Tie rod ends?

Ok so I know i posted earlier about maybe selling the tundra but before I do that had to repair steering rack bushings and while in the process of replacing those I discovered my tie rods are about shot one inner and both outer.
Do you guys stay OEM which I’m fine on the outer as I can get them for around $45-$50 a piece but the OEM inners are around the $180 mark.
Most aftermarket inners are way cheaper like the TRQ, Detroit axle, Sankei 555, moog etc they range from $20 to $40 a piece.
Anyway anyone had good results with aftermarket inner tie rods?

 

Tie rods I haven't heard of issues with, for the aftermarket ones.

I've run sankei on my civic and moog on my corolla. Granted these are their older made in japan stock (for the moog), which may not be the case anymore if they've switched suppliers.


I'd probably go with sankei.

 

He can correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like I remember @KNABORES saying he installed MOOG and they're doing OK, but maybe I'm nuts

 

I’ve been running Moogs for 5 years now on the inner tie rods. No issues.

 

I like the sound of that
I was worried these were going to be an OEM only item like LBJs.

 

I put TRW outer tie rods in back in 2019 and they've held up great. I still need to replace the passenger side inner tie rod as it's got some play

 

There was a thread on here ... here it is: https://www.tundras.com/threads/corner-of-shame-oem-minus-or-plus.122591/

I wasn't going nuts. KNABORES said to avoid Mevotech, they went to shit fast, but MOOG was OK.

MOOG isn't the same company it used to be, some of their stuff definitely isn't good quality anymore, but I've seen enough people say the tie rod ends are alright. I used to swear by their offerings.

Anyway, reference that thread for what is and isn't safe to go OEM for parts. General rule of thumb is, if it has electricity going thru it, you really want to buy OEM from a legitimate vendor, not scAmazon, not fleaBay, not WallyWurld. And lower ball joints always OEM. There are some exceptions. That thread covers 'em.

 

Good deal
Thank you sir

 

Just be careful putting them on or taking the old ones off. There’s a flat spot on the steering rack itself you need to hold still with a wrench while you torque the old ones off or the new ones on. Steering rack needs to stay stationary and not twist with the inner tie rod. You’ll know what I mean when you pull off the dust boots and expose it.

 

Thanks for the heads up.
I had an absolute nightmare of a time changing the bushings on the rack today so definitely don’t wanna mess anything up.

 

58 ome ones online for them at boch toyota south

 

Mevotech is trash. Moog is hit or miss. The outer tie rods have held up well for several years.

 

This has been my experience as well.

 

While changing my LBJs today I noticed one of my outer tie rods was no good. Bought a replacement from O’reillys (hopefully the consensus on those is that they are decent, if not it I will replace just needed something right away), while getting the nut loose my inner tie rod did spin a little. Is it normal for it to be able spin freely? I know the inner has a ball joint. Hopefully I didn’t screw my self

 

Yes. Inner tie rod has a ball & socket design.


Unless the inner was loose, it'll be fine.

 

Thanks!

 

You’ll still need an alignment

 

Any updates here, Iv been running Moog for about 40K miles and I started to get a clunk noise while reversing out of my driveway. Need to replace but OEM is about $100+ EACH.

Is 40K miles good or bad? Should I go with Moog again? (I am lifted 2.5 inches on 33s)

 

40k is better than the 1k I got outta my Moog TREs

 

What about the inner tie rods? I think mine need to be replaced. I went OEM on the outers in 2019.

What are the steps for replacing the inner tie rods?

 

One of my original Moogs when I did my lift had a hole in the boot and lasted about 20min so my replacement lasted 40K. Based on the above they are hit and miss.

 

Inners were pretty easy. They just spin on and off. Pull the outer from the knuckle, unscrew from the inner. Remove the boot. Then unscrew the inner from the steering rack. Need a big skinny crescent or the correct large wrench to loosen and tighten the inner. There's a shield on it that makes it tough to get a bigger wrench on there.

 

What brand inner did you go with?

 

Moog I think

 

One side of mine is moog, the other is unbranded. The moog one leaks. Still seems tight and no issues so I just grease it every once in a while.