tie rod end boot
 

The rubber boot on the outer tie rod end on the drivers side of my truck is gone. The end looks to be fairly new, and there's no slop when I turn the wheels, so the end itself seems fine. I looks like it just needs another boot. Do I just need to take off the pin and nut and tap the end out with a hammer, or do I need a special tool? Also, is the only purpose of the boot to hold grease? Thanks.

the purpose of the boot is not to hold grease but to prevent sand and grit getting into the joint and shorting the lifespan of the joint

Yes, just take out the cotter pin, remove the nut and preferrably use a pickle fork to separte the the tie rod end. If you don't have access to a pickle fork put the nut on upside down until it is nearly flush with the tie rod end threads and hammer it out. I don't like this second method since the threads can still get screwed up and make it nearly impossible to back the nut off. Put the new boot on, reassembly and grease it.

Thanks, guys.