junk yard tie rod

i think i know the answer, but want to see if it is okay before i do it. assuming i find a clean 93-98 zj and the part looks to be in good shape, can i use the tie rod and sleeve to upgrade my steering? i would get a new moog tre from the parts house.

pick a part tie rod is $9. oreilly tie rod is $80

thanks

yeah, go for it. I'm running junkyard ZJ tie rods on both my jeeps, holding up great so far. I didn't even bother replacing the TRE, just pumped new grease into it and cleaned up the threads a bit.

Use 1/8" x 1.5" stainless steel cotter pins SIDEWAYS (bent like an E) not bent up over the end of the stud, and remember that it has to be off a V8 ZJ or it won't be an upgrade at all.

yep. knew it had to be v8. my concern was using "used" parts. there is a clean 98 there right now. wish i could find a 99-2004 for some LCA's.

You can get a new one with a lifetime warranty from Autozone for 35.00 bucks.

im also runnin the v8 zj tie rod its holdin up great ...

I run the ZJ tie rod that I scored at a local pick n pull and it was a great upgrade over the stock crap. Front end feels solid!

i just got back from the jy. there was one v8 there and i COULD NOT get the thing off. im going back next week with a bigger f'n hammer cuz I found a 00 with my LCA's on it. :laugh:

90xj-65 said:

You can get a new one with a lifetime warranty from Autozone for 35.00 bucks.

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$35 is just for the long tie rod piece, not the adjusting sleeve and other tre.

Remember that at autismzone, a lifetime warranty means you will spend the rest of your lifetime warrantying it.

wildcat-xj said:

i just got back from the jy. there was one v8 there and i COULD NOT get the thing off. im going back next week with a bigger f'n hammer cuz I found a 00 with my LCA's on it. :laugh:

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Don't hit the threads with a hammer or you might as well forget about using it. A lot of people suggest threading the castle nut on upside down and whacking it but I find that screws it up just as bad. What I do is put the butt end of my 3/8" ratchet on the center of the stud and whack the crap out of the other end with my BFH. For the joint that goes into the drag link, I use a $15 pitman arm puller from autismzone and just crank down on it till it pops out. If it won't pop out, I whack the drive pin on the puller with the BFH till it does...

dang. i had a pitman puller in my tool box and forgot to use it! i tried getting it off with the pickle fork but my hammer was too small.

I hate using a pickle fork on them because it digs up the rubber grease boot and mars the ball.

The trick on the pitman puller is that you have to turn it - if you put the claws at right angles to the drag link it'll pop off, but if you turn it as far as you can it gets a better hold.

Not whacking the ends of the studs is the real big one... I was real enthusiastic with a hammer on the first one I pulled, only realized my mistake when I discovered I had mushroomed the stud so much it wouldn't even go through the hole in the steering knuckle. Oops :banghead: