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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tie rod end that is, something was banging away under there on the gravel road and that was loose. I took a good look at it though,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The ball is IN a phenolic or plastic of some kind socket inside the metal shell, and that inner socket was what broke apart and failed, it wasn’t<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Contaminated or wet, just bits of broken phenolic around.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hmmm…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This might explain why good low mileage ends seem to fail early when put back into service, if that inner socket gets brittle with age even if its<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Not worn it may not be long for this world. Are the new ones also constructed the same way? And how “new” are the ones we can still source?<br><br>Keith<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>