Hi guys / gals,

Im wondering if anyone can tell me how I can determine which type of tie rod ends I have. Apparently there is a ZF type and a cam lever type. How can I tell the difference. The inner tie rod ends are shot...i.e. the ball joints under the boots are loose and rickety. They need to be replaced and it doesnt seem to be too hard to do, but I need to get the correct parts. I pulled the boot back and all there seems to be to it is a long bolt going to the outer tie rod, and then a ball joint screwed into the rack armature.

any and all help appreciated, and if further info is needed I will happily supply,

hugs and kisses,
Jojo

Typically the inner TR's are well-torqued into the rack end, plus have lock washers. The Volvo factory manual cautions that you must use a counterholding wrench on the rack shaft while torquing on the TR's, otherwise you can damage the rack internals. There is a flat on the rack shaft where it exits the housing on the driver's side, for the counterhold.
--
Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F, dtr's 83-244DL B23F, 'my' 94-944 B230FD; plus grocery-getter Dodge minivan, hobbycar 77 MGB, and numerous old motorcycles)

Check out FCP Groton they have good prices too. On that page it says how you can tell.

"To determine what type of Rack & Pinion was originally installed on the car, locate the service plate found on the Trunk frame or Door pillar. It will list many different components, with one being the "Steering Gear". On this plate, to the right of the words steering gear you will see a number - 2/3/4/5. The numbers 2, 4, or 5 designates a Cam Gear rack was used, number 3 designates a ZF rack was used.

Another Way to identify the brand of rack is to look at the rack boot end where it clamps around the tie rod. If the boot clamps around the shaft of the tie rod and has a hole the size of a dime, then you have a CAM rack. If the boot clamps around a rubber grommet that is on the tie rod, then you have a ZF rack. The rubber grommet is about 1" in diameter."
--
1989 Volvo 244 DL 218k Miles, the proper color brick red.

All the info is accurate, however, I should warn about what I found. On an earlier inner tie rod replacement, someone put a CAM boot on my ZF tie rods. They pushed back the larger disk on the outer end of the tie rod, leaving the end similar to what a CAM tie rod would be. The CAM boot then fit more or less like it would on a CAM tie rod. In this situation, the only way to know is by the sex of the connection to the end of the rack. If the tie rod is male, it's XF; if it's female, it's CAM.

Thanks alot yall.

Jo jo

PS: Here are some of the the parts, if someone would like to reference....

http://search.ebay.com/volvo_Tie-Rod-Linkages_W0QQfromZR8QQsacategoryZ33593QQsorecoZ2QQsosortpropertyZ1