

Thats a lot of questions to answer, but ill do my best.

fold the lock plates, BMW put them there for a reason, I used a large pair of chanel locks.

To get them off I used a combination of screw drivers, hammer, and then pliers.

The lock plates are cheap, just buy a new one to replace the one you broke. That tab is what makes it function as a lock to keep the rods from coming loose.

So, you unscrewed the inner tie rod? As in separated the inner and outer?

[e30hereicome]

Thats a lot of questions to answer, but ill do my best.

fold the lock plates, BMW put them there for a reason, I used a large pair of chanel locks.

To get them off I used a combination of screw drivers, hammer, and then pliers.

The lock plates are cheap, just buy a new one to replace the one you broke. That tab is what makes it function as a lock to keep the rods from coming loose.

So, you unscrewed the inner tie rod? As in separated the inner and outer?

basically, what i meant by unscrew was instead of trying to pry the lock off i just skipped that and unscrewed the peice right next to the lock (tirerod itself). think I can get the lock at a bmw dealer? i baught it online but doesnt make sense to pay 50 cents each for them and pay 7 dollars for shipping.

[PeaveyBassist]

Dealer might have em. If not, check independent shops. Youll need the tab on there like what CarsSuck said.

To get the tabs off in the first place, to bend the tab just get a screwdriver and a hammer. Put the screwdriver pointing towards the rack angled into the tie rod sorta so it will slide between the bent tab and the inner balljoint and it will start to unbend. It takes some getting used to but you can get em undone once you practice a couple times.

To bend the tabs back down on the new lock plates, do the same thing only from the opposite side (screwdriver pointing towards the strut) and hammer the tab that way until you get it bend onto the tie rod.

Will

[e30hereicome]

ok got it, i ll swing the dealer or local shops to see if i can grab a few of those locks. quick question, would it be dangerous to drive around town for a day or 2 with its situation right now? thanks for the advice/help guys. well appreciated. CHEERS!

[PeaveyBassist]

Probably would be ok, but then youre gonna have to take the tie rod back out again. At least unscrew it from the rack again. If you have any locktite I would put some on the threads just to make sure.

Will

[e30serg]

don't use red or black locktite-u can use blue though. red, and especially black are going to be impossible to remove..