ok i had the car lifted and my front left wheel off. im checking over all the suspension stuff and i found that the tie rod moved up and down vertically about 1-2mm. does this mean the tie rod end needs to be replaced? you cant just tighten that castelated nut down a little more? also the rubber boot wasnt "tucked" in under the joint, is it supposed to be just hanging over the joint pretty much? should there be a very slight amount of play in the tie rod vertically when the wheel is off the ground? when i got the car back on the ground and moved the steering wheel all the way to the left i felt the tie rod again and it was solid this time, is this because the wheels were turned to full lock? here is a pic of the tir rod, i know its bad but its all i could manage to get. does that boot look normal or should it be tuked in? also might filling the joint with grease get rid of the slight play?

 

the boot looks fine, but the joints shouldn't have vertical play.

 

even with the car off the ground?

 

any vertical play is no good. means the ball and socket are worn out inside. putting grease will remove the slight play but only temporarily.

 

whats the difference between inner and outter tie rod ends? whats the part right under the castelated nut?

 

Yep, they need replaced. I had one of my tie rod ends come off when I was pulling into a parking lot. (the threads came out of the adjuster) The car just kind of drifted right into the other lane. Thankfully no one was there, and it didn't happen on the highway.

 

one is left threaded and the other is right. i cant remember whichis which though. i would tell ya but i am away from my car for along time.

 

should there be "horizontal" play in the tie rods? like u can spin the rod but not a complete revolution, just spin back and forth a bit. is that normal?

 

Do you mean spinning the adjuster? The bolts on it should be torqued down very well and it shouldn't move at all. I'm confused by what "horizontal" movement you're describing.

 

not just the adjuster, the entire rod from the steering to the wheel. it rotates back and forth a little, doesnt do a full revolution but it does rotate. this is normal right?

 

Oh, the whole tie rod... yes it should move a little, not a whole lot but a little. I'd say no more than 1/4" or so of play, otherwise it would be too much.

 

IIRC the inner is right threaded and the outer is left threaded. Not positive but I'm pretty sure that's how it was when I did mine.

 

it moves more the 1/4in, im guessing maybe like 1/2in to 1in. the bushings shot maybe?

 

Sounds like it, they souldn't have a whole lot of play in them, just enough so they don't bind up when you turn.