Hey all,

I was under my Z and noticing some of the wear on the bushings in the front. There is one on my passenger side that now looks like a mushroom, lol

It is goners! But I don't know what exactly to call it! lol

I am going to reorder them, but I need to know exactly which one it is, or called. It is located on the end of the steering rack, like in the inside of the passenger side wheel. Is it the tie rod bushing? It is just one bushing on that side, I think, and I don't know what exactly it is called. I don't have any needs for endlinks for the sway bar, b/c it is gone

Just going to replace them w/ Energy Suspension stuff

 

tie rod end dust boots
es pn 9.13101rc (red)

 

Dust boots? How would boots affect the driving?

 

If it is #3 and rotted away, you need to replace the tie rod end and not just the boot. The factory ends are not able to be lubed. If the boot is gone, the end is basically trashed from moisture and dirt.

 

Oh goodie.

How hard is it to replace tie rod ends? And will I have to have an alignment?

About how much do they cost???? Should I not drive the car?

Thanks shoebox

 

I paid $74 Canadian for TWO tierod ends from GM, with a 10% over cost discount.

Yes you need an alignment, and no they're not that difficult to change.

You need only remove the wheel, the cotter pin, the tie rod bolt then wack it out. (I stress the fact you don't need to smack it that hard).

There are provisions for a box wrench on the tire rod itself, and the threaded rod to alllow you to "unscrew" the tie rod end.

Put a piece of tape where the threaded rod and tie rod end use to meet, and screw your new one into that point. That way you're not all over the road heading to the alignment shop. (which should be your immediate stop after)

 

They are not hard to replace and not that expensive. If you measure the adjusted length of the old ones before removing them and adjust the new ones to the same length, you probably won't have a need for an immediate alignment. The new ones should have provisions for grease fittings, too.

As far as driving it now, it is probably ok, but depends on the condition of the joint.

 

I just called AutoZone and they said the Inner tierods were $39.99, and the outer ones were $34.99.

I didn't know there was 4!!! Am I supposed to replace all 4? lol

Help

 

Just do the outers for now. Those are the ones that you say are looking bad. The inners stay a bit more protected.

 

One more question....

So, if the boot is damaged, that means the tie rod is completely gone, no questions asked, right??? My Dad said it was just the boot that was bad, and wanted to know how the tie rod could be bad just b/c of the boot being smooshed. He seen the drawing you attatched to one of your threads, and said it was just the boot that needed to be replaced????

Thanks for your help so far.....can't wait to hear more

 

You're talking about a suspension component that literally does all the work in steering the car. Even if the boot *could* be replaced (which it cannot in my understanding), any dirt in there would drastically shorten the life of the unit.

You get a warranty with an AutoZone part as you quoted, and its really not that expensive.

Stick with a GM part in this case.

 

If the boot is gone, then the joint has been exposed to the elements for some amount of time. Since you cannot lube the factory joints and purge any dirt and water from the joint, the condition of the joint is highly compromised. If you don't want your front wheels steering in different directions at the same time, I suggest you replace them when you can.

It is difficult to tell about the joints from driving, partly because you have hydraulic assist to overcome any stiffness and that the stiffness will occur over time. However, when I replaced mine, I could tell an immediate difference in smoothness in the steering and less tendency to wallow in asphault ruts.

 

That is interesting! I didn't know that much about the suspension.

I hope I can tell a difference. Also, I don't have the front sway bar on, but I do have a strut tower brace. Is there a possibility of that fact adding to the wear on the tie rods???

Thanks for the answers!!!

 

What an odd combination. Put the sway bar back on. Remove the strut tower brace. Don't ask why... just do as I say.

 

LOL

And lose that front fender lift at the track? lol No way