original 17 year old tie rod ends still good?

[lairdwd]

I have the OEM original tie rod ends on my beater 93 altima, 185K miles. Mechanic says still good. No loose steering to report.. Hardware looks good. The boot, however is another story.

It's torn to heell and has been that way probably for the last 10 years. I thought that lubrication is what keeps the tie rod from going bad? I'm contemplating changing the ends as part of a front suspension tune up, but it seems like they will last forever at this rate.

 

[StevieC]

Count your blessings and hide!

Good stuff!

 

[SLCraig]

I would probably change them if they look like death, but thats just me. They are not expensive.

I wonder though, how hard they will be to get off?

 

[rslifkin]

If they don't have any play, they're still good. In that case, I'd wait until there's a reason to replace them before you spend the money, especially on a beater.

 

[JHZR2]

The tie rod ends on my 81 and 82 MBs are still good.

 

[The Critic]

I'm confused. Your mechanic says the tie rod ends are still good, but the tie rod end has a torn boot? How can they still be good?

 

[IndyIan]

Well one of my 16 year old ones on the Neon was replaced today, it had some play so it was time to go. The boot on the other one isn't torn but looks and feels like it could rip soon.

 

[JHZR2]

missed that. if torn, replace it.

 

[StevieC]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Bigger things in life to worry about.

 

[rslifkin]

If the boot is torn, and not much dirt has gotten in it (and there's still grease in the joint), it may not be worn yet. It is only a matter of time, however, with torn boots.

 

[StevieC]

You could always fix it with this and keep driving...

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: lairdwd
I have the OEM original tie rod ends on my beater 93 altima, 185K miles. Mechanic says still good. No loose steering to report.. Hardware looks good. The boot, however is another story.

It's torn to heell and has been that way probably for the last 10 years. I thought that lubrication is what keeps the tie rod from going bad? I'm contemplating changing the ends as part of a front suspension tune up, but it seems like they will last forever at this rate.



Front end on my 88 Ford is all original nice and tight. In my experience replacement parts like tie rods don't last as long as original.

Don't mess with it if the parts are still good. JMO I will add that you should check them from time to time to be sure they stay good!

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint

Front end on my 88 Ford is all original nice and tight. In my experience replacement parts like tie rods don't last as long as original.

Don't mess with it if the parts are still good. JMO I will add that you should check them from time to time to be sure they stay good!


+1

Just keep the boot greased like a politician with a suitcase full of money.

 

[Vikas]

Is it possible to determine if outer or inner is bad? Odyssey 1999 annual inspection found outer bad. Mechanic replaces it and then says "inner is bad too"! I suspect it was misdiagnosed and only inner was bad. I suspect he made a mistake.

- Vikas

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Is it possible to determine if outer or inner is bad? Odyssey 1999 annual inspection found outer bad. Mechanic replaces it and then says "inner is bad too"! I suspect it was misdiagnosed and only inner was bad. I suspect he made a mistake.

- Vikas


I think outers usually go first because they move more. When your mechanic had the tie rod disconnected he got a better feel for the condition of the inner than the inspector could have. That is an entirely reasonable combination of events.

 

[scurvy]

Reboot it, regrease it and drive on. No sense throwing good money at a beater if it doesn't need it.

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Is it possible to determine if outer or inner is bad?
Of course. With someone in the driver's seat, parking brake on & steering unlocked, have them move the wheel back and forth just enough to take the slack out of the system, maybe 3 - 5 cm. Put index finger on one side of the outer joint and middle finger of the same hand on the other side of the outer joint. Does one move and not the other? If so, replace. Repeat for the inner joint.

FWIW, both our cars had to go through the MD state mandated cash grab ripoff 'safety' inspection to get registered here. The first place said both outer tie rods joints were bad and needed replacing along with all strut mounts, and they would do the job for a low low $900. I continued laughing for a week, when I got a second opinion who said indeed one of the outer joints had to be replaced. The excellent guys at Desmond's Auto Repair said indeed the one replaced (for a much more modest fee, OEM parts and included wheel balancing & alignment) had a tiny, tiny amount of play in it and any play was grounds for failure. We had just driven the car 1100 km from Chicago and neither of us noticed any sort of play or wobble in the steering and the tire wear was perfect & even for the previous 50k km we've owned the car.

Personally, we would have left it on the car much longer had we not been forced into replacing it.

 

[mechtech2]

If there is a torn boot, replace it.
Sometimes they stay artificially tight because of rust, and all of a sudden let go.
Get both sides done at the same time - only one alignment.
Tie rod outer ends are easily done by the home mechanic. Alignment [set the toe] can be too, if you are careful , take your time, and are willing to do a bunch of test and repeats.

To test if the inner/outer tie rods ends are bad, have someone wiggle the steering wheel back and forth rapidly about 2-3 inches, while you inspect the ends [car loaded on the ground]. You will see what is loose or moving as it should easily. Or, jack it up and push/pull on the wheel . Do both.

 

[Vikas]

Actually I described the events wrong. He pre-ordered the inners and changed them first. When that did not fix the problem, he ordered the outers (and I waited for the part truck to show up). As it turns out, it would have been easier to swap them both at once or swap the outer only than replacing the inner.

I was told "well, outer must have been bad too" and I certainly was not too thrilled with that line. I wish I had clarified and insisted on showing me which end was bad but I assumed he was going to replace the whole link and did not bother asking.

- Vikas