tie rods

[p24-1953]

in a previous post i commented on my ability to move a front wheel left to right 1/4" when only one tire was jacked off the ground. the forum responce was tie rod's were bad, but last night when it was on ramps and i was under it i grabed the outer tie rod and wiggled it and there was no play. so how do you know when a tie rod is going out?

[alan32433]

If you are manually moving the wheel you are using quite a bit of leverage, something you can't do by trying to move individual joints by hand under the vehicle (unless they are seriously worn out). The best way to check for excessive play is to have a helper move the steering wheel slightly back and forth while you watch from underneath the car. The play you are experiencing may be shared among several joints that add up to a lot. As the helper moves the steering wheel, you need to look for play in all the tie rod ends, the steering sector, and the king pin joints. Also look for play in the suspension arm joints. I agree with the other posts, most likely problem is tie rod ends. Just keep in mind the amount of play you observe at any particular tie rod may not be huge and adds up if the other joints are also loose.