Tie rod ends....

[jcostantino]

What's the easiest way to diagnose bad tie rod ends? I have an occasional clunk when I back up and turn left. Both sway bar end links have torn boots so I'm sure those aren't helping anything and they could be the root of the clunk.

I need to get the alignment done ASAP and I figure I'd be wasting money if I did that and then needed to replace the tie rod ends.

Any advice? The car has about 95000 miles on it and really only clunks once every 3 months or so..

Jeff

 

[KYSHO]

Any good front-end man will tell you if you need tie-rod ends before aligning the front end. It will be impossible to do a good job if the tie-rod ends are worn out.

 

[jcostantino]

I'm going to jack up my front end and see if I have any play in the steering.. I don't think I do but I never specifically checked for it before.

I'd rather check before I bring it for alignment... I'd rather see if I can diagnose it myself before I bring it in to waste the shop's time... they'll want to change the tie rod ends and I'll want to do it myself...

Jeff

 

[projectSHO89]

Jeff

Outer tie rod ends are easy to diagnose. Raise the wheel off the ground. Grasp it at the 3 and 9 o'clock positiions and try to wiggle it back and forth. If the outers are worn, you will feel the slop in them.

For the inners, the most accurate is a torque measurement. Disconnect the outer tie rod end from the knuckle. Measure the force needed to move the entire arm assembly from the horizontal. Helms says to replace the inner tie rod end if the force required is not between 2 and 10 pounds.

A really bad inner will allow the whole arm to flop around freely or can even cause a popping sound as the arm is pulled and pushed.

Steve

 

[jcostantino]

I ended up taking it for an alignment... the shop would have probably wanted to sell me new parts if they were out of spec... as it is, they had to bust the spot welds and do a LOT of grinding to make the strut tower plates move around so I'm sure something is i need of repair.. I looked under the driver's side strut tower and the plate is moved about .5"...

I have alignments free for the next 3 years, gonna get that crap done every quarter...

Jeff

 

[RStalveyARFF]

Doing the strut plates means either your camber or caster were out of spec, and much praise to the shop for actually doing that adjustment. 1/2" isn't that bad for movement, probably half a degree of movement. Think of it this way, your car is technically at least 7 years old. In that 7 years, the camber and caster have never been adjusted. It was definitely time. Sadly most of the older cars I work on (90's and 91's) have not had the adjustment done either.

 

[jcostantino]

Well.. I don't know how many kudos are in order for them because they did it to the tune of an extra $80

The guy said he really had to work the camber too... I only have the second sheet from the alignment machine.. he had to enlarge the tabs on the strut plates to get them into position.

The car still pulls to the right a tiny bit.. gonna get that taken care of this weekend with my first alignment under warranty

Jeff

 

[smcallis]

In my experience with alignment shops they should diagnose what is wrong with your front end. Mine wont even bother to align it if something is wrong. If it pulls to the left after leaving there they didn't do their job as far as I'm concerned. I have a particularly good shop that I go to. So its easy for me to say.

 

[jcostantino]

I figured so much... it's in their best interest to find as many worn out parts that they can replace with my car to make more money off of me. Or they could be a really crappy shop that doesn't have much follow-through... Mostly, I chose them because they're a quick walk from my house so I'm not stranded there waiting 3 hours for my car to be done.

Jeff

 

[RStalveyARFF]

Oulling can also be cause by tires, and if the tech is correct in saying your camber was far off, you could have some inside edge wear on the tires, causing the pulling. If he had to pop the plate all the way to the tabs, there is something busted or bent under there. Camber problems usually indicate a bad bearing, ball joint, or occassionally a bent strut. You can check both the ball joint and bearing at home. Jack the car up, and push the tire in at 12 o'clock. Any play? If so, try to isolate where it's coming from.

 

[jcostantino]

I'll check this weekend on both sides but esp. the right side. I hit a curb a couple months ago and that's probably what's causing the pulling..

Jeff

 

[Blast7]

projectSHO89:
Jeff

Outer tie rod ends are easy to diagnose. Raise the wheel off the ground. Grasp it at the 3 and 9 o'clock positiions and try to wiggle it back and forth. If the outers are worn, you will feel the slop in them.

For the inners, the most accurate is a torque measurement. Disconnect the outer tie rod end from the knuckle. Measure the force needed to move the entire arm assembly from the horizontal. Helms says to replace the inner tie rod end if the force required is not between 2 and 10 pounds.

A really bad inner will allow the whole arm to flop around freely or can even cause a popping sound as the arm is pulled and pushed.

Steve

My left front tire does the same thing only my outer tie rod ends are brand new. I was thinking that I needed new inner tie rod ends.