just a quick question here. I just went to get my car aligned and the guys couldn't get the front toe perfect.

I have kazama super tie rod ends. the guys at the alignment shop said that my tie rods are too long, so the end of the rod is bottoming out in the the kazama tie rod end. they told me to cut a bit off of my tie rod so they could have more adjustment.

question is, can't they just screw the tie rod backwards into the inner tie rod? this is the second alignment i have had in a week. the first one was just to get the car drivable, ( i had to raise the car as high as i could to get it on the rack, then when i lowered it back down the alignment settings were all messed up again, but at least it drove semi straight) the second was alignment was today, on a flat rack to get the alignment done when the car was lowered.

i was watching when the first shop did the first alignment, and i swear the guy was just cranking on the tie rod to lengthen it, and not really messing with the rod end.

so, again, if i only need a few threads to get my toe in spec, can i just screw the tie rod end back into the inner part?

thanks.

harrison

PS car was aligned perfectly before with no problems.

 

the tie rod as a unit bolts into the rack.
it is a ball socket that allows the tie rod to spin which will either go into the tie rod end (on the hub knuckle) or come out of it
i dont remember if they are side specific, the tie rods.
just cutting a few threads should not be an issue assuming they are installed correctly.