cheap tie rod ends

[SAndreasen]

i’m in need of one outer tie rod end napa wants twice as much for one as this hole kit with everything included is the cheap tie rod end a bad idea?
https://www.partsgeek.com/642mf8r-dodge-ram-3500-tie-rod-end-and-track-bar-kit.html

 

[Timd32]

Odd are you sure you got the NAPA number correct, RockAuto is still only $25 for their high end stuff.

Looks like there are some closeout items listed for RockAuto, plus there will be shipping, but there are RockAuto codes posted pretty regularly.

Here is their low end for a '99

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...urbocharged,1377581,steering,tie+rod+end,7428

 

[NIsaacs]

Which tie rod assembly do you have? Y style (light duty) or T style (heavy duty), 98-99 used both. Yes, Napa is high.

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[Ozymandias]

Rockauto.com would be my choice.

 

[SAndreasen]

Rockauto.com would be my choice.

mine is the heavy duty type

 

[SAndreasen]

Odd are you sure you got the NAPA number correct, RockAuto is still only $25 for their high end stuff.

Looks like there are some closeout items listed for RockAuto, plus there will be shipping, but there are RockAuto codes posted pretty regularly.

Here is their low end for a '99

View attachment 136209

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...urbocharged,1377581,steering,tie+rod+end,7428

i’m not sure on the part number they show one for 90$ and two other for 274 and one for over 300. i need to do more research

 

[SAndreasen]

Which tie rod assembly do you have? Y style (light duty) or T style (heavy duty), 98-99 used both. Yes, Napa is high.

#ad

mine is the heavy duty type

 

[Topzide]

Here's a RockAuto code: 222280133194296555 , good till Jan 22, 2023. Saves you 5%.

 

[SAndreasen]

Here's a RockAuto code: 222280133194296555 , good till Jan 22, 2023. Saves you 5%.

thanks

 

[Ozymandias]

mine is the heavy duty type

In Rock they are labeled under 8800lbs Version.
1998 MY can be better to find parts then 1999.
Had to do that for my buddies 98.5

 

[Matt42]

I wouldn't buy any tie rod end at any price that doesn't come with a grease fitting. In this climate, the boots dry up and come off. Even after that happens, it's possible to pump in more grease regularly until the part itself is too lose to continue using.

Admission: I didn't look up any of the parts in the illustration to find out if they had grease fittings.
Edit: Looking again at the illustration, it appears that there are grease fittings, even with the five buck parts.

 

[Timd32]

I wouldn't buy any tie rod end at any price that doesn't come with a grease fitting. In this climate, the boots dry up and come off. Even after that happens, it's possible to pump in more grease regularly until the part itself is too lose to continue using.

Admission: I didn't look up any of the parts in the illustration to find out if they had grease fittings.
Edit: Looking again at the illustration, it appears that there are grease fittings, even with the five buck parts.

I will admit I'm not purposely running a $4.30 Tie Rod. If that's what the factory uses great, but losing a steering off a few bucks would be tragic.

At the same time $$$ does not equal quality with these places either. The $4.30 is listed as Wholesale close out what ever that means discount wise.

Rock has its added shipping, they all make it up somewhere, the local parts houses like Advanced never shuts their darn lights off they run them 24/7 because who knows, maybe keeps the mice away, but all that adds cost to their products. It's really expensive for junk at these places at times.

 

[Matt42]

I will admit I'm not purposely running a $4.30 Tie Rod. If that's what the factory uses great, but losing a steering off a few bucks would be tragic.

At the same time $$$ does not equal quality with these places either. The $4.30 is listed as Wholesale close out what ever that means discount wise.

Rock has its added shipping, they all make it up somewhere, the local parts houses like Advanced never shuts their darn lights off they run them 24/7 because who knows, maybe keeps the mice away, but all that adds cost to their products. It's really expensive for junk at these places at times.

That is so true. I've looked into parts for different vehicles at brick-and-mortar parts stores. What I found was confusing and disquieting. One well known chain sells lifetime guarantee parts and 1 year warranty parts that are indistinguishable from one another, but at different prices. Both are made in China. And both seem to have similar failure rates. A different chain sells parts that sometimes come from China and sometimes come from Mexico. They tell me that the Mexican parts usually tend to be a little better.

A friend in Wyoming went thru two Chinese NAPA clutch sets in her 2008 CTD in short order. Both sets had NAPA parts warranties, but she had to pay for the labor. When the second set went bad (mostly the release bearing), I referred her to the people at South Bend and suggested she go to a different shop. The shop owner told her that he was happy to finally see a quality clutch set he wasn't going to have to tear down again soon. Oddly, while the South Bend set did cost more, it wasn't a whole lot more.