Loose steering on 98 Q45 -- Loose Rack??

[tfvesquire]

Hi Again:

Trying to diagnose and fix another issue. On my 98 Q45, only at low speed, I am getting a loose feeling in the steering. It almost feels like the rack is loose and I am feeling a dull clunking at low speeds only. I jacked up the car and could see that both boots are torn, but no fluid was leaking. I ordered a replacement set of boots and will be installing them shortly.

There is no other vibration or shimmy while the car is in regular motion. But, when I slow down to enter a driveway, etc. I do feel a light "thump" when the front wheels go up the ramp, even if I am going slow. Could worn tie rods do this only at low speeds vs all the time? I was thinking I needed to replace the stabilizer end links and strut mounts/bearings, but I am wondering if the actual rack has loosened up.

Has anyone experienced this? Are the two to four bolts that attach the rack to the body hard to get to? I will put the car on the lift and see what is going on, but wanted to know if there was something I will need to check or replace while I am under there. Hopefully, it's just the steering rack bolts that have come a little loose and not a rack that is on its way out. And, hopefully they aren't too bad to reach without tearing apart the front half of the car.

Chime in if anyone has dealt with this and has any more suggestions on what to check. Thanks everyone!!

Ted

[elwesso]

I'd check rack bushings. Get under the car and have someone turn the steering wheel and see if the steering rack moves a little on its mounts.

[tfvesquire]

** Update **

Well, I finally got the car on the lift this weekend and found out what the problem was. I grabbed the drivers front wheel with both hands and could literally move it about an inch left and right with the car off and the steering locked.

So, i figured it was either the ball joint or outer tie rod. It ended up being in the INNER tie rod. I guess there is a joint on the inner tie rod that wears out. I could literally see the rod moving in and out of the boot. My boots are both torn, so I was planning on repairing them anyway, but I guess I might as well order stabilizer end links and outer tie rods as well.

If you haven't checked yours in a while, you might consider doing so, I cannot even imagine the damage that would result if one of them broke while in the highway.

Now, if I could figure out my rear Bose speaker amp problem...

[maxnix]

Now, if I could figure out my rear Bose speaker amp problem...

http://www.carstereohelp.com

[Q45tech]

Inner and outer tie rods are just a few of the 50 things that need replacing every 10 years................I lump steering and suspension together.How are front shocks, boots, and spring seats?

[tfvesquire]

Hi Q45tech:

So far, I have not heard any other sounds coming from the front suspension, but I'm sure once I install new inner and outer tie rods, bellows and stabilizer bushing end links, I will be able to pinpoint any squeaks, etc.

I have a new set of factory strut mounts and bearings ready to install if there is any clunking. I did not see any leaking fluid from the front struts and they feel fairly firm when going down the road, so they should be fine for now. They only have about 20K miles on them based on the maintenance records, so they should be ok for a little while longer.

I am waiting on those parts for now and am waiting for the weather to break here (9 degrees right now) so I can repair my rear window defroster. I think I really damaged it when I was removing the crappy window tint the PO had on there. I may have to install a complete wire grid from Frost Fighter. com.

I even thought about buying a complete rear window from a parts car and having it installed, but that is my last resort. I don't want to pay for a used window that may end up leaking or the installer may damage my window trim as well. We'll see whether I can successfully repair the existing one.

Will update once I install the front steering parts.

Thanks,

[tfvesquire]

Just installed both inner, outer tie rods, steering rack boots and stabilizer end links. What a difference!! I inspected the front struts and since they only have about 20K on them according to the records, they looks fine -- no leaks and no clunking either. The strut mounts seem tight for now so I will leave them alone. The front tension rods and sway bar body mount bushings look fine with no cracks in the rubber. Good news and expected since it was a southern car all its life.

As for driving the car, I placed the original tie rod assemblies next to each other so I could base line the length. After installing them, the car drifted just slightly to the right after letting go of the wheel and the car traveling about 100 feet. Obviously the steering wheel is not straight, not too bad out of wack. I will get it aligned soon to minimize wear on my new tires.

It is so nice to feel the suspension close to factory again. Nice and crisp steering and no clunking is music to my ears. Still have to finish buffing and waxing before I post any photos. It's finally thawing out here. Whoo hoo!!I will post more as I go.

Next on the agenda:

Remove front seats and shampoo carpets/headliner Purchase new factory floor matsComplete rear window defroster repairRemove Gold emblems and install OE chromeComplete undercoating of wheel wells and underside.Radiator flush and fillBuff out wiper scratches on windshieldGet extra keys cut and programmed

Everything else is up to date, so I think i will be good to go for awhile. BTW, I posted some parts in the classified section is anyone is interested. Shoot me a reasonable offer.

Thanks,

Ted

[tfvesquire]

Well, I went to get the car aligned and was told the left rear camber was "slightly" out of spec (right rear is fine), but the tech did not know exactly why. I did not look underneath the car when it was on the lift, so I have no idea if anything looks excessively worn or worst case, bent. I hate to have to pay him to start replacing suspension parts when I can do so myself. He said he tried to readjust the left rear, but was unable to.

Does anyone know what I need to check/replace to get the rear end properly aligned? So far, the steering wheel is nice and straight and the car does drive straight with no drifting or pulling. Any additional info would be greatly appreciated.

Next task, flushing transmission. I know what they say about doing this, but the trans was properly serviced and the car only has about 74K on it now. I will pull the pan and change the filter as well. Might as well get myself as dirty as possible before the nice weather comes around.

[maxnix]

There is an eccentric bolt on the lower arm. On mine, it is making almost no difference as it is rotated, so I am replacing it.

[Q45tech]

If you supply the full camber range of possible adjustments easy to calculate the error in fraction of an inch and thus knowing how much, you can look at thihgs that might allow that much.

Usually a cumlative error: a bit from this and that - from rubber bushings.

If it was right rear I would think curb hits and subframe tabs being bent.