Re: 84 5kS Tie Rod End

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

> My (her, whatever) '84 5000S needs a left outer tie rod end.  The one on
> it is quite loose.  Both NAPA and the Audi dealer list both the end and
> the whole assembly.  There is a very large price difference, is there any
> benefit of getting the whole assembly?  Is there anything else in that
> assembly that can go bad that warrant replacing more than just the end
> itself?

Over time, the rubber bushing on the inside of the tie-rod will deteroriate
and get sloppy; likewise, the metal sleeve inside the bushing will wear and
this too can cause sloppiness in the front end.  I recently replaced both
tie-rods on my '87 5000s (125K miles) and this cured an ever-so-slight bit
of play that I felt when I started to turn the steering wheel off center... 


                /| | | |\  |   |\  | | |\  |  AudiDudi@delphi.com
               /-| | | | | | = | | | | | | |  Jeffrey Goggin
              /  | |_| |/  |   |/  |_| |/  |  Scottsdale, Arizona