Hello I recently brought a 2006 Dakota st with 53xxx miles. I noticed that when I turn to the left the steering is super loose. I can turn the wheel with just one finger. In comparison to when I turn to the right it is a lot tighter. I recently got 4 brand new tires and changed the upper and lower ball joints on the right side. The reason being is that when I went to go get an alignment the mechanic showed me that they needed replaced. So I was like maybe that will fix the loose steering when turning left. It didn't. So before I get an alignment I want to make sure that I fix this problem first.

Thanks for the help,

Jared

 

This is the outer tie rod. It is leaking. I'm use to a jeep where it fits into a sleeve that has treads. How does this come off from this end

 

That's actually the INNER tie rod you have a picture of; the ball jointed end is inside that bellows.

However, the bellows shows that the rack is leaking; most replacement racks can be had with new inner tie rods, so you may want to consider that first instead.

There are several sources; I'd recommend considering The Rack Doctor ( www.rackdoctor.net )

RwP

 

Thank you for the reply. I feared that might be the problem. My only concern is if I have to replace the entire rack. It's only doing that on the right side and is not leaking that much power steering at all. Could it be that the inner tie rod is just that bad or is that wishful thinking?