bureau13

So lately I've noticed on big swapping right turns that you can take at some speed, something feels...off. like a vibration it wobble maybe. If I jack the front end up, everything* looks ok and grabbing the wheel by top and bottom, it doesn't move, but side to side it rocks quite a bit. I don't think it did that before. The whole outer tie rod moves with it. That's not normal, right?

I'm not really a suspension guy... I've done very little work in this area.

*I did notice that my upper ball joint boots are badly torn. I don't know what the effect would be if the joints themselves were bad...

dr bob

Watch to see if the whole rack is moving up and down at the same time. If not too much, put a hand on the end of the rack, the actual sliding gear that the tie rod attaches to, and see if that moves while your trusty assistant does the 3-and-9 push-pull.

If the rack is moving much, get a set of the Delrin rack mounting bushings from one of our trusted vendors.

If you car has 100k on the original tie rods, and especially if the car has sagged from factory ride height, the tie rods and the tie rod ends are due for replacement. The lower ball joints are similarly due, relatively easy since the same tools and effort are needed to change. The same post-replacementalignment effort will take care of all three work efforts at once.

FredR

Jeff,

At this age if you are running on original kit chances are you need a complete suspension refresh less any bits previously done that are in good nick. There are two main suspects that likely are causing your problem and they are the inner tie rod ball joint and the rack mounting bushes and it is quite easy to tell which of the two it is by simple observation. One of my inner tie rods took a dump a couple of years ago and to my surprise I could not feel any detriment. Nonetheless I replaced the complete tie rod assembly both sides - they are cheap enough and as Dr Bob says, the Delrin bushes are worth a crack at but that is a much more difficult task- did those as well.

Regarding the upper ball joint that is also a potential problem area- you may be lucky and have caught the problem in time but you need to replace those boots immediately. I suspect your model year has the later upper control arm so DIY ball joint refresh is not an option and when shot you need the rebuilt arms such as those supplied via Roger or Mark at 928 international- new arms are horrendously expensive. One of Australian friend had his ball joints refurbed locally by a kangaroo doctor [ha ha]!. Just had my UCA arms out to replace the bushes [they were in poor state] and I concluded that by now all these cars probably need an entire suspension system refresh albeit there is still some degree of life left in mine.

I have attacked my problems in dribs and drabs but with hindsight it is probably way better to do the job lot and be good for another 20 years plus.

bureau13

Thanks for the info. From memory, I don't think the whole rack was moving, but I'll re-check. I did actually buy some Delrin bushes way back when I bought motor mounts from Roger...both are sitting in the box they came in, as I haven't managed to get myself to do either job. I'm supposed to be doing a top-end refresh but kept putting that off as well, however the shaky feeling while turning at speed convinced me not to drive it in its current state.

I'm sure I probably do need an entire suspension refresh, but other than things that should all be done at once, I'll probably piecemeal it. I have some lightly-used Bilsteins sitting in a box as well, does it make sense to do that at the same time as the tie rods and ball joints? Or is that effectively a separate effort?

worf928

bureau13

Good info there, thanks!

dr bob

Re-reading the original post, I missed the opportunity to share that there's an Audi balljoint boot that will cover the uppers. Available from our reliable suppliers for less than the aggravation that alsways results when I shop for them myself and get the wrong parts. Mark/Tom, Roger, Dave/Jeannie should have them.

bureau13

Thanks, Dr Bob....I've already got a request in to Roger :-)

bureau13

Well, I started in on an intake refresh today (it was higher in the queue of things I needed to do, and I have the parts on hand) so while the front was in the air to drain the block, I took a look at the rack. Unfortunately, I see more movement in the rack itself than in the tie rods, both rocking the wheel, and back on the ground and rocking the steering wheel. So I have new tie rods on the way, but really it's a rack problem it seems. Or at least rack bushings. Not too happy about this...

StratfordShark

Billu

bureau13

Anyone know a good indicator for when it's good enough to replace the bushings, and when you should just say *&*&^ it and get a rebuilt rack?

worf928

When the steering arms initially move fore/aft before moving axially when turning the wheel it's an indication that the rack internals are worn. But, that won't get fixed with your average rebuild (i.e. re-seal.)

bureau13

It seemed to me that the whole rack was moving but that the steering arms were moving axially as they should. But I'll give a closer look once I dig in.

bureau13

So, a quick question about the steering rack job. First...if I need motor mounts, which I do, I think it makes sense to do this together. How helpful is access to a lift for this job? I've always assumed it would be a fairly significant benefit, but lately some people were questioning that. Thoughts?

The reason I ask...my friend with a lift is going to be out of town for a bit in a week or two, which means I don't have to feel guilty if I'm monopolizing his lift for a bit. This is assuming I can get my intake refresh finished before he leaves.