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Tie rod end replacement

Crusty old shellback

Crusty old shellback

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So I'm looking at replacing all of the tie rod ends on my '21 Power Wagon.
The drag link and the steering link.

But I'm running into an issue trying to find replacement Tie Rod ends.
Are the ends replaceable?
Or do I have to replace the whole thing?
Any links provided would help.
 
I believe the drag link is just one pre-made unit. The tie rod might be as well. I haven't needed them but have looked months in the past and that was the only way I could find them.

Edit: Rockauto has them - only in MOPAR and they aren't cheap.

Drag link - 68383343AA - $567.79

Tie rod - 68369910AE - $454.79

Looked up under a 21 PW
 
Yea, I was at Orielys today and they only showed the drag link as a complete unit. $350.
That's what started this conversation
May be that you can only replace the steering system as a unit, not individual pieces like days of old.
 
Yeah it doesn't appear there's much in the way of piecing things together. I've seen the inner portion of the drag link. Its weird though. It appears like its end inserts into a matched inner slot or hole in the outer drag link so they can't rotate independently of each other. Then the adjuster just moves them in/out of each other. (at least thats what I'm guessing - never had one apart to see). Never seen any other parts, let alone the adjuster/clamp.

I mean its expensive but at least replacement is easy-peasy that way. And no worries about screwing up with equal thread engagement on the inner vs outer pieces.
 
Yea, just crawled under the truck.
Drag link and steering link are separate
Looks like possibly replace toe rod end on one end, but not both. But doesent fix the problem.

Saw the synergy system on CJC and a few other sites. That's what confused me.

So looks like a complete new system is in my future.
 
65K miles running 35s
Steering is getting worse.
Finally got rid of the tire cupping. Balance beads back in the tires. Alingement is 0 toe. New Carli track bar. New Fox 2.0 IFPs.
Still get some death wobble when I hit the divits in the road for the centerline marker.
I see a little play, but didn't think much about it.
I need New tires, but waiting on the BFG KO3s in 35 to come out.
Stock mopar is more than the Synergy or Apex.
 
Curious what your caster is set to but if you're seeing play in the tie rod/drag link joints that's not good either. I typically like a dry steer test as the weight of the truck acts on the steering a lot better than my arms shaking wheels down. It will also show how much play is in the box itself.
 
Castor was set at 3.5. Then I changed it back to 4.
But no issues when I did either one.

I did the wife in the truck swining the steering wheel while I was under it looking. That's when I saw movement in the drag link and a little in the tie rods. I also checked play in the steering box and it's negligible.

Good thing with the aftermarket steering setup is you can change out the tie rods when they get worn. And they are greasable.
 
You can't replace just the ends. One is part of the steering linkage.

Ordering the synergy set up with a FOX 2.0 IFP stabilizer from CJC.
About the same as the mopar system without the stabilizer. And I can replace just the tie rod ends when they go bad
 
Crusty old shellback said:
You can't replace just the ends. One is part of the steering linkage.

Ordering the synergy set up with a FOX 2.0 IFP stabilizer from CJC.
About the same as the mopar system without the stabilizer. And I can replace just the tie rod ends when they go bad
Click to expand...
Do they let you know the replacement end part numbers?
 
For the synergy? Yes. I think you can also use an off the shelf one as well.
The Apex is there own design of end and a lot more expensive to replace. That's why I went with synergy.
The actual ball joint seems a better design on the synergy one.
 
Crusty old shellback said:
For the synergy? Yes. I think you can also use an off the shelf one as well.
The Apex is there own design of end and a lot more expensive to replace. That's why I went with synergy.
The actual ball joint seems a better design on the synergy one.
Click to expand...
Yes I was asking about the Synergy setup.
 
Crusty old shellback said:
For the synergy? Yes. I think you can also use an off the shelf one as well.
The Apex is there own design of end and a lot more expensive to replace. That's why I went with synergy.
The actual ball joint seems a better design on the synergy one.
Click to expand...

I'll be curious to see how you like the Synergy setup. I usually kill steering components after a while on all of my trucks - Heavy tires, lots of gravel roads that get rutted out with storms, etc. I've been waiting till I inevitably wear out mine to decide if I upgrade (most likely) or replace with stock.
 
So I talked with CJC and this is what they told me about Apex and Synergy.

Our recommendation is to go with Apex steering as it will offer better track bar and stabilizer compatibility, and Apex offers a lifetime warranty on the steering linkage and joints. Synergy is still a solid option, but they do not have a warranty on their joints, and you can only use their steering stabilizers with select track bars.

So I ordered the Apex and Fox 2.0 IFP stabilizer which will work with my Carli track bar.
 
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