How to know a MOOG

[Hair]

I bought one right and one left outer tie rod end off ebay. I bought each one from a different vendor. They were both supposed to be MOOG. They both came in a MOOG box. However:

One says MOOG on it and was unpainted. It was not "flopping" but you could move it around with your hand with not much effort. Its about like adjusting the mirror on an older truck.

The other did not say MOOG anywhere on it. It just said "made in japan". It was painted black. It is a lot more stiff and you can not move it by hand. You have to grab hold of it with something and really get some pressure on it to move it.

Questions:
1.0) Do you think that the one that does not say MOOG is not really a MOOG or do some MOOG parts not have their name on them? I'm thinking to return it, but I don't want to accuse him of selling me Non-MOOG for MOOG if it really is MOOG... is there anyway to tell?

2.0) What about the stiffness? Should you be able to move a new one with hand pressure or should it be stiff like the suspect one is?

Right now I'm scratching my head and I'm thinking maybe one is a not a MOOG but yet the real MOOG may be defective (too loose?).

Any thoughts?

[michael bustamante]

they should have been sealed in a bag. from what ive read moog does not always imprint their parts with their name. o`reilys sells moog if you could compare the two

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by michael bustamante

they should have been sealed in a bag. from what ive read moog does not always imprint their parts with their name. o`reilys sells moog if you could compare the two

The boots will normally say Moog on them though.