I've been told the last 3 times I've had my oil changed that my "tie rod ends" are loose.

So I went out and bought some; my question is how hard is this? Is there a tutorial?

I've changed out the hubs/rotors/pads etc.. how does this gauge in comparison ?

 

Tie rods aren't difficult to change. If you done brakes and hub-bearings, you have a mechanical grasp on how things work. The biggest challenge is to align the car best you can when completed and get it over to the alignment shop safely.

-First, remove the tire.
-Crack the pinch nut loose. 2 wrenches, one of the tie rod and the other on the pinch nut. Spin it a few threads onto the inner tie rod.
-Mark the threads with a marker, paint, etc. so you know approximately how far to put the new tie rod on.
-Remove the nut holding the tie rod to steering knuckle. Remove cotter pin if it has one. If the stud spins, insert pickel fork between knuckle and tie rod to hold it in place.
-Once nut is removed, use pickle fork, tie rod remover or brass hammer to pop the tie rod out of steering knuckle.
-Remove tie rod by spinning off threads of inner tie rod.
-Install new tie rod to marked lines
-Install boot and grease fitting.pump full of grease
-tighten up pinch nut and tie rod nut
-Take to alignment shop immediately. Careful driving. As long as its marked and alignment shop isn't far, the car should be fine for a short distance

Good luck

 

HammerV8 missed a couple things specific to these cars and how they come from the factory. Assuming you have the factory tie rods, they use a special "kept" nut that holds the tie rod to the steering knuckle. This nut has a nylon insert (instead of a cotter pin). Normally when taking that out, the ball joint snaps and spins inside. I'd used a small propane torch to melt the nylon, then vice grips to hold the stud and it comes right off.
I recommend a ball joint separator (Harbor Freight sells a great one for the job, you use a ratchet to tighten it up).
You then have to break a torque nut on the inner tie rod free from the outer tie rod. I find it helpful to heat that nut up, let it cool, then try to spin it free.

NOW, I did tie rods on my Grand Am (they are the same style as the Monte). In theory, you can count the turns taking the old one out. Pending the new one is the SAME size/length/thread count as the you can get away with it if you are careful spinning the new one on the same count of threads (I also recommend not removing the torque nut, it helps create a stop).

 

Do I have the right part? only the ends were supposed to be loose

 

That is an outer tie rod... I assume if the parts store said it was right for your car, it's the right one. But without comparing it to the original one, no way of knowing if it's the same length (and I assume equal length hopefully translates to equal thread count, but you can confirm the thread count if you leave the torque nut on the inner tie rod and it takes the same amount of turns to seat the new tie rod as it took removing the old).

One thing I would recommend, spend a couple buck more and get one with a grease fitting. Being able to grease those prolong their life and they perform better.

When I replaced the ones on my Monte, I ended up getting MOOG tie rod ends. The Grand Am got a Raybestos.... But all have grease fittings.

 

They are not too hard to replace. I would spray them down with a penetrating oil first then let it set for a while. It will help in breaking everything loose.

 

I recently had mine changed, the shop actually cut them out (not knowing about the nylon nut) I've done tie rod ends on a w-body car once before, its not all that hard. The nut that sits on the end of the tie rod (on the inside) is important. as long as you spin it back in place after cracking it loose your alignment should be fine. Do not remove it, thats your guide to keep everything straight. Hold the inner tie rod end with a pair of locking pliers or a wrench(there should be a flat or hex'd surface on the rod) and use that to hold its position to stop it spinning.

 

Replaced mine on the 03 back a while ago. Not hard at all. I went with MOOG lifetime tie rod ends. MOOG makes good quality suspension parts and they are my first choice next to factory OEM for suspension parts.

 

In a pinch I'll count the number of turns the tie rod is threaded onto the sleeve, but as previously mentioned if the replacement tie rod isn't the exact same length that trick doesn't always work. Same song second verse using the lock nut as a reference point. I make a scribe mark on the sleeve then take a measurement from there to the center line of the tie rod. Then I install the new tie rod so the center line of it is the same distance from the scribe mark. No matter what method you use, it would be a good idea to have the alignment checked/adjusted after replacing any steering or suspension component.

 

Tip I use for when I swap them out is to take a paint pen or steal a bottle of your lady's nail polish and before you loosen the torque nut on the rod paint the thread line where the torque nut ends at. That way you have a general location of where it should be when you reinstall it.