Tie Rods & Ball Joints

Raise and support the front of the car with the wheels off the ground. Hold the tyre at the three and nine o'clock positions and push and pull: movement with a distinct knock, while the other side is solid, points at the steering joints. Have somebody repeat it while you place a hand over each joint in turn, since you can feel play far more precisely than you can see it. Also check for a split boot, which means the joint will fail soon even if it feels tight today.

It deteriorates rather than fails suddenly in most cases, and the endpoint is serious enough to take it seriously. A joint that separates completely leaves that wheel with no steering input at all, which is why an excessively worn tie rod end fails any roadworthiness inspection. The everyday cost is quieter: vague steering, uneven tyre wear and a car that wanders. Treat a knocking joint as a repair to make in days rather than months, and always replace rather than attempt to tighten.

Yes, every time. The threaded section between the inner and outer joints sets toe, so any change to it moves the alignment, and even a careful thread count only gets you close enough to drive to the alignment rig. Incorrect toe scrubs the tread off a tyre in a few hundred miles and makes the car feel unsettled. Book the alignment for the same day, and on vehicles with driver assistance expect a steering angle calibration to follow it.

They are the same type of joint doing different jobs. A tie rod end connects the steering rod to the steering arm and carries steering forces, which are largely horizontal. A suspension ball joint connects the control arm to the hub carrier and carries the weight of the car as well as allowing steering rotation. Both are a ball in a preloaded seat under a rubber boot, both fail the same way, and the symptoms overlap enough that checking each individually is worth the extra few minutes.

Almost never, and most modern joints have no means of doing so. Sealed for life designs have no grease nipple, and once a boot has split the abrasive material that entered has already worn the seat, so adding grease quietens a squeak temporarily while the play remains. Where a joint does have a nipple and merely squeaks with no play, greasing is a legitimate service item. Play always means replacement, since the seat cannot be adjusted or reset.

There is no mechanical requirement and there is a strong practical case. Both joints have covered the same distance over the same roads, so a car with one failed tie rod end frequently has another that is close, and the alignment charge is the same whether one or both are done. Inspect the opposite side properly and let its condition decide. Where both boots are cracked, doing them together saves paying for alignment twice within a year.

This is one of the cheaper suspension and steering categories. Outer tie rod ends and ball pin press fit assemblies sit at the bottom of the range, and complete tie rods and steering tie rod assemblies are still modest. The live minimum and maximum are shown in the band at the top of this page. Remember to budget for the alignment afterwards, which on some vehicles costs a similar amount to the parts themselves and is not optional.

Yes, with the right tools and a willingness to accept the alignment will still be needed. Loosen the locknut, mark or count the position, separate the taper with a proper joint separator rather than a hammer, wind the old end off counting turns, fit the new one to the same count, and torque the taper nut correctly. Never strike the taper to shock it free with the new joint already fitted, since that damages the seat you just paid for. Drive gently to the alignment rig.

Incorrect toe is the classic cause, and worn tie rod joints are the classic cause of that. A joint with play lets the wheel find its own angle under load, so the tyre scrubs sideways as it rolls and shaves the inner or outer shoulder while the rest of the tread looks healthy. Camber problems produce a similar pattern, so have the geometry measured rather than guessing. Replacing the joints without correcting the alignment simply preserves the fault.

Rarely, and the failure mode when it does not is unpleasant. A tie rod end is defined by its thread pitch and hand, the taper angle and diameter of the stud, the overall length and the stud height, and a taper that is nearly right seats badly and works loose under load. Length differences move the toe setting beyond what the adjustment can recover. None of this is visible when two parts sit side by side on a bench. Work from the number stamped on the old component and verify it before anything is fitted.

It is a joint that is pressed into its carrier rather than bolted through a taper, which manufacturers use where packaging is tight or where the joint needs to be integrated into an arm. Replacing one needs a press and the correct drifts, since driving it in or out with improvised tools distorts the housing. Where the joint is pressed into a control arm, compare the cost of pressing against the cost of the complete arm, which is often the more sensible purchase.

Yes. Tie rod ends and ball joints are usually priced because they sell steadily, so a blank field tends to belong to an inner rod or a joint used on one suspension variant. Quote the number and say which side and which position. Ordering both sides at once is sensible on a car of any age, because the second joint is the same age as the first and the alignment is paid for once rather than twice. Add the castellated nut and split pin where the design uses them, since neither is meant to be refitted.