Screwed up parts databases?

[Cubey]

Evidently there's two possible outer right tie rod for my 89 E350??

es2913r and es2914r ... which will be referred to as 13 and 14 for simplicity.

O'Reilly says..

13 doesn't fit E-350
13 fits E-350 Club wagon

14 fits E-350
14 doesn't fit E-350 Club wagon

But they're both the same chassis?! The rest of the tie rods fit both regular and club wagon. Meaning all threads should be the same.

RockAuto only lists E-350 (no club wagon) and only lists 14. You can look up 13 via the part number lookup and they sell a few.

PartsHawk is the only site I found with measurements.

They totally messed up the length for 13 though.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

I'm not sure what I should use. I bought a 13 in August, but I'm only getting around to doing the tie rods now. I called O'Reilly and ordered a 14, but it won't be there until Wednesday.

That's 13 and 14:

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Cubey]

Yeah O'Reilly is very screwed up. 14 fits or doesn't, depending on the brand.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

13 fits club wagon but not regular.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[ROCK HARVEY]

Is one for a 4x4? That’s the only reason I can think they would be different.

 

[Cubey]

Is one for a 4x4? That’s the only reason I can think they would be different.

I don't think 4x4 from the factory existed for Econoline, at least before 92.

I figured it out. The master parts catalog pdf, plus RockAuto, has come to the rescue again.

You must be registered for see images attach

13 is for E-150 (E8UZ-3A131-A)
14 is for E-250/350 (E8UZ-3A131-B)

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

So yes, O'Reilly has a screwed up database. Selling an E-150 tie rod end for E-350 club wagon.

 

[XOLATEM]

I don't think 4x4 from the factory existed for Econoline, at least before 92.

Around 1990 I was interested in having a 4X4 van and I had asked a dealer about it.

I was told that you could get it specially built...you ordered an F-150 chassis (4X4) and had the van body placed on it...

I did not go through with it...just was going through a flight of fancy...

I should have...I would probably still have it...

I just asked The Girl about it a few days ago...lukewarm on the possibility.

One can dream...

So....I am wondering...could that have any bearing on what you are seeing in the steering parts..?

 

[MadMac]

13 is for E-150 (E8UZ-3A131-A)
14 is for E-250/350 (E8UZ-3A131-B)

I think @Cubey has it... Two things to add to this...

1) I've been building & operating database ecosystems for 40 years. Sometimes they are wrong, they are only as good as the human part of collecting and organizing the data itself. A parts catalog is a very difficult thing to maintain, as all "reference data" typically is - they are not static things, they change constaintly. It takes immense organizational disipline to get that consistently right - running out of one suppliers coupling or hose clamp in the middle of the year is such an example. Why does my '85 Blue Rescue have 3.54 gears and not 3.55's - that took a long time to figure out - and impacts everything in the back axle.

Most of these databases run on the same reference parts list from Ford... but we have zero idea how well maintained that parts catalog actually is... in that regard you're looking for a "detail oriented" parts supplier - of which I think Rock Auto qualifies. I don't think as highly of Oreilly and AutoZone - their business is to keep as large an inventory for as cheap as possible - and steer you to their parts that _might fit_.

2) Pay attention to the dates and version codes and make absolutely certain you know what your truck is, including the parts you're looking at. Many of us swap in parts that fit and will do the job - particularly if like mine - yours is a truck which spent time on a farm far, far away from the parts store before the internet was even an idea. Didn't take me long when trying to get the "rescue" running, to figure out I needed both the right parts manual and the correct illistrations manual to figure out some of the odd ball things. I'm never going to buy an old chevy or dodge - not b/c I don't like them, but because after getting through just about every Electrical and Mechanical item on the 'Rescue - I know how to identify and find parts for my Fords. Which to be honest - I owe to the people on this list who unknowingly taught me how...

 

[Cubey]

The parts database(s) for 80s Econolines just seem busted.

The 85 E350 RV with Dana 70 needed a replacement vent fitting to match the aftermarket brake hose (the metal block that the vent bolts down and passes through).

No store says one fits. I had to buy one based on something like a 1990 Ford F-350. It had the exact threads and was the right size for the E350 hose mounting block, but databases insist it doesn't fit.

So, owning a 3rd gen (75-91) Econoline can be difficult in getting parts now and then, unless you have the 3,490 page Master Parts Catalog book or PDF. The PDF I have says 80-89 but was published in 1994, kind of odd considering how generations go. But I guess it's because of how part numbers change based on decades. "E" in part numbers means that the part came out in the 1980s.

Looking at the snippet from the MPC above, the other two tie rods for 88-89 2/350 start with D because the part came out in the 70s and was seemingly never revised in the 80s.

And presumably ford treated the other tie rod as a drag link or something, hence there being no RH inner listed. That's what it looks like. The tie rod joint on it connects to the pitman arm, and the hole connects to the LH inner tie rod end.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[u2slow]

Lots of parts lookup info is screwed. Basically, proof-reading isn't profittable. I cross-check things a LOT.

It gets easier when you only deal with one brand/era truck.

 

[Cubey]

Lots of parts lookup info is screwed. Basically, proof-reading isn't profittable. I cross-check things a LOT.

RockAuto seems a little better, only because they don't have a separate model choice for "Club Wagon". That's the database O'Reilly is using that's broken, as far as tie rods at least. Basic E-350 is correct.

 

[u2slow]

RockAuto seems a little better, only because they don't have a separate model choice for "Club Wagon". That's the database O'Reilly is using that's broken, as far as tie rods at least. Basic E-350 is correct.

Maybe E350 is better, but 80's-93 dodge has mistakes no matter what jobber-parts vendor you check. It's a common pool of information.

 

[ROCK HARVEY]

I think the 4x4 vans are called “Pathfinders”. I’ve always thought they were super cool, I didn’t realize that none of them came from the factory that way.

 

[Cubey]

Maybe E350 is better, but 80's-93 dodge has mistakes no matter what jobber-parts vendor you check. It's a common pool of information.

I had a 1978 Dodge van with a 1979 wiring harness, with different colors from 78. I know it was a 78 because it had round sealed beams and no wraparound grill. 79 went rectangle and wraparound.

 

[Cubey]

I got the O'Reilly clerk to equal exchange the 13 for the 14 after showing her on her screen why I got the wrong one. She didn't really want to at first, but did after I pushed the issue. I mean it's not my fault they have an error. They're both exactly the same price normally, so they aren't losing any money. The 13 was unopened (sealed bag), so it can be resold. I got 20% off on the 13 for ship to home on $125+, ~$6 off. If the database was correct, the price would have been identical for the 14 as I paid for the 13.

So, then I began assembling, and the grease zerk seemed wrong for the left inner (not the 14), but it's what came with it. It stripped out the threads.

The 14 doesn't have a zerk like 13, but the other 2 (right inner, left outer) do. I guess 14 has been cost cut.

So, I called the store to order a replacement. At least it'll be there tomorrow, not 2 days like the 14 was.

 

[u2slow]

The part-counter-sales troubles detailed here make me realize I'm not missing anything ordering 95% of my parts (by part numbers, specs, and pictures) online.

 

[Cubey]

The part-counter-sales troubles detailed here make me realize I'm not missing anything ordering 95% of my parts (by part numbers, specs, and pictures) online.

Well the 13/14 issue was an online order, just from a company with retail presence so it made it easier to correct.

And I'd be in worse shape if the left inner had this zerk stripping problem with something ordered online without a retail store. I'd have to ship this back and wait a week for another. It's a big piece. Not as big as the right inner, but still it's not a stubby end.