Inner tie rod ends

[Samtheman94]

Hey guys,
I’m replacing my inner and outer tie rod ends on my 92, was wondering if anyone has any experience with the auto zone brand inner/outer tie rods. Seems the tie rod ends come in 2 different styles, one with a flexible polyurethane boot and one with the classic rubber hard boot. Any suggestions on what to use to replace the OEM?
Thanks,
Sam

 

[zoomlater]

You're asking the question with respect to the outer tie rod ends correct? The version I have is shown on the Shosource website.

 

[Samtheman94]

You're asking the question with respect to the outer tie rod ends correct? The version I have is shown on the Shosource website.

The original question is regarding the outer tie rod ends, however are there variances in the inners or outers between years? (I assume differences for ATX to MTX, this is an MTX). I just looked at the one from SHOsource, the one I got has a polyurethane flexible boot, but the other option looked similar to that on the SHOsource website. I’ll post a pic of my hardware on this thread in a second.

 

[Samtheman94]

 

[zoomlater]

I have not seen differences between mtx and atx on websites

 

[Samtheman94]

I have not seen differences between mtx and atx on websites

Cool, thank you for answering my question!

 

[BaySHO Performance]

I use the Mevotech outers MES2513RL from Rock Auto:

1992 FORD TAURUS 3.0L V6 DOHC Tie Rod End | Shop Now at RockAuto

Steering Parts and More for Your 1992 FORD TAURUS at Reliably Low Prices. Fast Online Catalog. DIY-Easy. Your Choice of Quality. Full Manufacturer Warranty.

www.rockauto.com

If the inners are worn to the point of flopping about and with play, I replace the whole rack. If it's that old, won't be long before the end seals give up, especially the passenger side.

 

[Irish Pride]

Get outer tie rods that have grease fittings. Those will usually be an upgraded version. I don't care about the boot. As long as it's greasable you'll be fine. I get mine at O'Reillys so that they have a lifetime warranty and I never have to worry about buying them again.

-Chad

 

[Samtheman94]

Lifetime warranty is definitely a must have, I believe mine came with one as well. I finished the tie rods this weekend, and the inners actually had more play than the outers, I was physically able to move them half a millimeter in and out of the sockets. Brought my car in for an alignment and the rear of the car is dog tracking, so probably gonna do control arms next?

 

[BaySHO Performance]

You could place a straight edge along the rear wheels and sight them with the front wheels. That will give you a rough idea of how far off the toe is. I suggest a professional alignment to get it right. There's also a possibility that you have bent a rear LCA or even the eye on the spindle for the tension strut. Rear LCAs can be adjusted for toe, but not camber.

 

[Dougbo]

Hey guys,
I’m replacing my inner and outer tie rod ends on my 92, was wondering if anyone has any experience with the auto zone brand inner/outer tie rods. Seems the tie rod ends come in 2 different styles, one with a flexible polyurethane boot and one with the classic rubber hard boot. Any suggestions on what to use to replace the OEM?
Thanks,
Sam

Either will work well, however the soft boots are a bit more grabby on the tie rod shaft and if a inexperienced alignment technician does not pay attention the rotation of the rod will tear the soft boot as the toe in/out is adjusted.

 

[BaySHO Performance]

Either will work well, however the soft boots are a bit more grabby on the tie rod shaft and if a inexperienced alignment technician does not pay attention the rotation of the rod will tear the soft boot as the toe in/out is adjusted.

For that reason, when I do a front alignment, I take the spring clip off the outer end of the boot, push the boot back and apply grease to the exposed area of the tie rod so that the boot can rotate around the rod which stops the boot from twisting.