Tie Rods Does this look Right?

Going in next week for new tie rods and will take a much better video of before and after from the alignment shop pit.. The original Youtube video doesn't show enough and is confusing. So I removed it for now. Check back later next week. Thanks

I had a clunk on my ford; most of it was due to the position of the stabilizer bracket on the tie rod. It would yank the tie rod around with every bump or wheel turn.

I loosened the bracket and rotated it up as far as I dared, so the stabilizer would not get into the lower radiatior hose. It helped a lot even tho it still clunked.

They designed it with the absolute minimum parts they could get away with, hence the poor geometries. That front end is partly why I own a Chevy now....

DAS26miles wrote:
Bilstein Steering Stabilizer was installed 18 months ago and I noticed all that rotation then. I thought it was normal. The vehicle had a FREE first alignment a few months before as the MH had steering issues.

Did you get an alignment report? I am curious as to where the caster is set.

As far as the "rotational" play is concerned, to me it indicates the turn buckles are precisely centered. The less centered the turn buckles the less rotational play, which is not what you want. JMO.

Bilstein Steering Stabilizer was installed 18 months ago and I noticed all that rotation then. I thought it was normal. The vehicle had a FREE first alignment a few months before as the MH had steering issues.

time2roll wrote:
I call normal for the movement. I do wonder about the aftermarket stabilizer.

How long ago did you put that stabilizer on? If you just did it that is your problem, Bilstein stabilizers are gas charged, they will cause the wheel to pull one way or the other UNTIL they get broken in. When I first put mine on my Silverado it did the same thing, but after a couple thousand miles it didn't pull the wheel anymore.

Ours is parked with wheels on the ground and the steering is locked. Nothing would budge when I tried to flex it. Typically, if there's no "steering pressure" on the linkage, the tie rods will twist a little.

DAS26miles wrote:
Steering seem odd in that it's straight and all of a sudden pulls to the left.

That sounds like a brake dragging problem.
And it sounds dangerous to me.
You are right to check it out.
Still under warranty ??

ScottG wrote:
The adjusting collar looks loose. (Tie rod end stays almost still but the adjuster moves). Center the rotation and tighten down the collar on the passenger side. If the drivers side is the same it needs to be tightened as well. The tie rod "heads" should sit in the middle of their movement.

The rotation is at the tie rod ends and not very visible in the video. Checked another E450 and the rotation was a 1/3 of what I have. The adjuster is tight. Nothing wrong with the Bilstein steering stabilizer except that the dust cover sleeve has slipped and crunched. Easily refastened.

I call normal for the movement. I do wonder about the aftermarket stabilizer.

The adjusting collar looks loose. (Tie rod end stays almost still but the adjuster moves). Center the rotation and tighten down the collar on the passenger side. If the drivers side is the same it needs to be tightened as well. The tie rod "heads" should sit in the middle of their movement.