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Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot?

KohalaHutch

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I went off road yesterday for the first time with my newly installed @TeraFlex outfit and when I returned home I noticed that my steering stabilizer is tilted forward at an odd angle toward the front on the vehicle. Upon closer inspection I see the the rubber boot on the tie rod end (driver's side) is hanging loose. Looking at the other end that is intact it seems like there is a missing ring on the lower portion that should be holding it in place. Has anyone encountered this before and have any idea what the repair process is?

Jeep Gladiator Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot? Bad


Jeep Gladiator Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot? good


Jeep Gladiator Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot? stabilizer
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hjdca

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I went off road yesterday for the first time with my newly installed @TeraFlex outfit and when I returned home I noticed that my steering stabilizer is tilted forward at an odd angle toward the front on the vehicle. Upon closer inspection I see the the rubber boot on the tie rod end (driver's side) is hanging loose. Looking at the other end that is intact it seems like there is a missing ring on the lower portion that should be holding it in place. Has anyone encountered this before and have any idea what the repair process is?

Bad.png


good.png


stabilizer.png
The passenger end of the after market tie rods ends are usually locked in the vertical position. The drivers side ball joints are flexible to allow for articulation. The fact that one end is vertical and the other is not means that that your lock nut has come loose. You need to turn it back to vertical and put blue locktite on the threads and tighten that lock nut with two of the biggest wrenches you have and use all the strength you can muster.
 

kevman65

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Looks like you smacked the tie-rod end or bar on the drivers side on something pretty solid.

Should be able to loosen the jam nut and straighten that back out.

As for getting the keeper ring and installing it, you will have to drop the tie-rod on that side to get it over the stud and the boot.
 
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KohalaHutch

KohalaHutch

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Thanks for the great replies guys. Are we talking about the large jam nuts on the main tie rod shaft or the nut above the rubber boot?
 

hjdca

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Thanks for the great replies guys. Are we talking about the large jam nuts on the main tie rod shaft or the nut above the rubber boot?
That big Jam nut on the tie rod is for locking the length of the tie rod for proper toe. There is usually one on each side so you can turn the tie rod while the jam nuts are loose to lengthen or shorten the tie rod. First find out which jam nut came loose, then, move the end link back into position and re-tighten as much as you can. Once you straighten the ball joint, you should be able to slide the dust boot and clip back on.
 

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TeraFlex

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It appears that there is already a bunch of good info in this thread, but I'll chime in. I would agree, it appears that the jam nut(s) came loose enough to let the joint rock enough to pop the boot off the bottom retainer. Thankfully, it's an easy fix. It looks like we've already got a conversion going in our "tech" emails, so you if you'd like just send over the best contact info through there and I'll get you some replacement parts sent out no charge.
 
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KohalaHutch

KohalaHutch

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Here is my amateur-hour mechanic job. I tightened up those big jam nuts and now we wait for the blue loctite to dry. I refilled the rubber boot with grease and zip-tied it until the replacement spring ring comes in the mail. Thanks again @TeraFlex for jumping in so quick with help!

I have a little theory about what may have happened. I don't recall hitting anything while off road that would dislodge the jam nuts like this. As I tightened the jam nuts I noticed that the shaft wanted to rotate backward causing the red steering stabilizer adjustment knob to make contact with the diff cover. If you look closely at this photo you can see a deep scratch it made in the diff cover powder coating. My theory is that as I turned right, the steering stabilizer was forcing the center of the tie rod to stay stationary while the ends kept rotating, causing the jam nuts to loosen.

Anyway, I ended up rotating the steering stabilizer forward and away from the diff so that I could straighten out the tie-rod and turn the tires without it hitting the diff cover.

Jeep Gladiator Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot? diff

Jeep Gladiator Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot? IMG_0035
 
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hjdca

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Here is my amateur-hour mechanic job. I tightened up those big jam nuts and now we wait for the blue loctite to dry. I refilled the rubber boot with grease and zip-tied it until the replacement spring ring comes in the mail. Thanks again @TeraFlex for jumping in so quick with help!

I have a little theory about what may have happened. I don't recall hitting anything while off road that would dislodge the jam nuts like this. As I tightened the jam nuts I noticed that the shaft wanted to rotate backward causing the red steering stabilizer adjustment knob to make contact with the diff cover. If you look closely at this photo you can see a deep scratch it made in the diff cover powder coating. My theory is that as I turned right, the steering stabilizer was forcing the center of the tie rod to stay stationary while the ends kept rotating, causing the jam nuts to loosen.

Anyway, I ended up rotating the steering stabilizer forward and away from the diff so that I could straighten out the tie-rod and turn the tires without it hitting the diff cover.

diff.png

IMG_0035.jpg
Good job. Some more info.

If you lift the front end and move the steering wheel all the way right and all the way left, you will see better the clearance between the drag link and the steering stabilizer, and the track bar. Look right at it from underneath and check how it will behave at full suspension compression. For example, I have 2 inch Aluminum tie rod and drag link and the same steering stabilizer, and a thick diff cover. When checking clearances, I only have a small amount of variance to put the stabilizer in the proper location. It will most likely be best at vertical, slightly tilted back, depending on the thickness of your drag link (the bar above the tie rod) that is hooked up to the steering box. Here is a pic of mine to give you an idea of where my steering stabilizer is. Note: after this picture was taken, my drag link did scuff up my falcon sticker during some intense badge of honor trails in big bear. I had to move it back a little more. It it's most stressed position (compressed and turned), the red end of the steering stabilizer on the rod only clears the diff by 1/2 inch or so.

Jeep Gladiator Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot? j4kA4V
 
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KohalaHutch

KohalaHutch

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Good job. Some more info.

If you lift the front end and move the steering wheel all the way right and all the way left, you will see better the clearance between the drag link and the steering stabilizer, and the track bar. Look right at it from underneath and check how it will behave at full suspension compression. For example, I have 2 inch Aluminum tie rod and drag link and the same steering stabilizer, and a thick diff cover. When checking clearances, I only have a small amount of variance to put the stabilizer in the proper location. It will most likely be best at vertical, slightly tilted back, depending on the thickness of your drag link (the bar above the tie rod) that is hooked up to the steering box. Here is a pic of mine to give you an idea of where my steering stabilizer is. Note: after this picture was taken, my drag link did scuff up my falcon sticker during some intense badge of honor trails in big bear. I had to move it back a little more. It it's most stressed position (compressed and turned), the red end of the steering stabilizer on the rod only clears the diff by 1/2 inch or so.

Jeep Gladiator Faulty Teraflex Tie Rod Boot? j4kA4V
That’s super helpful. Mahalo!
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