Do I need to replace all 4 of these tie rod / joints? Can’t I just clean and re-boot them properly?

[eightynine4x4]

[ 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?

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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.

 

[Jazzer]

Those marks from disassembly would make me think the cup is now slightly deformed. If I took them off with a pickle fork I’d definitely replace them.
Can’t help on brand, I just replaced a thoroughly worn out tie rod end only 2-1/2 years old from RA.

 

[eightynine4x4]

Those marks from disassembly would make me think the cup is now slightly deformed. If I took them off with a pickle fork I’d definitely replace them.
Can’t help on brand, I just replaced a thoroughly worn out tie rod end only 2-1/2 years old from RA.

Good point. But yeah, maybe I can grease them and if they move smoothly in all directions they are technically still usable and the cups are not deformed. But even if that’s the case, I still need boots that actually seal these up which is a pain.
I’ll scope around for Motorcraft tie rods. I’m sure it’s a whole lot more expensive though. But I don’t want to be replacing these every few years.

 

[19Walt93]

I've used Napa with no problems, but not in the last few years. You have it apart now so it will never be easier to replace them.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm cheap. And lack money. So I would cut up some oil resistant hose and slip it over the threaded end before installing. With regular greasing it will keep out majority of dirt and dust.

 

[eightynine4x4]

I'm cheap. And lack money. So I would cut up some oil resistant hose and slip it over the threaded end before installing. With regular greasing it will keep out majority of dirt and dust.

I like the idea of keeping on using this whole steering rod that has possibly lasted just fine other than the boots and the few nicks I made in it with the pickle fork. I don’t want to throw money at it and end up needing to replace the replacements in short time.
So I’m certainly tempted to craft a stretchy hose material thing and use some tiny hose clamps to seal it.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I like the idea of keeping on using this whole steering rod that has possibly lasted just fine other than the boots and the few nicks I made in it with the pickle fork. I don’t want to throw money at it and end up needing to replace the replacements in short time.
So I’m certainly tempted to craft a stretchy hose material thing and use some tiny hose clamps to seal it.

Look at the circumference of the socket. Find a hose same circumference. Set the ball joint into place lightly. Measure from socket to other end. Add 1/8". Cut hose to that length. When tie rod is installed to correct torque, the hose will be squished between the 2 surfaces and keep out grit. No need for hose clamps.

 

[eightynine4x4]

Look at the circumference of the socket. Find a hose same circumference. Set the ball joint into place lightly. Measure from socket to other end. Add 1/8". Cut hose to that length. When tie rod is installed to correct torque, the hose will be squished between the 2 surfaces and keep out grit. No need for hose clamps.

That’s a great tip, thank you.
I looked at the pieces and how they press fit connect and it does seem like a simple hose piece like this could work fairly well a lot of the time. Obviously it doesn’t reach up and over the wide section like the real ones do so on the top ball section, so whenever the joint wasn’t perfectly straight there would be a gap on some of the top of the hose piece that would let dirt in. But maybe if the right flexible hose material is used, truly soft rubber, it will stay fairly sealed during movement.
If I’m going the distance here and creating some boots, maybe I’ll shop around for other steering liboots than can be modified / cut to fit these and post an update here if I find some that work with these OEM steering linkage joints.
I might even take a look at some ball joint boots to see if diameters match up.

Or maybe just boots that are long and have accordion bellows splines can be used, such as boots for the front drive shaft, and maybe each end of one of those can be cut off and used as a pair and the wide diameter of a spline works for the joint width and the narrow diameter of the spline sits snug around the inner shaft.

 

[19Walt93]

I'm cheap. And lack money. So I would cut up some oil resistant hose and slip it over the threaded end before installing. With regular greasing it will keep out majority of dirt and dust.

It's not cheap, the word is frugal. I once cut a rubber ball about 1 1/2" in diameter in half and made a boot out of each half. I used a gasket punch to make a hole in the center of each half. Grease them often and maybe they'll last a while. Whether you reboot or replace them, you obviuosly need a wheel alignment or you'll be buying tires.

 

[eightynine4x4]

I’ve got both knuckles out, as well as the whole steering rod system out and separated, so all of my ball joints are easily testable.
I’m new to this part, so am wondering if I could get some advice about what is “good enough to keep running” and what is “silly to not replace while it’s all apart”…

How much movement should be possible by hand? I’ve re-greased some of these with red ’n tacky to do some tests…

- one knuckle ball joint is so smooth and free it’s almost scary but there is zero play and the ball stays perfectly in place. Like i could flick it with a finger and it’ll easily flop around. But again, zero play. I believe this one is a MOOG replacement from a while back since the boot says MOOG, and I’m starting to think it’s teflon/nylon inside somewhere because it’s so easily moved.
- some are moveable by hand but have resistance that is decently smooth. No play.
- some are moveable by hand but have stubborn sections. Jerky for sure, and require some arm force to get it past these spots. But still, no play.

In all of these there is zero play. I have to replace / craft all the boots because i used a pickle fork to detach everything. I was assuming I’d find them to all be in bad shape and in need of replacement. I was careful with the pickle fork still.

I’d be happy to replace everything for a fair not-exotic cost of parts, including the whole steering bar and all 4 balls joints, but I’m hearing horror stories from pretty much every brand only lasting a short period of time before needing to be replaced again due to excessive play. I believe most of my joints are OEM and have lasted this long without any play developing, so I’m hesitant to just throw new parts in.

But does anybody make new ball joints and steering rods that fit the Dana 28 and are known to last longer than a few years? Is ALL the stuff from Bronco Graveyard good? Their knuckle ball joints are cheap in cost. Their steering rod system is quite affordable too. Are these parts decent?

Also is it a bad idea to use the teflon / nylon / plastic knuckle ball joints? Sounds silly to me, I’d prefer steel on steel and proper greasing. But i don’t have much knowledge about replacing joints.

@ericbphoto
@alwaysFlOoReD
@Jazzer
@19Walt93
@bobbywalter

 

[bobbywalter]

jeffs is local to me. and they have decent stuff and decent prices and are the best source for hard to get ttb parts....but Detroit Axle is real close and the cheapest in general....moog used to be good.... but everything is junk now.

ball joints.....any questions....its replaced. steering is cake. run em till they get some slop. most wear items at my house come from Detroit Axle.

 

[19Walt93]

The ball joints are tested while they are assembled and that's the best way to check tie rod ends, too. If any ball joint or tie rod moves when you flick it with your finger, it needs to be replaced.
The best way to make front end parts last is to buy greaseable ones and actually grease them.

 

[Shran]

Amazon.com

I would replace the TREs but if you want to be cheap for now, ^^^ that's what you need.

 

[eightynine4x4]

jeffs is local to me. and they have decent stuff and decent prices and are the best source for hard to get ttb parts....but Detroit Axle is real close and the cheapest in general....moog used to be good.... but everything is junk now.

ball joints.....any questions....its replaced. steering is cake. run em till they get some slop. most wear items at my house come from Detroit Axle.

Which ball joints would you choose between the two? Bronco Graveyard or Detroit Axle? Who’s will last longest?
As far as tie rods… BG is one place I’ve found the inner rods. Detroit Axle has only the outers and the sleeves. So i guess I’ll just have to rely on BG for steering. This is easier to replace too.
But the ball joints i don’t want to have to routinely replace so want to nail it.

For what it’s worth, all 4 of my knuckle ball joint boots have “8765” stamped on them somewhere. I think two are MOOG and two are something else.

Also what about Mevotech in all regards? They sell all 4 steering rods via RockAuto. But are they inferior to JBGraveyard steering rods?

 

[bobbywalter]

no way to know. there is zero consistency in the parts supply. you can go to the dealer and get napa and autozone parts..

and not sure on the pro level stuff as well from napa. a tie rod for the same application can be 3 dollars 13 dollars 48 dollars and 90 dollars. the 3 dollar unit having a short life is expected but the 90 dollar unit might be wasting 77 dollars.

the tierod i got for my bronco from jeffs was brand less but seemed like quality stuff. about 12 k on it, 4k of that with 36 in iroks and they seem good as new. and it gets the shit whooped out of it by my teenage son.....and myself.