I bent a tie rod while driving my car up a set of ramps. Planned to do an oil change and replace the o rings and grommet on the turbo oil return tube...

the drivers side ramp tipped to the left and pushed "up" on the tie rod, bending it about 5 degrees off the straight line it was.

Is it OK to drive it like this or not?

No one is going to tell you its ok without a proper inspection. You have not even said what model your car is ! Put details in your signature & people may be more likely to respond.

If it was me & I was sure that no other damage had been done. I would straighten it & get a wheel alignment. I am not recommending you do that though as I have not inspected the damage.

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I bent a left tie rod on 1983 W126 body 300SD.
Drove it home about 30 miles.

Without question you will get abnormal tire wear and
cannot drive it for long.

Replacement tie rod was purchased easily and the replacement took
less than one hour.

My bend was way worse than 5 degrees.

And as stated, please update your signature to show your vehicle type and year.

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80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250

I had that on my old 37 chevy back when I was in college.

My dad the old farm boy said, no problem. He adjusted the tie rod until the bend was facing down and jacked the car up by it until it was straight, then twisted it back into its original position.

As other have said though, it depends on how bent yours is. A bend will shorten the points between the pivots so will cause it to toe out more than it was. As long as its not too severe you can drive a while with it that way.

Tie rod assemblies are pretty inexpensive though and pretty easy to change. In a pinch I have been known to count threads on the old one and put the new one on in the same position and go, keeping an eye on the tires for excessive wear.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Sorry about not mentioning the vehicle type. 1985 300 SD. I went to the dealer and got a new tie rod assembly. sized it up and replaced it today. guess I should get the car aligned.

how do I add the car type to my signature area, as suggested?

At the top of the page, click on "User CP" and it will take you to where
you can add signature and other fun stuff.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works