Hey, I had a warranty issue taken care of at my ford dealer and they told me when picking up my truck (2001 f150) that all four tie rod ends were bad. I declined to pay 450 for the repairs and took a look myself. All four tie rod ends look to be in ok shape and I cant feel any real excess movement. Can somebody please advise me on the correct / best way to inspect these tie rods? Also, I have a bit of shimmy when I turn my steering wheel off center to the left...Any ideas?

 

They should have issued a inspection notice for tie rods showing how to check. Basically, you should be able to grab the bar that they thread into, going from inner to outer and twist. Then, pull and push on this bar to feel any play inside the rod. Test each by pulling/pushing closest to that one. Then do the same thing up and down. These things should feel super secure, if not, replace. Plus, if any ooze is seen, that means they're kaput. I look back and notice it use to pop during slow tight turns. It is not a bad idea to replace all with greaseable ones as a piece of mind thing, and 450 bucks including parts isn't bad, because they'll have to make sure of an alignment too. Insist on a grease fitting, trust me. Beware Ball joints too, these are problematic areas.