Can Twisted Tie Rod Boots be Un-Twisted?

[dbsoundman]

Simple question...alignment shop seems to have twisted my front tie rod boots when they worked on my car last week. I'm just wondering if I (or they) could easily un-twist the boots so they don't break. If it is possible, how do you do it?

Thanks!

 

[Nelsonmd]

Simple question...alignment shop seems to have twisted my front tie rod boots when they worked on my car last week. I'm just wondering if I (or they) could easily un-twist the boots so they don't break. If it is possible, how do you do it?

Thanks!

Inner tie rod boots? Yeah, just loosen the hose clamp and fix it, then tighten the hose clamp again.

 

[dbsoundman]

Inner tie rod boots? Yeah, just loosen the hose clamp and fix it, then tighten the hose clamp again.

Cool, thanks. I haven't had a chance to even look at them yet to see what the fittings look like so that's why I was asking.

 

[Nelsonmd]

They may have funny hose clamps that you can't adjust, but you can just clip the hose and get a new one from Home depot. They don't resist rust as much, but are ok, I have HD clamps on mine and they are fine. If they rust off, I'll just replace it.

 

[Mr. B]

Like stated above, yes its possible. But for yours and others safety, I would replace them as soon as you can. Bending them back will make them weaker, and last thing you want is to have your runner's front tires look like Bambi walking for the first time

 

[dbsoundman]

Thanks guys. I just twisted them back, they weren't actually twisted that much. Why would they cause my tires to look odd? I can definitely replace them next month as long as they don't cost too much. Do I need to just replace the boot, or the component inside of it as well?

Excuse my ignorance, I'm learning!

 

[Mr. B]

Busted Tie Rod - YouTube

Quick video of what it looks like when your tie rod breaks. Basically you loose steering control of the side that broke because nothing is directly attached from the steering box to the side that broke.