Have Driver side inside tie rod going bad on 2007 v8v. (85k miles on wonderful NE USA roads)
AM will only sell whole rack $3k. The outside end is $67.00. I am trying to find where rack was sourced and if/what replacement part/parts can be ordered. Any help will be greatly appreciated and will likely be of interest to many on this forum.

 

Can't help you but this is stupid. No replacement parts, really? Same problem with halfshafts boots, not available. Replace the whole unit. Makes no sense at all.

 

I was just informed that it only comes as unit. I will research, and hopefully, with the help of this forum, find a solution. Fortunately for me, there are quite a few race shops in my area that I believe can fabricate the part if need be.

 

Update. No place here or in UK has inside end separate from the rack. A UK and US supplier have remanufactured at apmx 20% to 25% of the cost from dealer. Still haven't been able to identify source for the rack, but have discovered break pads for toureg fit aston with mod for sensor.

 

brake pads, nothing new there. Hope you find something for the inner tie-rod

 

For the Brake Pads a further explanation would be great, explaining what the mod would be, kinda sounds sketchy at this point, but might be something really simple and make sense. Just some clarity might be nice, if the price point is really that much better then maybe some members would attempt it. But with Brakes, they are kinda important.

 

There is a place on line call Copart automotive action. They have totaled cars that can be rebuilt for sale. Right now they have one AM but they seem to have acouple most of the time.
See if they will sell you the rack or what you need.

 

To me this the real Achilles heel of Aston Martin ownership. They are well built and as reliable as any other car their class. But parts are just plain outrageous. Add to that Aston pretty much wants you to replace 1/5 of the car when a bolt breaks makes it that much worse. I didn't realize just how good I had it when it came to parts for my Porsche's.

 

Did you check pistonheads or amoc?

 

Have you had a look at the inside end yet?
Years ago I had the same problem on a Jaguar. They would sell me the track rod complete with inner ball joint. Problem was I had very little money at the time so I dismantled the ball joint which was adjusted with shims, and removed some of them until the slack was taken up but the joint was not too stiff. Job done!
With any luck your inner joint may be able to be dismantled in a similar manner. It just screwed off the rack.

 

We rebuild steering racks for most all of the Jaguar models. The later V8 tie rods are not supplied separately from Jaguar so we have them manufactured. As ZF is owned by Ford, chances are the rack is sourced from them. If someone could supply dimensions or a good picture with measurements, I can see if it matches up to a tie rod we stock. I have a Vantage but it is not available to put on the lift at this time.

 

Update: Discovered two places that can do job. Inside tie rod end (under Bellows) is held on by locktite and eared lock washer. A good pipe wrench will break it loose, after ears are bent back) while the rack is in the car. The joint can be sent out for rebuilding to Uk or a shop in US (PM for locations and names) The joint new is not cheap, but a fraction of what a new or rebuilt rack would cost. The one shop I found in UK will do for around £25 ! I will detail the costs when completed. It is definitely a DIYJ save for the alignment need after reinstalling, unless you measure and mark and get feel lucky. If DIY, was told that the point at which the rod comes out of the rack must be greased and kept clean (no water engress) while part is being repaired.

 

I assume that if it can be rebuilt, the joint is loose or the shaft is bent slightly. We have a press set up for tightening the ball end of the tie rod as they do get loose on the ZF and Adwest racks. No need to replace if this is the problem, it is an easy fix. If you mark the tie rod/nut/& threads, you can put the tie rod end back in place and should be fine if the alignment was properly set before the tie rod got loose or bent.

 

Update:
Thanks, jaguar driver, exactly what was done and cost very little. (PM for $) Removing inside ball took 10min. The shop employed to do repair to ball joint had it tightened up and sent ou the same day. I am sure as fellow AM owners attain the milage I have this will occur. AM will only sell the complete rack, not cheap, and the replacement labor more. The savings resulting from this and acquiring used (500miles) rotors ($50) have been considerable. I am going to take measurements and good pics as to discern a substitute for the future.

 

Like everything else, they are sourced from somewhere else. Take off the tie-rods and measure the length and diameter of the rods themselves, then measure the stud diameter and length and the length of the threads, this will tell you if it is from the Ford parts bin or somewhere else. With all that, you should be able to locate one on the internet or if you buy the Advance Auto (fill in your own parts store) a beer, you might get lucky and a parts store employee will help you research.
Would almost bet, Jag parts on the older ones are the same, I know my Jag and AM suspensions look almost identical, with both wearing sway bar bushings prematurely.