bad tie rods?

[Hellz]

so i have been trying to figure out a pulling issue for awhile now, and pretty much been buying after market replacements for items i suspect could be the cause.

this past weekend while putting new hubs in because i think (thought) my pulling issue was because of crappy hubs.( didnt solve the pulling issue).
while i had the drivers side ripped apart, i noticed the silver ring around the tierod end was different than the passenger side.
the silver ring part and raised up and seperated from the main housing part by about 1/3rd of a inch.

i dont have a pic as i forgot my camera o my H2 it for a test drive when i was done with the work...........

anyways, here is the part im talking about in the pic, but these are the cognito ones.. mine are the Fabtech HD tierods..

lastly, for the experienced alignement guys.. could somethign like this be causing the pulling to the right side?

i still havent gotten an alignment after replacing the hubs, but there is still pulling. its a constant even pull. no jerking. just when im driving. not while accelerating, or braking.

[Hellz]

thinking about how the tierod is built, i realize the silver part is conencted to the boot, and it keeps the boot atatched to the tierod, and also keeps the grease where it needs to be. while it is a material defect, maybe caused by too much grease in the tierod, still makes me wonder whatelse could be wrong with it, if anything...