I have play on my inner tie rod end on my 96 doedge Intrepid. On Rockauto website Moog makes a problem solver bushing repair kit. Not having taken it apart yet I am not intimately familir with its construction. It appears I can save significant money and some labor by buying the bushing kit and not the entire inner rod. It just appears to be a plain steel bushing and the rubber seals. Does anyone have any first hand insight? Am I missing anything? Do I need a press to get the old bushing out of the rod? No info available on this in my Chilton’s manual.
The bushing kit is for the steering rack not for the tie rod end the tie rods must be replaced if worn. you do need a press to replace the rack bushings
Blackdiamond,
Thanks for your reply.
The link below is an article which describes the tie rod end repair using the Moog K7349 (NAPA 274-9182) bushing repair kit(or equivalent). It sure seems like a better overall solution than replacing the entire inner tie rod.
It does reference replacing rack bushings for the 95 and earlier model years which is what I think you are thinking about.
This article is full of detailed and well done.
It looks like a simple fix. The replacement bushing is a two piece affair. So each half of the bushing is inserted into the tie rod end. So no press is required. The original bushing is a one piece bushing. With this type it has to be lubed and pressed into the tie rod end.
Tester
Yes. The hardest part is gaining access. From the article it sounds involved on the 3.5L. The 3.3L, which is what I have, is a bit easier.
I believe the Moog problem solver bushings are made from PBR which is harder than the OEM rubber and tends to last longer.
Having now completed the job I will say it is not that bad. It helps if you have a low profile ratchet and shallow sockets or ratcheting box wrenches. I have the 3.3L engine and I did remove the air intake to gain better access. Looks worse than it is to remove. The Moog bushing kit came with new bolts and washers. The Washers can be easily dropped and lost so becarefull. You can spend a long time feeling around the top of the transaxle looking for them. I finalay got smart and put a rag below it to catch them. The new bolts have a 15mm hex allowing you to use smaller sockets and tools giving you a little more room to work. It was a smart upgrade. The original bolt have a 22mm Hex. While I had the tie rod loose I changed the passenger side rear O2 sensor as it was original.