is this urgent or mechanic exagerating?

[graycamry1999]

Hello,

Is it true that when an inner tie rod "starts to have play" I can suddenly loose control of the car and that it won't give me any warning signs like steering problems?

Secondly, my front strut mount has been rattleting for over 1 year and a half now.
I need to change it.
Just wanted to know what happens if this

Thanks in advance for the help

[graycamry1999]

woops, I somehow deleted the rest of my question:

Re: the strut mount, I have been experiencing an annoying rattling for 18 months. What could happen if I continue neglecting the problem for a while ( 3 months)? Steering trouble, tire wear....?

Thank you,
Leila

[RIP]

Tie rods are a key link between your steering gear and wheels. If it seperates, you have no control of that wheel. The first reaction, hitting the brakes, would compound the loss of control. You may get a warning sign like a clunk or vibration but, why press your luck? The mechanic is correct, change it.

Strut mounts tend to be a little more robust. It's likely the upper bearing is going. If you have to wait to change the struts, just make sure the mount bolts are secure. Letting it go too long can cost you even more than just changing struts. A failure in one suspension component puts undue stress on all the other components and tires. The 1.5 years you've been stretching this strut change has the potential to cost you dearly. Don't wait much longer.

[graycamry1999]

Thank you for the answer.
I am going to fix the inner tie rod pb tomorrow morning and the strut mount in a week or so.

Leila

[RIP]

Thank you for making the right move.

[graycamry1999]

Hello "Rip",

I have another question about my camry.
11 months ago, I started having very random trouble starting the car ( Once every month, every 2 months). No one was able to figure out the source of the problem for months and finally they discovered that the flywheel had a few teeth missing. It is due to the fact that we accidentally turned the key as the car was already running. Our car is still very silent and this happened while waiting in a parking lot.
Anyway,I was told by 2 mechanics that this problem was not dangerous for the engine and did not pose a hazard in general but that eventually more teeth will come off and starting the car will become hard.
The starting problem is still very random ( it has been 9 weeks now since the last time).
I was told that this would be very expensive to change because it takes several hours to get to the flywheel and replace it. I know that the part itself is not expensive.
Just wanted to have your opinion re: the safety issue.

Thanks in advance foe your help.

[exploreco97]

I have also been doing the same thing with my 97 Camry. Pushing it longer than I should. I am going to replace the struts, and from what I can tell on the other forum boards, the strut mounts need to be replaced as well with the bearings. My has been rataling for over a year now. How do you know if the springs need replacing? Or other parts. The car has 140,000 on it, mostly highway with mostly just one person in it. So not a lot of extra weight. I plan to put 250,000 on it. Anythoughts?? My father and I are going to tackle the job so I want to replace what needs it. Thanks

[RIP]

graycamry1999 - I agree with your merchanics. (keep in mind I am just a shadetree mechanic with some knowledge) There is no real danger in letting your flywheel go as it is. Just a very outside chance that a crack started by a tooth coming off could migrate and make the flywheel come apart. I would think you would feel a pretty good vibration first. Only other thing that comes to mind would be if for some reason you had to start it quick and move, you may not be able to. Would I let it go? Yes, at least until the starting problem got worse.

exploreco97 - Weak springs are usually revealed by your car bottoming out over bumps on a regular basis. You can sometimes look at a car and see it tilted to the left or right. You can measure the height above the ground from specific points on the frame and compare the left to right side measurement. Once you have the springs removed you can measure them to see if they are within specs. There is supposed to be a spring tester on the market but, I've only heard mention of it. Not sure of the longevity of springs but, I would think 140K miles is knocking on that door. Other components like bushings or ball joints normally aren't changed until they give you a problem. They usually appear as noise or alignment issues. Usually they are easily visible and appear as excessive play in a joint or rubber chuncks missing.

Yes, the mount hardware/bushings/bearings should be replaced especially if the struts have been on the car forever. It would be a shame to do all the work in changing the struts then find the bearings etc are bad and creating a noise. I read a thread the other day about something called Monroe "quick struts". It left me with the impression it's an assembly of both the strut and spring together mounted as a unit and somehow negates the need for a spring compressor. Might want to look into them.

Thoughts on 250K miles? With the correct maintenance and care it's very doable. A friend of a neighbor of mine has a 78 BMW with 380K miles. Regular scheduled maintenance is the key.

[starynight]

Originally Posted by graycamry1999

Hello,

Is it true that when an inner tie rod "starts to have play" I can suddenly loose control of the car and that it won't give me any warning signs like steering problems?

Secondly, my front strut mount has been rattleting for over 1 year and a half now.
I need to change it.
Just wanted to know what happens if this

Thanks in advance for the help

I am not sure what you mean "starts to have play". What year is your car and how many miles?

My first comment would be don't trust any mechanics, always get a 2nd opinion. And when you get 2nd opinion, tell the mechanic that you just need his comments, you will not let him work on your car. This way, most mechanics will tell you the truth.

Second, I agree with RIP that if the tierod got disconnected, it could be dangerous. But I have never seen or heard of such thing happen. Besides, even it disconnected with the steering knuckle, most cars have the front wheels designed to return to straight position. That's why if you let go of the steering wheel after a turn, the steering wheel will always return to the straight position.

And, virtually the only thing that's movable on a tierod is the ball joint. That I believe will not separate easily, even if it has a lot of "play". If your steering wheel has big free play (that's the warning sign, and it will not be a short one), then you should replace the joint, otherwise, you don't have to worry about it at all.

[graycamry1999]

Thank you all for answering my questions.

Starynight:
I have a 99 camry and 60K on it.
I got 3 different opinions and I got the tinner tie rod end changed this morning.
This problem has ben diagnosed 3 months ago so I knew that I had to eventually fix it.
I agree with you re: not trusting any mechanic old out there. This website has helped me a lot before making big decisions re: my car.
I really appreciate it the assistance.

Sincerely,
Leila