Do-It-Yourselfers Can Fill Up Their Bag Of Tricks Over The Years

Dear Car Talk:

I hope you can help me finish a do-it-myself repair.

I took off an outer tie rod so I could replace it. Now the wheels won't stay straight. The car pulls to the right.

What do you suggest I do now? -- Joseph

Can you find a new route to work that only involves right turns, Joseph?

This isn't an easy job to do on your own. Don't beat yourself up over it. We've learned a lot of tricks over the years.

One is that when we remove a tie rod, we always count the number of turns it takes to unscrew it. So, as we unscrew it, we're counting each revolution. Let's say it takes 13 turns before it comes out. When we put the new tie rod in, we turn it 13 times and then stop. It still won't be perfectly aligned. In fact, it could be pretty far off, since aligning the front wheels requires real precision. But it won't be what you've got: Marty Feldman tires. Technically speaking, your "toe-in" is way off.

If we count the turns, we'll get the alignment close enough that we can drive the car to the alignment shop, then they'll do the fine tuning and get the alignment perfect.

My guess is you just eye-balled it, Joseph. You may have screwed it in too far or not far enough. Now you've got to get it to an alignment shop to fix your work.

If it's not drivable, you can do some more trial and error to see if you can line up the wheels. If you still have the old tie rod laying around, have a close look at it. Sometimes you'll see rust on the exposed part of the old tie rod, and by looking at how many threads are not rusty, you can see how far it was screwed in.

If you can't figure it out, or you've had enough trial and error for one lifetime, you'll just have to absorb the blow to your ego and have the car towed. But as long as you didn't screw up anything else in the front end, the alignment shop should be able to get the wheels pointing in the same direction. And hopefully, that direction is straight ahead.

Has your old car been good to you? Now do something good with it. Donate it to your favorite NPR station, and turn it into the news and entertainment you love. [Here's how]http://www.cartalk.com/car-donation).