Tie rod

[69gladiator]

I am replacing out the tie rod and drag link on my 82 Cherokee. The old tie rod had a rubber bushing with metal washers on both ends. The new tie rods don’t have these. All they have are dust boots. I bought the parts from Rock auto and they didn’t show a rubber bushing. Also BJs did not show a bushing. Is this a separate part? Is it needed?

[sierrablue]

I don't know of any bushings other than the boots that come on the tie rods. There should be a washer on top, with the nut and a cotter pin to hold it in.

[tgreese]

If they claim it's a replacement, you could buy it and see if it fits. If not, you can return it.

The conventional design has a tapered shaft with a rubber dust cover.

Seems clear that the aftermarket sellers are offering a part of conventional design as a replacement for whatever Jeep used. The Jeep design is unusual, and they Jeep Corp may have thought it was better somehow.

This thread may help some - https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewto ... 10&t=23069

[sierrablue]

Mine doesn't have that weird piece between the tie rod and the knuckle. I'm not 100% sure, and there may be a metric vs. standard difference, but I'm pretty sure the '74-'91 all uses the same tie rods. I think that's about it.

[69gladiator]

I don’t want to create a new post but it’s all related-The new drag link is shorter than the original one but Identical How much thread has to be left in the sleeves? I’m showing about in each direction? The old drag link in pretty pounded around the fixed end of the socket so I’d to replace it

[Yeller]

I think this is similar to what you are looking for.
https://www.jcroffroad.com/product/PLYBSH.html
The theory is that with the drag link attached to the tie rod it wants to roll as the draglink moves back and forth. I've seen some OEM dust seals that did this and some that do not in the same application. I personally have not experienced any difference with or without them but do understand the theory behind them that in in theory it tightens up the steering and reduces wandering. In reality I don't think it is that much help and if it is, something else is going on aggravating the issue like worn joints or poor angles from a lift being installed with insufficient attention paid to steering angles. Using a normal dust boot is sufficient in my opinion.

[sierrablue]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that if Yeller thinks it's good enough, it's at least adequate