crabmushrooms5

Always had kind of a squeaky front end on a bumpy road. Now I get a clunk when turning wheels all the way either direction sometimes. Had my best friend (the old guy at the parts store lol) turn the wheel while I looked underneath. Saw a quarter inch line of grease come out where the drag link and the tie rod meet. Saw passenger wheel clunk into place. Saw the driver wheel clunk into full turn when I turned it earlier in the parking lot alone.

I had an old buddy of mine put on a steering stabilizer for me since he needed the work after getting fired, $20 bucks to help out a friend I no longer associate with but hey. That was roughly about 400 miles ago.

All my tie rod ends have been worn completely since I bought it, cracked rubber and all. I was surprised to see grease come out since they wouldn't take when I tried to grease them.

Read a couple posts but all pointed to could have been anything or a combination of anything.

When I fix this problem, I will post. Accepting all ideas

Desertfox1023

You sound like you could use a hand.

Ever get outside of fayetville much? West of Raleigh?

crabmushrooms5

Time for me runs very thin but should I happen to be up that way I'll let you know. Hope to solve next week. I have just 2 hours everyday next week in the am to try.

Desertfox1023

I assume your still at stock height? Your clunk to me sound like it might be a worn out track bar

crabmushrooms5

Yeup stock height, maybe an inch or two one day. I intend to throw parts at it but now I have to research what replacements to go with. Every tie rod end looks completely failed, now they're talking to me

Desertfox1023

When stock parts fail is the time to upgrade. Do it once, Do it right.

I run IRO setup but you have to be lifted to run that. There are plenty of companies that make better parts. A new tierod end will run $25-35 a piece. Almost cheaper to just buy a whole new setup.

md21722

18 years old parts... sounds like its time to replace all the steering linkage. Check the track bar. have someone turn the wheels left to right while watching the bushing and ball end at the frame. If there's any looseness, replace it. Figure on an alignment after you're done. If your control arms bushings and axle bushings are original, probably time to replace them too. Rubber degrades with time. When you're all done with that, you may want to change your rear springs to get rid of the sag and improve the ride. Once you start changing parts at this age, best to do it wholesale. One new part against one old part, the old one will have play in it and it will become more noticeable when its paired up against a new part without any.

crabmushrooms5

Thats 2 votes for the track bar and I have to agree myself. Thanks fellas. depending on how quick my new job takes off, I might have to get a shop to do it. Got one lined up for my ac diag since I did all I could with the time I had. Depending on how they perform, I might have them do it.

SteveMongr

The TRE's (Tie Rod Ends) all need to be replaced from what you describe.
Along with the trackbar TRE and bushing.
Are you familiar with the 'two hammer technique' for removing tapered bolts (TRE)?

tracyk

I'm clearly not the OP, but I'll bite . . . how does the 2 hammer technique work and is it only for tapered bolts?

crabmushrooms5

I will have to turn it over to a shop while I'm out of town for a couple years. Planning on getting everything from the pitman arm to the ball joints replaced. Just hope this new shop I'm thinking about does good work. For now, I'm making wide turns

SteveMongr

Generally for tapered bolts only. If you have a puller than use it. If you have a pickle fork than the '2 hammers' usually works better.

Strike both sides of hole for tapered bolt, at same time. Not hard just firmly. Bolt will fall out or pop up. Leave castle nut on a turn, otherwise part will literally fall to floor. It may take two or more strikes on your first attempt.
Example, if you are removing tie-rod from steering knuckle than it's the steering knuckle that you will strike on both sides of tapered bolt. This deforms the hole just enough to force the bolt out due to the taper.

Some folks just install the castle nut upside down onto threads and then beat the bolt out. This is not advisable.

crabmushrooms5

turned out to be a missing steering stabilizer nut. It caused the clunk and wheel "throb" when I would turn all the way. Had to be caused by a gremlin when I wasn't watching or the dealership loosened it (the dealership story crabmushrooms5 = google). Riding good and straight again, no major bump steer and more stable. Of course this is just a band-aid until I can replace the steering components that are dead.