Bent steering rods must be replaced, since straightening this important element of the steering system is unacceptable due to the fact that cracks may appear in the rod material
You will need: a 22 mm wrench, a puller for pressing out the ball joint pin, pliers.
It is more convenient to perform the work on a lift. It can also be done on a car installed on supports.
The example of replacing the tie rod shows the left side tie rod, replace the right one in the same way.
Remove the corresponding wheel.
Unpin the outer hinge pin nut.
Unscrew the nut.
Install the puller and press the ball joint pin out of the steering arm.
If you don't have a puller, the ball joint pin can be knocked out with sharp blows of a hammer on the end face of the pivot arm boss, striking along the axis of the arm.
Unpin the inner hinge pin nut and unscrew the nut
Install the puller and press out the ball joint pin from the steering knuckle
Remove the steering rod.
Install the new steering rod in the reverse order of removal.
To avoid disturbing the wheel alignment angles as much as possible, measure the distance between the centers of the joints of the old rod and, having loosened the tightening bolts of the adjusting coupling of the new rod, set the same distance between the centers of its hinges.
Do not forget to tighten the nuts of the coupling tie bolts after installing the rod.
Check and, if necessary, adjust the wheel alignment angles, article - How to check and adjust the alignment angles of the front wheels of the VAZ-2123.
Replacing the middle rod
You will need: a 22 key, a puller for pressing out the ball joint pin, pliers.
It is more convenient to perform the work on a lift. It can also be done on a vehicle installed on supports.
Replacing the middle link is shown using the example of disconnecting the ball joint from the steering knuckle.
Disconnect the link from the pendulum arm in the same way.
Remove the corresponding wheel.
Press out the pin of the ball joint of the side link from the steering knuckle and move the side link to the side.
The front axle gearbox housing prevents the removal of the transverse link (the pins of the ball joints of the tie rod cannot be completely removed from the eyes of the pitman arm and the pendulum arm).
Therefore, disconnect the front axle reducer from the stabilizer, for which unscrew the four nuts securing the brackets of the stabilizer to the reducer housing.
Under its own weight, the reducer will turn on the front supports, and between it and the tie rod there will be a gap sufficient for removing the tie rod
Unpin the nut securing the pin of the ball joint of the middle tie rod to the steering pitman arm mechanism
Unscrew the nut
Install the puller and press the ball joint pin out of the steering knuckle boss.
Remove the steering middle rod.
Install the new steering rod and the remaining removed components in the reverse order of removal.