amorphous

Hey there,

i've replaced my inner tie rod ends 3x - this will be the 4th!

anyone else chew thru these???!?

first 2 sets were NOT OEM - big mistake....

3rd set are GENIUNE 'yota....thought they'd last....but....looking bad - still performing OK - but know they are need'n to be replaced....

they lasted about 1 year - just over....

also notice my sway bar bushings are bad...guess that's on the slate too!

-aaron

ywokchile

I'm no expert, and I'm sure a lot of much better opinions will soon answer your question.
I had the same experience in my 01 4runner. Not even 4 wheeling very hard and they were gone again! in less than 3 months!

I spoke to a front end mechanic who seems to know his stuff and he says there are components that you can switch, but once the damage is done, you have play in the system that either you take care of completely, or it will never stop destroying the new bits.

not very technical (my recollection of his monologue) but it sounds quite logical.
I believe there are bushings that have a lot to do with it, and they will go as far as affecting your steering rack !$$

that's what got me interested in going to old school simplicity of a solid front axle.

Team420

Makes sense to me! Replace everything at once, or keep replacing over and over again, in small increments.

amorphous

yah, that's what i was thinking too -

my upper and lower BJ's are new...steering rack new (used, lower miles)

so, bushings and tie rod ends! Gotta climb under there and see if there is more!

-aaron

Pikeman

I am in the process of getting all the front end parts right now. Already have new poly bushings for the Rack and new end-links and lower ball joints on the way. Just need to get the Tie Rod ends and sway bar bushings. Planning on rebuilding the whole thing at one time.

amorphous

here's where i got my OEM tie rod ends last time (51.09)
www.toyotapartscheap.com

4run808

i snapped many sway bar end links and i dont really go wheeling. toyota or non, doesnt matter, they all snapped on me. now i buy cheapest and just replace when it breaks.

amorphous

i've not had any issues with my sway bar ends - i cut them off and put in the quick disconnects - those have worked a-ok....

the bushing issue i'm having on the sway bar tip are the bushings that pass thru the frame mounts. Those are toasted on my '98

Cal01

just bought some front sway bar ends, close to $30 bones on ebay shipped.

brian2sun

Beware of cheap suspension/steering parts.

Ron Helmuth

your title says outer tie rod ends but original posting says you have been through 3 sets of inners.

3 sets of both inners and outers? Which side fails? Always the same side? see what I am getting at? You just replace the other side each time as well to make it a pair?

there has to be more going on here. Shops that replace these for a living would most certainly diagnose it correctly to avoid replacing our parts on a yearly basis.

I am no front end expert but whomever does your alignments had certainly at least have a guess at this....

33s and what else up front? Winch and bumper or anything? How heavy a wheel/tire combo you running compared to stock? Unsprung weight and stress is the enemy of a stock suspension.

name some names- what has failed Beck Arnley or Moog or who? At a bare minimum get them with some warranty period preferably lifetime replacements....

mpavolka

I have heard that play in a system can put a lot of wear on whatever parts rely on the failing part. Push on a hammer thats already against a nail and it doesn't do much, put a little space in between hammer and the nail and you can accomplish alot more.

If you turn a lot at very slow or stopped speeds it always puts a lot of strain on steering components, such as a lot of parallel parking.

As for sway bar end links, I installed polybushings on all my links and sway bar body mounts, in the first week I broke both the front sway bar links. I think there was just less cushion available for the force to go. I installed WabFab links and have not had a problem since. I believe I heard 01-02 4Runners have larger links due to failures.

Same could apply to the tie rods, any time you strengthen something it just goes the the next weaker link. Stiffer spring equals ball joints, bigger tires means more tie rods... but what are you going to do? The hell if I am going to stop upgrading.

ywokchile

Sounds brilliant M P

thanks!

I think it comes down to finding the true front end expert at the mechanic level
unfortunately, I'm living in the boonies right now
and my truck is still parked back in the city.

so, guess I'll have to head back to the city and luck out
but compared to the pickup I'm using here, nothing compares to the sweet V6 in my 4runner

now, what you are saying is that you should basically replace all the goods to make it tight and new again (the steering)... yikes!$$

thanks again

clydehatchet

With a rack and pinion setup, the idea was to get rid of a lot of weight and moving parts, in doing so it makes the steering wheel more sensitive to road and wheel vibrations, and putting a lot more stress on the existing parts. i.e. inner and outer tie rods, ball joints, rack and pinion, sway bar and links. With a conventional steering setup (or parallelogram) you have many more moving parts and joints. Giving the steering wheel less road and wheel vibration because of all the extra parts these vibrations have to travel through, in addition to much less stress on the front end, inner and outer tie rods, drag link, idler arm, pitman arm, steering stabilizer, ball joints, sway bar and links. If you have unending trouble with a particular part, chances are you keep buying junk, are not keeping them greased, or you have another problem. if its rack and pinion you have, replace your tie rods. for the inner tie rods, either moog or toyota, dont skimp on price. for the outers, its very important that you get some that you can grease, i could be wrong, but i think toyota is sealed, so go with moog. if you haven't replaced your ball joints already, they might be on their way out. get some you can grease. It's suggest by MAP and the manufacture to replace shocks every 50k miles, might wanna look into that. What im sayin here is. every front end component works as a team. if someone is not doing their job, everyone will suffer. Knock it all out, get an alignment, grease the front end every oil change, or every time you are in water.