98 Accord 4cyl Tie Rod Play

[IDS748]

I was rotating my tires last week or so and accidently grabbed the tie rod. and I could move it a bit. Like it was kinda easily able to wiggle it at the boot where it connects to the knuckle.

Just wondering If its normal or not I'm leaning towards not but sick of dumping money into this oil burning POS!

[inafogg]

if you r grabbing at end near boot & twisting thats normal. push up/down at bottom of t/r(where connects to knuckle) if moves there not normal also move tire in/out there should be no movement there either good luck

[IDS748]

should i move the tire in and out as in back and forth with tires on ground or jacked up?

[jeffcoslacker]

With the wheel raised off the ground, grasp the tire at 9 and 3 o'clock and rock it back and forth as if steering it. Any slop felt with a popping sensation is tie rod play. The outer tie rod can also be grasped near the end, and pushed firmly towards the steering knuckle, any vertical play is too much.

Swivel in the ball stud is ok, so you will be able to grasp it and twist it. This is normal, if it doesn't swivel, the stud is locked and could break.

Inner tie rod slop is usually easiest felt by doing the first method, pushing the tire back and forth along the steering axis...if you feel a pop, but don't see movement in the outer end's ball stud as it occurs, it's coming from the inner, which you can't see because it's inside the dust boots on the steering rack.

[IDS748]

would either of those items be the reason why my steering wheel is not smooth and it vibrates like a mofo when braking from say 140KM/hr to slow down. Because I know my rotors are FINE.

[inafogg]

no not really if you are getting a vibration when braking normally thats brakes being out of round. loose/worn front end parts will make car wonder(steering feels lose or sloppy)or vibrates after hitting bump or uneven roadway. why do u say brakes/rotors are fine??

[IDS748]

What I should of said is this. I know the rotors are fine because I just had them measured and they well within spec. Pads are fine beacause they have like 80ish % life left.

The steering wheel does vibrate when just driving straight too its slight but it does vibrate.

I will double check with the wheel test tonight when I get home from work.

[inafogg]

having heard that i would have rotors machined. brake pads if they are 80% u might get away with sanding them down real good but remember they're aspestic so no breathing that.i think that will correct alot of vibration

[jeffcoslacker]

Being in spec cold means nothing if you have an issue with heat buildup from friction due to drag...excess heat will warp them and make the pedal and steering shudder when braking. They will often return to proper runout spec after cooling down.

In this scenario, the problem usually gets worse the longer the car is driven, but the operator will notice that the problem is not there on the initial few stops when starting out with the car cold or having been parked for a couple of hours, etc...

Also a hairline crack in a rotor can be very hard to see, but make it shudder like hell...same with a spot of asphalt or other contaminate that found it's way onto the rotor surface and baked on there...check both sides of the rotor carefully and if you see any evidence of blueing, shadowing, or notice a "imprint" shaped like and outline of the pad's friction surface that seems to be etched into the rotor, you are dealing with some serious heat. Gotta find out why.

The imprint happens when an already overheated brake comes to a stop and then the rotor is trying to transfer the excess heat through the pads, which are now stuck on one spot on the rotor's surface. The extreme temp differential distorts the metal around the contact point, and leaves a raised feature you feel every time the pads run over it. They can be machined off, but generally return once heat cycled again. Better to replace.