jdmcivic2fast

Im looking to replace my outter tie rods due to worn out bushings. I was looking at the Moog ones and they go for about 50-60bucks a piece, then I saw the Napa MRC brand one goes for 18-20 a piece, they both carry about the same part number MOES3332R for the Moog http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/de...MOES3332R.html
and MRC ES3332 for the Napa MRC brand
Are these really the same parts or just the numbers are alike but different parts?

Anyone have personal experience with the Napa MRC brand?? I know that the Moog ones are quality pieces already so Just want to know about the Napa MRC brand.

Are there any other brands beside the Napa MRC, Moog and OEM ones I should look into??

thanks

joeshmo

FWIW, I've had great luck with all of the napa no-name brands. I think I got some balljoints there for an older chrysler and they did pretty well. Used a ton of their other parts (axles, bushings, window motors, oil filters, fuel filters, RTV, brakekleen, ect.) However if I had the choice, I would go for OEM over either NAPA or MOOG. Have you looked into that yet? Also you could ask the NAPA guys if their product is made by moog. If they don't know, email MOOG about it.

I just checked majestic honda, they have tie rods for 46$ a piece for my car. Cheaper than moog!

jdmcivic2fast

Im looking to spend about 20 bucks a piece so i wanted to know if the napa ones are like moog, if they are not the same as moog and I have to pay 50 bucks for one then I would diffenately get the OEM.

joeshmo

If you are looking to spend 20 dollars a piece then get the napa. It'll be better than a "dura-last" but probably not as good as OEM. I still suggest contacting NAPA/MOOG and asking.

98civdx

Moog or OEM, period.

Check out majestic Honda for them.

jdmcivic2fast

btw, how do u tell if the outter tie rods are no good? I try to move the tires with my hands holding at 12 and 6 oclock and 3 and 9 oclock but there is absolutely no movement on both sides. And there is absolutley no movement on anything suspension related.

lovelove

Obviously one way to tell if your outer tie rods are no good is to do a dead stop roll or look at the bushings to see if it's torn. However, from the dead stop, start at 0mph to however much (Don't floor it; it should be like your DD). If you feel that the car has thump from the front, yes; it is bad. Other than that, no; leave it be.

Jasmine1

This

jdmcivic2fast

wel the bushings are not completely torn up like the ones ive seen on other cars, it just has a crack line around half way of the bushing and the grease leak out, thats about it.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

You can buy the boots for $2/ea for the upper & lower ball-joints, and $5/ea for the tie-rod straight from a Honda dealer. Just pop the old one off, clean the ball-joint off with a rag, re-grease it, and install the new boot with the old cir-clip. I've done this and it works perfectly. Beats the pants off buying an new ball-joint plus paying for an alignment when you don't need them.

G1Parts.com has free shipping on OEM parts if your order is over $20. Their prices are the same or less than Hondapartsnow so they are way cheaper overall. Just have your part numbers handy from another Honda website cause finding parts on their site is a real pain.

jdmcivic2fast

what kind of grease are u suppose to use for the bushings? im thinking about just doing what u say, cause the only thing i see is a crack line around the bushings and grease leaked out.

joeshmo

Chassis grease. You need a grease gun with a zirc fitting for most things, not sure about tie rod ends though.

Linked

YOU CANNOT fix tie rod ends by replacing the grease and boot if its already gone bad

the correct way to test ball joints, tie rod ends, inner tie rods is to perform a shakedown test of the wheel

- jack the car up till the wheels are off the ground
- wobble the wheel left and right, if there is movement, your inner tie rods are bad
- take off the wheel and unbolt the tie rod from the knuckle,
- try to push the stud in and out of the joint. if it has up and down play, then it is bad

joeshmo

I think he was saying his tierod end was leaking grease but not necessarily destroyed yet. Things can leak grease for a while without getting totally destroyed.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Just so you know, it's a ball-joint and not a bushing. There is a rubber boot covering it, and that is where your leaking the grease from. Bushings don't have grease inside.

You can use any suspension grease from the autoparts store. I have a gold can of hi-temp wheel-bearing grease I bought at autozone for a few bucks that I like to use. I don't know if it's ideal, but the grease is a gold color which is much less nasty to work with. I've been using this grease for like 10 years on my various Hondas, and I really like it.

You don't need a grease gun or anything like that. I just glop some into the ball-joint with a flat screwdriver after wiping away the old stuff as best I can with a rag. Then I put a little bit around the inside the new boot and slip it on. Then work the old cir-clip into place. This is probably the hardest part of the whole process... lol

This is what the ball-joint looks like below it's boot.

NotAJDMFanBoy

If you go to take the tie rod end nut off and the stud part turns, it's going bad.

Moog is a Federal Mogul company, and Federal Mogul is an OEM supplier to a lot of car makers. Moog is good stuff. I'd stick with either Moog or OEM here. If you use something of lower quality you'll just have to replace it again and get another alignment and that's just false economy. Besides, if it fails, then you have bigger issues to worry about than spending the extra $40 for good quality parts. Do it once, do it right.

If your rod end is good, just the boots are a cheap way out. Just please stay away from the Energy Suspension boots. Most of the stuff is good, but the rod end boots are a bad idea, they won't seal properly and that lets dirt and water in that destroys the joints. OEM style is best here.

And to 94eg!, thanks for that website, I have been looking for somewhere to get Honda parts from and not paying out the rear for shipping.

92lxsleeper

go with moog. for my truck, chevrolet recommends using moog over AC/Delco

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

If this happens, it just means the threads on your ball joint are messed up or gunked up. There are ways to fix this. I've even dremeled the thread off near the cotter pin holes because someone took a hammer to the stud and mushroomed the tip. This can save you a lot of money if the ball-joint itself is still good. Obviously you wouldn't grind off threads past the holes cotter pin holes though. That is the structural portion of the stud.

NotAJDMFanBoy

What I heard was if the stud turned when trying to loosen or tighten the nut, it's bad because it's worn inside. Usually if they are turning, you can smack the rod end down with a hammer to jam it and tighten/loosen it. However, usually when I try turning the rod end after taking it loose, if they turn, they rattle just a little. On cars with about 200k miles on all original suspension...I don't hesitate to replace suspension parts if I'm in any doubt. I know they could go longer, but I dislike working on suspension so if I can just take care of everything when it's apart and not touch it for a long time...I'll do that.

jdmcivic2fast

assumming all the suspension is in decent shape, nothing loose what can cause a car to vibrate when going a steady 75-80mph on the freeway?

jdmcivic2fast

anyone?

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

The first thing would be wheel balance.

Second would be tires out-of-round (check pressures and look for uneven tread depth).

After that I would look at the suspension.

If you have manual steering gearbox, look at the rack end bushing on the passenger side. It's the plastic bushing that the rack slides back & forth on inside the gearbox. If it's bad, you will get a little play inside that end of the gearbox when you shake/wiggle the passengers side tie-rod with your hand (up/down & fore/aft). Be sure to shake hard, those parts are heavy.

Also adjust the tension on your steering gearbox where pinion meshes with the rack. There is a procedure in the shop manual for doing this (or search Honda-Tech).