Tie rod ends don't match up

Hello all,

I'm new here so if this issue has come up before, I'm sorry, but I can't find any info on this issue anywhere.

On Friday something cut loose on my drivers side front end, broke upper and lower ball joints, tore out the CV axle and snapped it in half, and broke the ball joint on the end of the tie rod.

Replaced it all yesterday, but the tie rod ends I have, and all I'm able to find ANYWHERE, don't match what I had on the truck on either side.

My local Toyota dealer parts dept. is closed today but I wouldn't be surprised is there are people on this forum who are more informed than the dealer so any help would be great.

I'm attaching a picture of what I have. The end on the right is what was on my truck, the one on the left is all I'm able to find as replacements. I installed the replacement, knowing it probably wouldn't be right, and it fit, but it stressed the hell out of the inner tied rod, compressed the boot and twisted it up and there is no way I'm getting that aligned, as far as I know. The drivers side front wheel toes way out to the left

I've tried all the big name parts places, Amazon, Ebay and surfed the web for hours, but I can't find a thing other than Part number 3546, which doesn't fit.

The only marks on the original are from the forge, an "L" and a "5" and the the back of the ball joint part is stamped 7x14.

I don't think the original bent as there are no marks to suggest it, but even so if it was deformed the replacement should work.

Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Jim

 

It would help people to know what year, specs of truck. 2wd 4wd etc.

 

I'd say that that broken one is bent the new tie rod end looks correct to me . replaced many 1st gen ball joints, tie rods in the past. You might also think about replacing the rack. If I where you I'd also change the other side ball joints. Also check about a recall on them, you might get lucky and they'd be covered.

 

Well hell. That's the part all right! Compared to that, mine looks pretty dang bent for sure.

I think I'm going to change out the whole rack and pinion. I've had a pretty good leak going for a while down there. Think it's best to just start from scratch?

Thanks for all the help!!!

 

Thanks for your help with this, it really helped a lot.

I bought that Tacoma in 03 but I'm pretty sure it had been wrecked once. I started to notice things long after I'd bought it that made me suspect it, even though the Carfax report said there were no REPORTED accidents. In any case it looks like someone had done an alignment with the bent drivers side tie rod and it worked out and held. I'd never done an alignment or even any tie rod work, but I figured it can't be that hard, so I installed the new tie rod, the one in the picture, I just didn't screw it into the inner rod as far as I had earlier based on the bent rod that I took off the truck on Saturday. Youtube had a video on a simple way to do an alignment and I tried it out and sure enough between that and installing the tie rod to the correct spot, those wheels are piss straight!!!

I did decided to get the rack and pinion done by mechanic I know who is hurting right now, mostly 'cuz I'm just over spending all my free time fixing stuff.

I sure do appreciate the help!!

 

What I want to see is what you hit that tore all that stuff up.

And no alignment for 17 yrs? You can fund your parts from those savings alone

 

I didn't hit anything. I was driving through a parking lot. Thank goodness it was an unused parking lot to an old K-Mart that went out years ago.

I've had real bad luck with ball joints on this truck. Both sides have gone out twice. Three of the four times I'd been driving under 10 MPH, but the third time I was doing about 70 on the Lake Jesup bridge, which is about 1 mile long and WHAMO!!! But aside from that, not much else, a couple clutches, alternator, A/C hasn't worked in years, but I'm in Florida so who needs that...and not one single alignment come to think of it. Watch now I'm gonna need one every 1000 miles.