[minileprechaun]

i noticed my tie rod grease joint (thingy) has a crack in it and a little grease is oozing out. how do i fix/replace this?

and on the topic of grease, i've never greased anything in my jeep .. and i think i probably should.. oops

i found this post
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/faq-where-grease-points-front-my-jeep-23787/
that has the grease points, but it's missing pictures. can anyone update those pictures for me?

and lastly, what type of grease am i supposed to use?

thanks!!!
~andrew

[ROUGHSHOD]

http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc/lube-1.htm

From my FSM - use a multi-purpose grease: NLGI Grade 2 EP, GC-LB

[JeepGirl04]

So if its not greased properly... does it cause clunky sounds underneath?

[tangofox007]

Originally Posted by minileprechaun

i noticed my tie rod grease joint (thingy) has a crack in it and a little grease is oozing out. how do i fix/replace this?

If the "thingy" is the rubber grease boot, you can find polyurethane replacements at many parts stores. You will also need a tie rod end puller and new cotter pins. Autozone, for one, will lend the puller at no charge.

[tangofox007]

Originally Posted by JeepGirl04

So if its not greased properly... does it cause clunky sounds underneath?

Yes, especially when the joint wears out due to the lack of lubrication.

[JeepGirl04]

Originally Posted by tangofox007

Yes, especially when the joint wears out due to the lack of lubrication.

I just bought a used one... and it sounds a lil clunky under the drivers side front end... Ill have to check into that more... Thanks

[Giviner]

Originally Posted by tangofox007

If the "thingy" is the rubber grease boot, you can find polyurethane replacements at many parts stores. You will also need a tie rod end puller and new cotter pins. Autozone, for one, will lend the puller at no charge.

You may not "need" a puller. Most TRE's will pop out if you give the threaded end a good solid whack with a hammer. Hitting it horizontally (perpendicular to the threads) works better than hitting it head on like a nail.

[Jerry Bransford]

Originally Posted by Jeepguy81

You may not "need" a puller. Most TRE's will pop out if you give the threaded end a good solid whack with a hammer. Hitting it horizontally (perpendicular to the threads) works better than hitting it head on like a nail.

Exactly, that's the techique I was shown 6-7 years ago and it works great. I can pop off all of my front-end's tapered joints used in the steering system faster than most can get one joint popped apart using a puller.

[kizer]

Heres a photo. Never mind the fact Im using a claw hammer. hahahah, I couldn't find my regular working on the Jeep hammer.

Loosen the castle nut all the way and leave a few threads. Wack it a few times and the Tie-rod will fall, but will remain suspended by the nut. Loosen the nut and your in business.

[minileprechaun]

Originally Posted by kizer

Heres a photo. Never mind the fact Im using a claw hammer. hahahah, I couldn't find my regular working on the Jeep hammer.

Loosen the castle nut all the way and leave a few threads. Wack it a few times and the Tie-rod will fall, but will remain suspended by the nut. Loosen the nut and your in business.

thanks for the picture. just for clarification.. what are you wacking here? the rubber grease thingy .. or a clip/pin?

and do i need to replace the pins after i change the grease thingy .. or are the pins reuseable?

[Jerry Bransford]

He's whacking on the cast iron knuckle that the tapered bolt is seated into. The cotter key can be reused at least a couple times.

[GunmetalX]

Hi all, I'm actually having a similar issue. When I was filling the tie rod end (at Pitman Arm), the grease bladder detonated with a nice crack thru one side, spewing grease.

FWICT, the OEM (98 TJ) grease bladder is permanently attached to the TRE? Meaning I'd have to replace the whole unit?

Other than disconnecting it from the Pitman Arm, what else will I need to disconnect to give me enough clearance to get the old one out and the new one in (assuming I have to replace the entire piece)? I'm hoping I just have to disconnect it from the Pitman Arm and maybe turn back the adjusting sleeve far enough to get it out, otherwise maybe disconnect the post thru the drag link.

Is there any reason not to purchase a replacement OEM one (Quadratec has them for $17), vs. the AutoZone or NAPA ones for about $21-22 or so? (I don't expect to need adjustability at any time in the near future.) I figure as long as I put the new one in such that the overall length of the rod/end is the same as it was originally, I should have no alignment issues... does that make sense?

Thanks!

[jwd4usc]

Originally Posted by GunmetalX

Hi all, I'm actually having a similar issue. When I was filling the tie rod end (at Pitman Arm), the grease bladder detonated with a nice crack thru one side, spewing grease.

FWICT, the OEM (98 TJ) grease bladder is permanently attached to the TRE? Meaning I'd have to replace the whole unit?

Other than disconnecting it from the Pitman Arm, what else will I need to disconnect to give me enough clearance to get the old one out and the new one in (assuming I have to replace the entire piece)? I'm hoping I just have to disconnect it from the Pitman Arm and maybe turn back the adjusting sleeve far enough to get it out, otherwise maybe disconnect the post thru the drag link.

Is there any reason not to purchase a replacement OEM one (Quadratec has them for $17), vs. the AutoZone or NAPA ones for about $21-22 or so? (I don't expect to need adjustability at any time in the near future.) I figure as long as I put the new one in such that the overall length of the rod/end is the same as it was originally, I should have no alignment issues... does that make sense?

Thanks!

How many miles do you have on your TJ? Since it's a 98 it wouldn't hurt to replace any or all 3 TRE's. I just replaced mine, but if you are going to take the time, do it right and upgrade them to something beefier like a Moog TRE, should run you about $38 a TRE, especially if you do any wheeling, the cheapest is not the best here. Especially with a jeeps propinsity to death wobble.

To answer your first question though, you don't have to change the TRE unless you think it's worn out. The rubber dust boot looks permanent but it's not. Get a flat head screw driver and go between the bottom of the dust boot and the iron top of the TRE. Wiggle the screw driver around and you will see it lift up. Again this is where spending a bit more really counts. Go polyurethane (sp?) The rubber dust boots dry out and crack, where as the poly boots hold up much better to salt, water, mud and other enviromental elements your jeep is bound to encounter.

If you have more questions about getting the TRE off if you decide to go that route just run a search or checkout this website.
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoTieRod.htm

The work is being done on an XJ, but it will still help you get the idea. Let us know if you need any more help.

[jwd4usc]

Originally Posted by GunmetalX

(I don't expect to need adjustability at any time in the near future.) I figure as long as I put the new one in such that the overall length of the rod/end is the same as it was originally, I should have no alignment issues... does that make sense?

Thanks!

Sorry, forgot to address this question. You would think this would work but it doesn't. You are still going to need to do an alignment after changing out any TRE's. Especially changing the TRE at the pitman arm. Your steering wheel is almost guaranteed to move right or left from dead center. It's very easy to do. Here is another website that gives a ton of great info about jeep maintenance if you haven't checked it out yet.
http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html

Super easy won't take more than 20 minutes tops to align, plus it'll save you about $100 bucks at your local alignment shop.

[TJ_Jackson]

Had the same problem, just went and got some energy suspension tie rod poly boots........I didn't need a tie rod puller, changed it in about 10 minutes.