Bad Tie Rod End

[GSGoinFast]

I made a post earlier about how i slid into a curb. there was no visable damage, but the right front wheel, the one i hit, was making this rumbling sound, and i could feel vibration in the steering wheel and the pedals. the steering is a little loose and the alignments off but that seems to be it. so i finally had it checked out today and i got and estimate of $700!!! Get this, its all maintenance stuff, like i need new rotars, pads, oxygen sensor...ect. the list goes on and on. most of this stuff i knew were bad or going bad. and there is only one thing that seems like it could be from the accedent, mostly cause i dont know what it does, it is the outer right tie rod end, which the guy said needed replacement. i didnt actually talk to him, my dad did, so i dont know what was wrong wiht it. i guess my question is, could the outer tie rod end cause the rumbleing and vibrations, or could it be somethign else?
oh yeah i knew that the brakes and rotars almost needed replacement before the crash so i dont think its them. Any help is appreciated! thanks!

[DSM90AWD]

The outer tie rod end connects your steering rack's tie rod to your front wheels. It's a very sturdy joint which I highly doubt was damaged by your "incident".. especially being that it's only a couple years old.

Take the car to an NTB, Western Auto, Sears or Firestone and have them do a front end alignment, re-balance the front tires and check the other suspension components for damage.

IMO.. NEVER take your DSM to a dealor for routine maintenance.. you go in for an oilchange and they discover you need a new engine... they're not nicknamed SATAN for nothing

Good Luck!

[GSGoinFast]

lol alright thanks. my dad didnt take it to a dealer though he took it to a guy he knows that has a shop. and a lot of the things i knew were either going bad or were bad, like the brakes and rotars, that i hadnt gotten around to fixing. well the only things he is doing with the suspension is replacing the right outer tie rod end, replacing the rotars, and aligning it. the rest is like O2 sensor which i had a feeling cause of a CEL being on for a bit. the serp belt too. but those are the only suspension repairs hes making. Any clues, could it be any of these?

[DSM90AWD]

An alignment is definitely in order as your rack prol shifted a couple teeth. The vibration (without seeing your car) is prol a combination of a misalignment, wheel out of balance and possibly a bent rim (was it damaged?).

The outer rod ends are ~$25/ea but with labor prol 1/2 hour shop time to do it.

I'm suprised your O2 sensor is messed up having a 1999 car. Did you do any exhaust work and recently which may have removed a ground strap?

[GSGoinFast]

Ya the rim was damaged a little bit. just the outer edge of the rim, right next to the tire, was chewed up and almost smeared towards my tire. the tires are not damaged though. the alignment is off a bit because it does vere to the right a little bit. I did have a custom exaust system put on in some shop in chicago, i dont know what they removed though, it was just a cat-back. im ###### going to try to find a new rim to replace it. Im not sure what else it could be though. could it be a bent Wheel bearing? or do u just think its the alignment?

[jrivard00]

Yes, I remember your first post. A loose tie rod end is actually considered a safety issue and needs to be addressed. You can actually test it out yourself by jacking the front of you car up and wiggling your two front tires by hand horizontally. If there is a little play then your tie rod on the particular wheel is probably bad. While you are at it you can also test your lower ball joints by wiggling your tires vertically. Again there should be no play. Your rim has a little road rash, but nothing a good rebalancing of your tire won't cure.

Never ever go to dealer for repairs. They will give you a mile long list of things that need to be changed or repaired even when it doesn't really need it.