mingkie

My rx-7 rear wheels have a problem. I can move rear tires by hand from side to side a little bit. It feels like it is loose. A mechanic said that I need new tie rod ends. where can I find those parts. I checked Mazda dealers, but they do not have them in the U.S.
Maybe I should try junkyards?

AEE

If it's only a little bit of movement, it sounds more like a loose wheel bearing...

unless you can watch the tie rod end move when you shift the wheel...then you know it's the specific tie rod end....

911GT2

It's not the tie rods, it's the toe links. Try a new set of links from M2 or someplace similar. http://66.216.67.51/subcatmfgprod.asp?0=219&1=351&2=-1

mingkie

Are those different parts, tie rod ends and toe links?
Or, they functions same but different name?

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Tie rods are on the FRONT of your car and are part of the steering. If your mechanic is calling something on the BACK of your car a tie-rod, you might want to consider getting a new mechanic. Toe-links however, are located on the rear and have bushings that tend to go bad.

DamonB

It wouldn't suprise me at all for a mechanic to call them tie rods even on the rear of the car. They do the same thing: they control the steer axis of the wheel. If a mechanic walks into a room and tells the customer his toe links are worn the customer may not know what the mechanic means. The customer does probably know what a tie rod is though.

If the mechnic found the problem and knows how to fix it he certainly does not deserve to be thought of as incompetant.

Mingkie, the parts are available from Mazda. You need two each of:

FD01-28-42Y
FD01-26-230

These will replace the worn toe control joints in the rear end. Your mechanic will need a hydraulic press to put them into your old toe control links.

You can also go aftermarket as 911GT2 states, but aftermarket parts will wear out faster and require an alignment to be performed afterwards. If you just replace the stock ones and don't mix the left and right up you could safely go without having the car realigned.

alberto_mg

you might want to check the regional forums for a good rotary mechanic near you to get an experienced opinion.

the toe-links do go bad over time and may be what you observed. do a search on toe links to get more info about those. you can replace them with high quality pieces like those from Rotary Extreme for $265 or talk to Ray at Malloy Mazda about a set of stock ones. The RE ones are nice b/c they have higher quality parts and dust shields. Others have been known to go bad after 10k miles or so.