new tie rod ends

I'd try driving it and turn the wheel loose and see if it pulls to either side, if it stays straight you should be OK. I forget what truck you have but on my KW you can buy the big ball joint thingy for the end of the control arm, dealers told me they no longer offered that end and would have to buy the complete arm for two hundred + bucks, I found one parts guy willing to do some searching and got a part # I had FleetPride to cross it and got the end for forty some bucks. Yeh another thing is to make sure they get your steering wheel straight after installation.

 

My first question is why are you replacing the tierod ends and pitman arm if the front tires are wearing perfectly? Did the guy that wants to replace the tie rod ends show you why they are bad, or are you taking his word for it? If he can't do an alignment and is just "hangin parts" I would take it back to the shop that aligned it and get another opinion. If they are actually bad then just have the "toe" checked/set thats all that will change. If they are bad then I would have to ask the shop that aligned it 40,000 ago how they did it with bad tie rod ends, they can't properly set the toe-in/out with worn parts

 

I had a 3-axle alignment 2 years ago. Just had the tie rod ends done, and since I put 10 new tires on it at the same time I decided to have it 3-axle aligned again. Only measurement that was out-of-spec was the toe. I would have them check that at the very least...the drive axles should still be OK if they've been done recently.

Counting the threads will get you close...but "close" will still wear tires faster than it should if it were set correctly.

 

ALWAYS have at least the toe set after new ones are installed! Counting turns is only good enough to get you to the alignment shop! Tie rod ends are not made precise enough as for overall length or or where the treads start to simply rely on counting turns. Who's knows if the original one and the replacement one were made by the same company at the same factory? Probably not! Bad gamble to take on a set of $800+ steers! Chances are the toe was out before, now it will be way out! The toe can be out enough to destroy your steers and the truck will feel and steer the same. Most shops only charge about an hour labor or so for a simple toe set. Cheap insurance really.

 

The thread is accurate but where does the thread start? 1/4-3/4 turn and that big tire can be up to an 1/2" off. You can get close but you are lucky to get it exact. You can get closer dropping the whole assembly and dropping a tape. You always get a professional alignment after fooling with the front end. It's a lot cheaper than tires. Coming off the steering box is the Pitman arm.

 

Replaced complete tie rod assembly awhile back. One end had slight play. i figured might as well replace both ends? I price ends at KW and priced ends with the cross tube. I forget the exact dollar figures, but it wasnt much more money buying complete tie rod vs buying the two ends.
As i said, i dont remember $ figures but it was more than $24. This is KW prices and i have a 20K front end, so im sure that affected price?

 

The toe in should be checked with new tie rods installed, that's the only thing that would go out.