Tie rod replacement: ends or entire?

[Ricklandia]

Well, I couldn't wait to get tags on the car, so I took it for a quick jaunt around the block. The PO warned that he thought it may need new ball joints as the front end felt "loose" and had a vibration. Well, he wasn't foolin. I haven't had a chance to jack it up yet to check the ball joints, but I did crawl down to have a look at what might be going on. The passenger side tie rod end is completely shot; I could wiggle it a good 1/4" using just my hand (remember, the car is NOT jacked up). The driver's side end looks to be okay, but again I havent gotten the wheels off the ground yet. So here's my question: I see that you can buy just the outer tie rod ends (makes sense), but also available are the INNER tie rod assembly? How can I test this to see if it needs replacing? The price for the entire assembly is pretty steep (for my pocketbook), however if I'm gonna grab my wrenches, I would like to get it all done at once.

As for the ball joints, a simple verticle wiggle (one hand on top of the tire, other on the bottom) should be enough to tell me if the ball joints are good/bad, correct?

Please excuse the newbie type questions, I haven't seriously wrenched on cars since my High School days, which is longer ago than I care to admit.

[Zrush]

If the funds are there, then do it all now and get it over with. She's such a nice car, give her the upgrades that she deserves. Suppose to be a nice weekend here in Florida, perfect for that complete front end work you can do. Congrats again!

Vicky

[Ricklandia]

Well, that's sorta the problem. The funds might be there if it's a necessary replacement, but otherwise it's just taking money away from OTHER needed items!

In all seriousness, how would I know if the inner ends need replacing?

[Bambikiller240]

If I remember from the Factory Service Manual, there is a spec. to check using a Dial Indicator to measure. You'd need to remove the Steering Rack from the car probably to check this.

Movement when wiggling the Tire/Wheel vertically may be caused by worn or loose wheel bearings as well. FWIW, I don't like waiting until a critical part fails to replace it. I'd much rather KNOW as I'm driving down the road that these parts are in good condition and aren't 33 years old, and worn or in poor condition from improper care (servicing) durring that length of time. Bringing everything up to snuff on a 33 year old car gives you a nice a secure feeling as you drive down the twisty bits of backroads.

IMO, if the Outer Tie-Rods are bad and the Ball Joints don't show OBVIOUS signs of having been replaced recently, I'd invest the $$ doing it all now. By that I mean the Struts, Ball Joints Outer Tie-Rods, Suspension Bushings and Steering Rack Bushings. Inner Tie-Rods I'd only replace if the run out on the Dial Indicator showed excess wear per the FSM specs. BUT, THAT"S JUST ME. I don't like doing things over again (especially if I'm doing it because I was trying to cut corners the first time).

JMO

[xray]

Well, that's sorta the problem. The funds might be there if it's a necessary replacement, but otherwise it's just taking money away from OTHER needed items!

In all seriousness, how would I know if the inner ends need replacing?

Turn in your 1973 FSM, dear brethren (and sisters), to the Book of ST, page 11:

"Thou shalt checketh thy inner ball joint for play. When thine ball stud has worn itself to the end and play in the axial direction is excessive or thy joint is Hard to Swing, thou shalt replaceth forthwith as a unit."

BK240, I could not find any direct measurement. Lots of measuring rack stroke and pinion thrust play, but nothing definitive about inner ball joint play. It does mention on page ST-20 that outer ball joint axial play should not exceed 0.5mm, FWIW.

My thought is that if its dust boot is reasonably cleam, the odds of significant degeneration are low. The same is not true of the outer ball joint, and that piece should be replaced for sure. Not that expensive, though. I think they are like $50 a pair.

Steve

[First Gen Z]

Lets see--- price of safe steering compared to price of ambulance ride to nearest emergency room. NO BRAINER, DUDE!!!

[Bambikiller240]

BK240, I could not find any direct measurement. Lots of measuring rack stroke and pinion thrust play, but nothing definitive about inner ball joint play. It does mention on page ST-20 that outer ball joint axial play should not exceed 0.5mm, FWIW.Steve

I see that now. Had to go get my manual across town as it's been more than a few years since I worked on that part of my car. I think I was mistakenly remembering the Figure ST-31 that shows the measurement of Thrust Play in the Pinion.

I don't think the Inner Tie-Rods need replacement as often as the Outer T/R's. I'd probably hold off on those, and if you felt that you still have issues after doing the other work, it's relatively simple to pull the rack and replace them. Although you would then need to re-align the front end again if Inner T/R's needed to be replaced after having done the other work.

[Ricklandia]

Sound advice from one and all, thank you for the input. I'm still making out my NEEDS and WANTS lists, the later always being much more seductive.