which tie-rod ends?

Hallo.
I do have a clunk already for several years now. By left steering with supension with slow driving combinded.
I can't find it. So I go renew the tie rod ends of the steering assembly. Which is the most common of the 5 to clunk and wear out?
Will I start with the one on the pitarm maybe? It looks ok to me. :clap:

wim

p.s No cracks on the framerail by the steering gear and the tracbar is torqued.

'92 XJ

5? I thought there were only 4 tie rods-- I'll have to go look again.. but I don't know of one that wears faster than the others.

Shorty said:

5? I thought there were only 4 tie rods-- I'll have to go look again.. but I don't know of one that wears faster than the others.

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You forget the trackbar one maybe?

ahhh- I don't think of that as steering-- it just kinda holds the axle in place, but including it, I'll say it's the first to go out on everything I've got.

Don't forget to check your shock mounts.

joe_peters said:

Don't forget to check your shock mounts.

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Thanks Joe, But than I could hear the clunks riding straight forwards too.

Any of the rod ends will often start to move up and down way before they get much lateral play in them. I've never had much trouble spotting it, with a little help from someone to turn the steering wheel left and right (5-8 CM) while I get my eyeball close to the rod ends.
You can even sometimes pick up ball joint motion the same way. Though it is better to support the axle with the tire off the ground and get somebody to kind of jerk/lift under the tire with a crow bar or a meter long piece of fairly thick wood, while you get close to the ball joints with a flashlight. It really doesn't take much movement to generate a thumk/or clunk heard inside the vehicle.
Most times the drag link end at the pitman arm or the trac bar end were the first to go on my XJ's, then the ball joints.
Control arm bushings will also do it.

I've never seen a tie rod clunk until well after you can see a lot of play. Ususally they just fall off and you can't steer (good) anymore. You must have tried the old method of laying underneath with a flashlight while someone turns the steering wheel back and forth while you look for the free play? I believe that this will ALWAYS find a bad tie rod end. The outer ones are the most likely to go bad because they take the most abuse. I suspect something else is clunking. Control arms are common clunkers, but usually also hitting bumps straight on.

I defer to 8Mud on which ones go out first. My statement is based on non-XJ's as far as outer going first.

wim hoppenbrouwers said:

Thanks Joe, But than I could hear the clunks riding straight forwards too.

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I have seen two different problems with the shocks.

1. Loose upper mounting.

2. The bottom bar pins will load up and then release.

Worth a look in my book, Wim. :cheers:

Thanks guys for the ideas.

I go tomorrow to a special Jeep garage,the best in Holland ( http://www.bsautoparts.nl/ ) and then we go watching every ball joint, every U joint and every tie rod end and the steering box and shocks. :eyes:

Wish me luck and I let you know.


p.s. Joe: which book? Thanks for the beer.

Track bar could clunk in turns too!