Community Forums

Easyrider · 11-11-2007, 08:32 AM

While crawling around underneath our motorhome I noticed the protective rubber cup on the tie rod end on the drivers side was cracked badly and the one on the passenger side was missing completely! Can anyone tell me if the rubber cup can be replaced or do I need to purchase the whole tie rod. I just had our motorhome in 2 weeks ago for an oil change and chassis lube so I'm a little upset that the service tech didn't tell me that the tie rod end was damaged. It looks well greased and luckily I don't run in the rain much but I realize that it will collect a lot of grit and that I have to fix this or it won't last long. I'm just looking for advice for the least expensive way to do it.

Easyrider · 11-11-2007, 08:32 AM

While crawling around underneath our motorhome I noticed the protective rubber cup on the tie rod end on the drivers side was cracked badly and the one on the passenger side was missing completely! Can anyone tell me if the rubber cup can be replaced or do I need to purchase the whole tie rod. I just had our motorhome in 2 weeks ago for an oil change and chassis lube so I'm a little upset that the service tech didn't tell me that the tie rod end was damaged. It looks well greased and luckily I don't run in the rain much but I realize that it will collect a lot of grit and that I have to fix this or it won't last long. I'm just looking for advice for the least expensive way to do it.

B K · 11-11-2007, 09:00 AM

Assuming your tie rod ends are ok, just replace the boots. Just drop the tie rod end from the knuckle and replace. Shouldn't be too hard to find-for example

http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/tierboots.html

obbm · 11-11-2007, 11:08 AM

To do this without dropping the tie rod end: get a tennis ball, cut it in half. Make a hole the size of a snug fit on the tie rod end pin. Slit the half ball, put it on the tie rod end, and stitch the slit together with wire or wire clips or hog rings or what have you. If you are clean, might even glue it. Helps if you can overlap the edges of the slit. The one I did is working fine and I see the OEM one on the other end is off, so I have to make another one.

Tom N · 11-11-2007, 11:21 AM

I posted this on July 18th and never received any replies.

"The mechanic told me I have a bad rubber boot on the passenger side tie rod end. He told me the tie rod will not hold grease well with the damaged boot. Does anyone know if I can buy the boot alone or do I have to buy the complete tie rod end??? I'll get under and take a couple photos of the tie rod."

Easyrider, which one of the Performance Polyurethane boots do we need???

-Tom

TandW · 11-11-2007, 11:31 AM

I'll bet the grease monkey knew he overpumped it!! You're supposed to release the grease gun at the moment you see the boot expanding; the outflow will come as this slight pressure comes off. You're not changing grease here; you are affirming it's presence in the joint. This is a good reason for the able to do this with a hand powered gun. The high speed pneumatic guns in the shops need their air regulators turned down. See if your shop will fix it gratis. Good luck!!

KCE · 11-11-2007, 11:40 AM

Just had mine replaced at a workhorse dealer in PA. No charge to me and only took about 1/2 hr.

Mabry · 11-11-2007, 02:24 PM

I have a 2005 southwind on a w20 chassis both my rubber boots were cracking and one was coming apart. I bought two of them at napa. a friend and I put them own in alittle over an hour. I know they were under warranty but my nearest dealer is 75 miles away. its seems that quite a few defective boots got into the chassis assembly line.

Easyrider · 11-11-2007, 04:32 PM

I'm in the same predicament also as my dealer is a good hour and half away. I too went to Napa and got the rubber boots for $4.00 each. I needed the boots that fit over a 3/4" shaft which also happened to be the biggest size that Napa stocks. It took me longer to get the boots and tools lined up than to do the actual replacement. The tennis ball idea would sound good if I were stuck someplace with no rubber grease boots available but at just $4.00 each I'll take the easy route and replace them with the rubber boots. Thanks to BK for telling me I wouldn't have to replace everything.

Duner · 11-11-2007, 07:59 PM

These boots are not cracking because of excess grease. It's becasue they are made of inferior material for the application. I had both of my tie rod end boots replaced under warranty when they were just over two years old.

earljan34 · 11-15-2007, 11:37 AM

I also have cracked tie-rod boots, Thanks for the info on NAPA if anyone needs the part # it's 650-1178. And the price is $4.00 each here in RI too. Thanks again for the info. I was told that they stock them all the time!

Earl