inner tie rod replacement - aftermarket upgrade or OEM (2006 GX) (4 Viewers)

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Strong Island, NY
I just came back from mechanic for a safety inspection and they told me there was a little play (I did see it as they did it) in the front driver wheel and that inner tie rods need to be replaced soonish.

I am currently all stock suspension (no lift, still have airbags rear). If I was going to lay out a road map to slowly upgrade my suspension to eventually have a lift (2-3 inch lift, Bilsteins, nothing crazy) is there an upgraded inner tie rod that I should install now in advance since I have to do it? Or should I stick to OEM?

Also, is there anything else that I should replace together with the inner tie rod that would be a smart thing to do (preventative maintenance-wise)

Thanks for the advice everyone!
 
Usually the inners don't go bad. The outers will wear out far sooner and have about half the life of the inner in my experience. If they do replace the inner also do the outer tie rod since its already apart minus a nut and cotter pin at that point.
 
Usually the inners don't go bad. The outers will wear out far sooner and have about half the life of the inner in my experience. If they do replace the inner also do the outer tie rod since its already apart minus a nut and cotter pin at that point.
Ah, thanks for that advice! Any suggestions for parts? Is there an aftermarket upgrade or stick to OEM with a mind towards a future lift?
 
OEM or 555 is OEM quality. The only thing you could do is tie rod sleeves but unless you're wheeling it on extreme trails and rocks you will never bend a tie rod and don't need them
 
555's should be available at your local NAPA.
 
You re-use the inner rubber boot or get new ones?

I’m carrying a new pair of 555 inner/outer/boots/clamp as spares.

My stock oem ones are 20 years old now.

Should I replace them now or wait for trail damage?
 
I would personally replace them now and carry your old ones as spares in case of trail damage. Its a hassle replacing something on a narrow trail in the mud and rocks usually on something steep compared to a driveway with all the tools you need where its level. I know you're in CA so its probably just sand and not such a big deal though
 
There are a lot of mixed opinions on the 555's being as good as OEM, and there are also fake ones around I think. While they aren't cheap the lexus outers are about $60, the inners $170. 555 kit with reliable sourcing is $120 for all four.
 
My inners were replaced when I did the steering rack, which came with new inner tie rod ends. I'd personally leave the tie rod ends alone if the GX otherwise drives fine. It does make sense to replace the tie rods (inner and outer) when you are doing other work like putting on a lift, replacing the steering rack, etc.
 
My inners were replaced when I did the steering rack, which came with new inner tie rod ends. I'd personally leave the tie rod ends alone if the GX otherwise drives fine. It does make sense to replace the tie rods (inner and outer) when you are doing other work like putting on a lift, replacing the steering rack, etc.
So when I was doing some research online, I saw that I didn't have any of the "symptoms" of bad tie rods (noises when turning, shaking steering wheel, pulling to one side, general steering instability). I was watching the mechanic as he was doing my state safety inspection with the GX up on a lift, and I did see him check for play on the front wheels and I did see the wheel move, exhibiting play.

If I plan on putting in a lift, are the tie rods either replaced or erased as part of that process? Is that why you are advising me to leave the tie rods alone for now? Forgive my lack of knowledge on this, I am trying to learn as much as I can.

Thanks!
 
The OEM Toyota tie rods are pretty good. Mine were a bit "floppy" at ~145K when I lifted the GX but were not loose and still functioned just fine. I replaced them anyway. I don't think it's out of the question for the OEM tie rods to last 200K miles. However, the play in the wheel your mechanic saw could be from any number of things. Unless your GX is really high mileage, I'd expect the play to be from worn steering rack bushings rather than inner or outer tie rod ends (if it is high mileage and on the original steering back, it probably needs a rack/bushings and tie rods). You can check for the source of the play by having someone sit inside your GX and turn the steering wheel back and forth (parked with the engine off). Then you can see how the steering rack, inner tie rods, and outer tie rods are moving in relation to each other, and determine the source of the movement. For my GX (after tie rod replacement), the steering rack bushings were so shot that the rack had almost an inch of side-to-side play in it (as observed by the rack moving side-to-side when the steering wheel was turned - it should stay still).

Replacing the tie rods is a pretty easy job (can be done in the driveway with just a few tools) but also requires an immediate trip to the shop to get a front-end alignment prior to driving the GX any real distance. Putting on a lift, or replacing the steering rack also requires a front end alignment . If you are going to do either of these activities in the near future, it's usually more time and cost-effective to do it all at once, when the GX is already apart and when you need to get a front end alignment anyway.
 
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The OEM Toyota tie rods are pretty good. Mine were a bit "floppy" at ~145K when I lifted the GX but were not loose and still functioned just fine. I replaced them anyway. I don't think it's out of the question for the OEM tie rods to last 200K miles. However, the play in the wheel your mechanic saw could be from any number of things. Unless your GX is really high mileage, I'd expect the play to be from worn steering rack bushings rather than inner or outer tie rod ends (if it is high mileage and on the original steering back, it probably needs a rack/bushings and tie rods). You can check for the source of the play by having someone sit inside your GX and turn the steering wheel back and forth (parked with the engine off). Then you can see how the steering rack, inner tie rods, and outer tie rods are moving in relation to each other, and determine the source of the movement. For my GX (after tie rod replacement), the steering rack bushings were so shot that the rack had almost an inch of side-to-side play in it (as observed by the rack moving side-to-side when the steering wheel was turned - it should stay still).

Replacing the tie rods is a pretty easy job (can be done in the driveway with just a few tools) but also requires an immediate trip to the shop to get a front-end alignment prior to driving the GX any real distance. Putting on a lift, or replacing the steering rack also requires a front end alignment . If you are going to do either of these activities in the near future, it's usually more time and cost-effective to do it all at once, when the GX is already apart and when you need to get a front end alignment anyway.
My GX has 224,XXX miles, I bought it with about 212,XXX. Lexus service records that go to about 170,XXX don't indicate any suspension or steering parts being replaced.

Thanks for the detailed response, will consider replacing the tie rods and steering bushings just to get it over with. Whats funny is that I have been so amazed at how true, steady and straight the GX is on road. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ that was just all over the road, especially on the freeway and I was told by people that it was just the crosswinds catching the boxy ZJ. Lol. The GX is by far larger and taller than the ZJ and I have never had the kind of instability.
 
At 224K I would be pretty surprised if you didn't need a new steering rack, inner tie rods, and outers in the future :). The parts are not really that expensive so you might as well just do all of them. Other things like LCA and UCA bushings are probably getting worn too, but could be postponed until you lift it (unless they are pretty bad already).
 
At 224K I would be pretty surprised if you didn't need a new steering rack, inner tie rods, and outers in the future :). The parts are not really that expensive so you might as well just do all of them. Other things like LCA and UCA bushings are probably getting worn too, but could be postponed until you lift it (unless they are pretty bad already).
Thank you for the heads up! I've seen the UCA being part of the lift work, but will add in the bushings and LCA as part of my research and planning.
 
I’ve seen GX470s with over 300k miles on original steering rack, tie rods, and cv axles.

I offroad medium difficulty trails with rocks, ruts, washboards, etc. I’ve been doing this for 6 years on my 2003 GX470 with 33s and a 2.25” lift.

Anyways, mine are still original cv axles, cv boots, tie rods, steering rack. 20 years and abused. Over 175k miles.

I already have new front coilovers 6112s, new oem LCAs, New TC UCAs, New OCD sway bar end links.
And I have replaced the alternator as preventive maintenance as well as the entire cooling system (radiator, cap, thermostat, hoses, WP, belts).

Just not feeling the preventive maintenance bug on the tie rods and cv axles.
 
My tie rods certainly felt fine in terms of driving, but were pretty floppy when I removed them at 145K (along with the upper and lower ball joints). The GX drove a bit tighter afterwards. Even though the parts weren't shot, they were getting worn out and looser than the new ones I put on. With the whole front end apart anyway for a lift, it didn't cost much more in parts and my time to just replace everything and get a brand-new suspension.

As far as my steering rack goes, the bushings were totally shot around the 150K mark and the fluid had metal shavings in it when I replaced the rack. This made the GX drive and handle much better. My rack bushings had been OK, but must have been hanging on by a thread and really came apart on a wheeling trip. For the OP, he has some play in the steering, which could be tie rods, rack, or something else.

Amazing your CV boots are still alive! Those typically don't last more than 100K. I'm already on my 3rd set - but upgraded to All Pro's to keep from destroying more OEM-style boots. My GX is not abused either - just driven and moderately wheeled.

Parts wear is always going to be variable between vehicles. I picked up mine at 135K and it had had a few owners before that - not sure how they drove. Other vehicles I've owned since new or new-ish have had tight suspensions to well over 100K.
 
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I wonder if being a SoCal rig all its life helps prolong the life of certain things.

PO lifted it and put 33s prior to me purchasing back in 2017 and he did offroad some, but I did replace the LCAs due to torn bushings and worn ball joints so not everything lasts a long time.

Also, I’ve been spraying AT-205 fluid on my cv boots, tie rod boots, and rubber bushings every other year. I saw this from Scotty Wilmer video on YouTube. He said this helps preserve rubber and it made sense to me.

Anyways, I’m going to keep an eye on my tie rods. I need to grease a few things this winter ❄️ and you have me double guessing my stand on waiting for the tie rods to go bad.
 
AT-205 probably made a huge difference. I dumped a bottle of that in my 2UZ and it dried up the rear main seal leak very quickly. Need to try it on my sunroof seal and see if it cuts down on the road noise. I don't usually bother with bottled products but that stuff is awesome.
 
I also wonder about the effect of climate on this stuff, I live in the Pacific Northwest and the truck has always been here, 170k miles and also all stock still aside from one CV boot tore and was open for a while so I replaced it with stock rebuild, and rebooted the other side when I did my lift with the cvj red boot. Will see how those hold up. I don’t off-road a lot, but there’s tons of washboard around here so the bushings get a workout. The only one that wore out was the KDSS rear piston side, it actually wore all the way through on one side, bottom I think it was. All the others continue to look good on visual inspection.
 

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