hi again, what is the best way to determine if your tie rods are shot?how do you test for excessive play? I went to replace mine and the auto parts guy asked which ones i want,inner, outer or the complete assembly. i was going to just replace all of them,but then he said that the odds that they are all shot are slim. either way its not much money,i would just like to know if there are any "tricks" to evaluating each tie rod.

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1980 mercedes euro 300D 232000 miles(died,now parts car)
2004 2500 ram cummins diesel
1980 harley shovelhead
1988 anniversery corvette zr1(engine)
1978 240D 4spd 240000 miles (new benz toy)
1946 Cessna 140, Continental 0-200

i am also interested in this thread because when i was replacing my rear axles and had the car on a lift, i look for steering stuff that needs replacing. my tie rods looked worse than my CV joints, the rubber was torn. i am new with cars, but in my book that calls for replacement.

not to hyjack the thread, but my friend said that my upper ball joints also needed replacing, they looked the same. i had no clue what they were called, but i will take some pictures of them and post them.

how much were you going to pay for your tie rods/parts?

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Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

If you can make it wiggle while the front wheels are in the air, its shot!

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1974 240 D (4 spd!)
1980 Olsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham 350-DIESEL
1969 VW Bus
1964 Chevy Pickup, severly Kustom... SOLD!
'69 Yamaha AT-1, '71 CB350, '79 XS1100
'81 XS650, '82 XJ650, '83 GR650
'83 KZ1100, '88 GSX600, '03 RSX-S
http://burndup.kicks-ass.net
http://www.dieselhoopty.com

This might be a dumb question, but can the tie rod be changed without putting the car on the jack? Could I run it up onto ramps, block the wheels, and just go at it with a wrench?

Yes. But you will need more than a wrench. The rod ends don't just fall out when you remove the nuts.

just took a pic of my upper ball joint? is that what this is called? will replace them once i get a chance next weekend, or when i do the brakes next. just need to make sure i buy the right parts, my tierods look identical, so replacement needed also.

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Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

The upper ball joint in the picture needs to be replaced. It comes as part of the upper control arm. Which then begs the question of whether to get new control arm bushings and sway bar end bushings while you're at it.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

The easiest and safest tool to release a tie rod end from the knuckle looks like this -

Pickle forks work but...

There's also the kind of extractor that looks like a pulley puller but usually the ends are too thick to work properly with small tie rod ends.

If you smack the knuckle at the sweet spot with a big enough mallet the tie rod end will pop out.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

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This is the kind that looks like a pulley puller -

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

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the ball joint is still tight, you can buy new boots and have them installed for a lot less than installing new ball joints. i have done this several times successfully.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.