DIY Outer Inner Tie Rod  Replacement Instructions 1996-2002 E Class

This repair guide includes step-by-step instructions with pictures on replacing the inner and out tie rods on the Mercedes-Benz W210 E-Class years 1996-2002. Since you will be removing the tie rods and installing new ones, you will need a front wheel alignment after completing this task. If you only need to replace the outer tie rods, skip the last few steps, which apply to the inner tie rod.

Some of the symptoms of worn-out tie rods are slight vibration on the steering wheel, and car shaking, which is caused by the fact that the tires will wobble because of the excessive play of the tie rod end. When the vehicle has worn-out tie rod ends, the car will wander all over the lane, which gives you a sense of insecurity. The tie rod ends are a critical part of your car and essential for safety. You should have your vehicle checked if you suspect your steering system has problems. Check out this video by ChrisFix on how to check if your tie rods are bad.

Instructions apply to  W210 E-Class.

Models: E320 E420 E430 E55
Years: 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Parts Needed

Outer Tie Rods. You will need two of these—one for the left side and one for the right. You can find them for sale on Amazon for as low as $15.

 

Inner Tie Rods You will need two of these as well. Left and Right. You can find them for around $40 on Amazon, the link below.

 Tools Needed

• Ball joint/tie rod removal kit  Mercedes-Benz uses a unique tool with part number 202589023300, but we recommend the universal kit below. You can loan this from Advance Auto Parts or Autozone for free. The alternative would be to buy your service kit. The universal kit below has many uses and can be used on any car.
• Your toolbox. If you don’t have a nice set of tools, you can get a toolbox kit such as the Yaheetech 399 piece kit with everything you need, good reviews on Amazon, and a great price.
• Torque Wrench like this one.

How to replace tie rod ends instructions.

These instructions are the same for the left or right side.

How to change tie rod ends in a Mercedes-Benz E-Class W210

1. 1. Raise the car using your jack. Make sure to put jack stands under the vehicle.
   2. Remove the front wheel.
   3. Remove the self-locking nut. 
   4. Before you remove the out tie rod, we will separate the inner tie rod from the out tie rod. First, loosen the locking nut shown below. Just get it loose at this point.
   5. Now we can spin the inner tie rod until it separates from the out tie rod. The inner tie rod has a ball joint to rotate as many times as you wish.
   6. Remove the outer tie rod from the steering knuckle using the universal front-end service kit we listed above or a ball joint separator fork. 
   7. Next, you can replace the out tie rod or continue with these instructions to replace the inner tie rod.
   8. Remove the clamps on the boot and remove the boot. Now that you have separated the tie rods from each other, you can slide the boot out.
   9. Use a 36mm wrench to remove the inner tie rod from the steering. Here is a picture of the inner tie rod removed.
   10. Install the new tie rods in reverse order. You will need to get a front wheel alignment done after you install new tie rods. Your wheel may be way off-center. You can use this old trick to align the wheels to point in the right direction. You can take the car to an alignment shop.

Torque Specification

• Inner tie rod mounted to the steering rack.
  110 Nm 
• Self-locking nut, outer tie rod.
  60 Nm

Part Numbers

Manufacturer Part Number: 210 338 04 15 210 338 05 15 210 338 06 15 EV437 ES3632 ES3633 A210 338 06 15 103380515 2103380615 A210 338 0515 A210 338 0615

Videos on how to replace the tie rods on the web.