Alignment / Broken CV axle / Inner tie rod question

So a few days ago I was wheeling and broke my driver side CV joint. It was an aftermarket axle that had only been in for a few months. I drove the vehicle home about 20 miles @ 40mph. Aside from a few seconds of clattering noises, it actually drove pretty good. Alignment felt normal and steering felt same as normal.

The shop that did the original CV joint replacement covered it under warranty. I noticed as soon as I drove out of their parking lot, my alignment felt all wacked out. I wasn't too worried about it because I have a lifetime alignment package @ another shop. Well I took it to have an alignment today and they informed me that I have a "loose inner tie rod" on the driver side that is causing play in my steering. They still completed the alignment, but it doesnt feel the same as when I usually get it back from being aligned. The wheel is cocked to the left when driving straight and I can definitely notice the play in the steering.

It strikes me as strange how my steering and alignment felt fine on the drive home with a broken CV, but once it was replaced now i am having issues. Can anybody shed any light on this?

 

Can you verify the loose tie rod?

 

I would not drive it with a suspect tie rod end... Have you ever seen what happens when the tires turn in two directions at the same time? It isn't pretty. :O

 

I have not yet verified it. I have never dealt with tierods before. Do I just jack the front wheels off the ground and inspect the tierod for any play/looseness?

 

That's how its done. Grave the wheel at the 12oclock and 6 o'clock positions and try and move the wheel up and down checking for play in both the tierods and ball joints. Then grab the wheel at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions and try to move the wheel back and forth..again checking for play.

 

^monkey's gotcha. i havent heard of these trucks eating rod ends too bad. . . nor have i heard of broken c/v's / axles yet. for my own future reference, how hard can you push them before they eat a c/v? is your front locked? do you have lower than factory gears or t-case? basicly howd ya do it? i need to know!

why did your "lifetime alignment" shop give you an alignment with a worn rod end? did they not offer to replace? did they tell you it wont drive worth a damn?

 

Factory gears, no front locker (Atrac though). The axle that broke was an aftermarket. I had a torn boot on my original and didn't want to fix it myself, so I took it to a shop to have done. They recommended putting in a whole new axle because it would be the same labor cost + I would have a 3 year warranty. As opposed to them just replacing the boot and I would have no warranty. Well I made a bad choice and went with that. I didn't realize the aftermarket CV's suck!! It was only 3 months old when it broke.

I was driving in a creek bottom and came to a spot where there was a big log that was recessed into the creek bottom and it was the only way "up" to the next level (terrain climbed up from there). I was attempting to drive up the log when it broke. My wheels were slightly turned at the time I believe.

I took my truck to the shop today that did the CV replacement to have them check the tierods and evaluate the driveability issues. They believe the issue lies within my alignment. When I showed them the print out of the recent alignment they laughed and said the other shop could have done much better.

They said they dont know how replacing the CV could have thrown out the alignment though. The tech who checked my tierods said "there is no way he could sleep at night if he told me I needed any part of my tie rods replaced". He found nothing wrong with them.

Here is the print out of the recent alignment (I have a firestone lifetime). They gave me my print out, told me about my "loose inner tie rod on the drivers side" and sent me on my merry way. Didn't give me an estimate or mention any danger in driving. I called them later that evening to get an estimate and they never called back (told me they would work one up). I called again yesterday and they again said they would work one up, but never called me back. Pretty weird. You would think if they were trying to "upsell" me on a un-needed repair, they would at least give me an opportunity to have it done.

I am going to take it to a different firestone location to have them do another alignment. Hopefully my steering wheel will be straight when driving straight down the road!

 

that is completely odd. i feel for ya but am really happy to hear that your rod-ends are good. even with all the tire they are pushing around, and off road at that! bummer with that axle going though. that is rediculous that it would break under a crawling situation. there is no excuse for cv breakage without some serious "hopping" or if something else breaks alowing them to turn at too sharp an angle. that is with factory gears

i would tell whoever put that aftermarket on to buy you a factory one. screw the warranty

 

Yep, a OEM cv is definitely in my future. I took it to have another alignment today and they figured out it was my tires that were causing my drivibility issues. Uneven wear was causing pulling, thus my steering wheel was slanted while driving straight. They rotated them and its much better now. Just bizarre that it start right after the CV was replaced.