eightynine4x4
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2020
- Messages
- 779
- City
- New York
- Vehicle Year
- 1989
- Engine
- 2.9 V6
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Total Lift
- 2.5" Suspension
- Tire Size
- 31 x 10.5 x 15
[ 1989 4x4 automatic, manual hubs, manual transfer case ]
I’ve got my whole steering bar assembly off the vehicle, and dissassembled into two halves.. Left inner/outer, right inner/outer. So, all 4 steering ball joints on the steering bar are accessible to evaluate.
All 4 boots were already toast, they were ripped and crushed, so i just went at them with a pickle fork to remove everything. Now I have them off to assess the actual ball joints.
They don’t have any play at all, like in/out and they don’t jiggle no matter how i pull the stud. They rotate all directions but with some jerky stubbornness here and there because they haven’t been greased any time recently. I’m going to flush them out and thoroughly re-grease them and test out the motion again.
The only visible issue i notice is that some of the insides of the edges around the shaft have some damage.
I’m wondering if I can just replace the boots, if correct fitting ones can be found. But it doesn’t seem possible to buy boots that will fit a particular brand tie rod joint. Seems like it’s easy to find ones that don’t actually wrap around the edge or properly enclose the joint. Like the Energy Suspension ones are more like bushings than boots. They won’t keep out very much.
I’ve searched around for reviews of tie rods and man it really seems like everyone has started to ship garbage products. Like MOOG and NAPA both don’t sound reliable. Mevotech is the only one that i found to be somewhat reputable, and they happen to have them on Rockauto. So I’m thinking.. am I a fool to throw away the OEM tie rods/joints when all I have to do is seal them and they’ll continue to be more reliable than cheap stuff made these days?
I’ve got my whole steering bar assembly off the vehicle, and dissassembled into two halves.. Left inner/outer, right inner/outer. So, all 4 steering ball joints on the steering bar are accessible to evaluate.
All 4 boots were already toast, they were ripped and crushed, so i just went at them with a pickle fork to remove everything. Now I have them off to assess the actual ball joints.
They don’t have any play at all, like in/out and they don’t jiggle no matter how i pull the stud. They rotate all directions but with some jerky stubbornness here and there because they haven’t been greased any time recently. I’m going to flush them out and thoroughly re-grease them and test out the motion again.
The only visible issue i notice is that some of the insides of the edges around the shaft have some damage.
I’m wondering if I can just replace the boots, if correct fitting ones can be found. But it doesn’t seem possible to buy boots that will fit a particular brand tie rod joint. Seems like it’s easy to find ones that don’t actually wrap around the edge or properly enclose the joint. Like the Energy Suspension ones are more like bushings than boots. They won’t keep out very much.
I’ve searched around for reviews of tie rods and man it really seems like everyone has started to ship garbage products. Like MOOG and NAPA both don’t sound reliable. Mevotech is the only one that i found to be somewhat reputable, and they happen to have them on Rockauto. So I’m thinking.. am I a fool to throw away the OEM tie rods/joints when all I have to do is seal them and they’ll continue to be more reliable than cheap stuff made these days?
I went with Mevotech from Rock Auto this last time. I also chose the heavy duty model. Whatever you decide to go with, I would recommend getting something with a zirc fitting. If you don't want a greasable part, then just go with Motorcraft.
Best way to find play in the tie rod ends is to have someone rock the steering wheel back & forth (truck on the ground) while you look for any movement or looseness where there shouldn't be (engine doesn't need to be running). I've found that even with the wheels jacked up, such looseness doesn't always present itself reliably if you're just pushing & pulling on things by hand.
Anti-sieze and Loctite are totally different. Anti-sieze is for things that you don't want stuck together due to corrosion. Loctite is for keeping threaded things from loosening. Red is stronger than blue. Blue is generally considered "removable" but red can be removed also with enough force or maybe some heat to soften it. I used anti-sieze on my tie rod ends since they live down there where there's lots of water, mud, dirt, etc. I rely on the locknut to keep things in position. The castle nuts don't need Loctite because they have the cotter pins to prevent them from backing off. A bit of anti-sieze on those threads could be good, too. The grease is for the ball joints in the tie rod ends. They are the parts that wear out and give dangerous play in the steering system. So having grease fittings there and keeping them greased is important. I use the red&tacky stuff a lot. I like it.