190E Tie rod part number confusion
 

Hello,

I would like some confirmation on part numbers for tie rod ends on a 93 190E.

I need to only replace my outer tie rod ends as the boots are cracked. The tie rods were replaced less than a year ago and I'm surprised the outside ends are already messed up.

Anyways, the EPC says this:

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/4774/tierods.jpg

I need clarification which parts are the outside rod ends?

Is it part #68 the outside for both left and right tie rods?

Or is it #68 for left tie rod and #62 for the right tie rod?

Of course you never know if the last person installed the tie rods the same way that MB did.

The best thing to do is to look at the thread pitch & angle & decide whether the bad ones are RHT or LHT.

I had the same issue with a set of Bilstein tie rods -- less than one year, and the boots were completely dry-rotted and split. Needless to say, I was not impressed. :mad:

It is confusing and what you need may indeed depend on how they were installed the last time it was done (like MB Doc said). Best to take them off, or at least separate them and turn them a few times to verify RH or LH.
It also looks like there is a break in the application (two different outers & inners depending on chassis # ?).

When I did mine last, the whole tie rod assembly (inner & outer w/sleeve) was plenty cheap enough that it was easier just to replace the whole thing, and I didn't bother to pay attention to which way around I installed them since it didn't matter performance wise, and I knew if I had to do them again I'd just replace the whole assemblies again.
By replacing the whole thing it was very easy to match up an accurate length measurement from old to new while they were out. The car tracked perfectly when finished and in the long run (tire wear, etc) it turned out that I never needed to get it aligned.