Questions and Answers
Mustang Eats Tie Rod Ends
Q. I own a 1986 Mustang GT Convertible. It has the 5.0 engine, and a 5 speed manual transmission. No modifications as of yet. The problem is, I seem to go through front end suspension components rather quickly. Tie rods especially.
I've been told by a few people that it's just because I have a heavy engine in a small car. I've already had the tie rods replaced twice and ball joints replaced once, and I've had the car for a year. And to top it off, the steering feels sloppy again, like it did the last time the tie rod was going. Is there something wrong that my mechanic isn't finding, or is this normal?
Is there something I can do to help them last longer. Someone suggested softer springs and better shocks, would these help? Or is this something I'm just going to have to keep dealing with?
Thanks for your time,
JasonA. Ford has a new tie rod end that, they say, will last longer then the original toe rod ends. The new tie rod ends are Ford P/N F6SZ-3280-CA.
There is nothing about unusual wear on the ball joints. They may have just gone bad. At this point I would just keep an eye on them for now.
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