The tie rod end boot on the family Ford Freestar may start to go soon. No hole yet, but the rubber is cracking.
I noticed you can get universal tie rod end boots (Dorman), but they are just a slip on. OEM boots seem to be secured by various methods, like a clip or some other method that fixes the boot to the tie rod. Are the slip on boots sufficient to keep water/dirt out? I'm guessing once the joint is bolted back up to the hub, that puts enough pressure on the boot to keep it in place. Or should you get some sort of clip to secure the end?
I noticed you can get universal tie rod end boots (Dorman), but they are just a slip on. OEM boots seem to be secured by various methods, like a clip or some other method that fixes the boot to the tie rod. Are the slip on boots sufficient to keep water/dirt out? I'm guessing once the joint is bolted back up to the hub, that puts enough pressure on the boot to keep it in place. Or should you get some sort of clip to secure the end?