steering rack tie rods

[NiSmo240luvR]

hey guys, im just wonderin how i could possibly tell if i need to replace my whole steering rack....or just the tie rods/ ends/inner/outer.......thanx alot.... i need to put my coils on but i have to do that first cuz my front end feels weird...... thanx again guys for the replys

[Ceptos]

dont take any of this as fact, but from reading through posts and asking questions myself, it could be any number of problems with your front end.

depending on what doesnt feel right, it could be a bushing problem, tension rod bushings could be responsible for vibration at highway speeds or during braking. could also cause odd noises over bumps. (fairly easy to tell, if they appear cracked/dryrotted and/or have rust around them from the liquid leaking out)

your tie rod ends, LCA bushing/ball joint. i dont know exactly what problems they may cause, but they are wearble parts in your front end.

your tie rods themselves do not wear like these other parts and would cause a problem if they are bent, maybe if you hit something. an alignment shop could tell you this. maybe there is a local shop willing to look at your car for no cost.

more specifically, what kind of problems are you experiencing?

[NiSmo240luvR]

well aside from the shaking at 75+ mph there is noticeable play in the wheels from side to side also and going over bumps which are not even noticeable makes it seem like i just hit a crater.....i do have new full coils which will help, but i dont believe my suspension is the culprit( maybe just with the bump problem) but it just seems like my front end is really loose........also the steering has alot of play in it......i had my bearings checked and they are fine because thats what i thought it was originally......

EDIT: also my front passenger wheel is noticeably leaning inward....i feel like im gonna make my wheel fall off when i drive lol....

[chandler]

have you put it on jack stands and checked the front end yet? camber is what causes your wheel to look like its leaned in, maybe you just need to go to an alignment shop

[NiSmo240luvR]

if you took a drive in my car you could tell its not just an alignment.... the feelin is soooo weird.......i just dont wanna buy anything else i dont need... like wheelbearings

[Ceptos]

taking it to an alignment shop and getting them to shake down the front end would be your best bet.

if you know what you are looking for, take a look under the front end at the tension rod bushings and see if they are cracked, or there is any type of discoloration around them.

tension rod bushings would make the steering wheel shake at high speeds. your car is pretty old, if they havnt been replaced at all they should be.

unless you know what to look or, i wouldnt make any decisions until you have it looked at, it could literally be anything. maybe an alignment is all it needs, tho it probably needs one on top of whatever problem you have now. of course that should wait until after your coilovers are installed. (btw, what parts do you plan on installing?)

i thought my caster was off and it turned out to be tension rod bushings.

[NiSmo240luvR]

yea i guess i just have to take a look again and then prolyl take it somewhere and get an opinion.....im gonna install a set of Tein Basics and new bushings.....

[rico05]

I replaced my t/c rods with p/b ones, and my shimmy lessened. After the Tein hard tie rods and ends and an alignment shake went away even more. Got new tires and had them mounted and balanced. Shake no longer exists.

There ya go. That is what happened for me. Also, the shake seemed less after I installed Nismo S-Tune coilovers, but I dobut that did much. I bet it is a combination of tie rod grease fittings shot, alignment and tires needed.

[NiSmo240luvR]

i realllllly hope my experience is as easy a solution as yours...for some reason its never that easy for me lol.......so ima take it to a place and hopefully find out its notto serious...but you do know that shifty feelin im talkin bout with the front end?

ps: and what are p/b rods?

[rico05]

Pillow Ball ends on the tension control (t/c) rods.http://www.projectnissan.com/P...t=608

[Projex240]

tension rods have pillow ball ands? I thought they were either solid or had those crappy mushy busings in them.Arent the tie rods the ones witht he pillow ball mounts on them---old thread i know..but im just trying to read up on how to eliminate vibration in the front end(steering wheel shake)

[marshun]

if you put the front up in the air and turn the steering wheel left and right really hard, have someone look underneeth to see if the steering rack moves.

its usually bushings and crap of some sort. maybe your ball joints on the ends are shot.

[DammitBobby]

I paid 20 bucks to have a alignment shop check out my car and tell me what I needed to replace. Well worth the money. I installed S-Tech springs and AGX Struts and he told me I didn`t need any camber kits. He noticed some play in the front end it end up being the Rack and Pinion needed to be replaced. You get new inner Tie rods when you replace the rack. Anyway I will be removing my rack this weekend if my back will let me.

[gumby]

check the front strut tower/frame for rot before you drop $$$ if its separated the car wont hold an aligment. just find the hole where the brake line goes into the wheel well and poke around thats where it starts.