Hi, I'm normally on the truck part of dodgeforum but I have a question about my 1999 Intrepid. The driver side tie rod is very loose. I jacked the car up and can move the wheel from side to side with out the steering wheel moving at all. If the car is on the ground the steering wheel can be moved back and forth within the "play" tolerance and the passenger side wheel will move slightly but the driver side will not move at all. My question is will the tie rod end make the whole tie rod feel loose? I can move it a lot and the end that connects to the power steering feels loose too. It is behind the engie so it is a pain in the butt to see but I can feel it and the passenger side one is completely tight with no movement. Can I just replace the outside thing or is this more of a job than that. Thanks for any advice!

 

ofcourse a bad tierod can make the whole tierod feel loose. you MUST replace this part immediately for safety sake and get an alignment afterwards to ensure proper tracking!!! For most armchair mechanics the replacement is pretty straight forward and relatively easy. The outside 'thing' is the outer tie rod and they are not very expensive... unless you are broke.

 

The inner tie rod bushings are most likey the cause. You can install aftermarket bushing. and it will take some labor to replace them. After the bushing have been replace, have a 4 wheel alignment done.

 

Over the last year I 've replaced both tie rods after noticing wear on my front tires and a front-wheel shake at interstate speed. The parts weren't too expensive. Cheaper than the necessary four-wheel alignment that followed. The two wide, 16" front tires were about $260 though, so check and replace the bushings if they're worn before you end up putting on new front tires.

I had a "mobile mechanic" do the job in about 90 minutes for about $75.

 

Check the bushings that is in front of the rack. You can visually see it from the left (passenger side) side. Remove the air cleaner assembly to gain assess to the bushings. It's a simple job, but you will need a partner to help. If this is the cause, the part is cheap - NAPA, and a about a half hour to do. Be sure to check all the components of the suspension system.