tie-rod or not?

[red_gsx]

i have never before had a reason to do anything to the suspension so ill be the first to say i know nothing about it. i just found out what a tie-rod is the other day.
i went to get an alignment done on my car and they told me my tie-rod was bad. the car was raised and when the tech grabbed the tire he could move it back and forth about an inch and a half or so. when i got home and started reading my chiltons on this tie-rod phenomenon. my questions are this,
1) is it the inner or outer ones i need to replace?
2) i talked to a friend of mine, he drives a wrx and has been wrong in the past, but he said check the knuckle.
i'm just wondering if anyone can give a little guidance here on where to go from here. my tires are going bald and my mpg is at 17.7 as of last fill up. thanks ahead for all the help

 

[ahaidet]

Ok typically a loose wheel like that could be a few things:
(First go jack the car up in your garage on the side they said was bad)

1) Place one hand at the 12O'Clock position and one hand at the 6 O'Clock position and wiggle the tire in and out. If you get some movement or clicking this way it is more than likely a wheel bearing.

2) Place one hand in the 3 O'Clock position and another in the 9 O'Clock position and wiggle the tire in and out if you get the movement in this direction it is most likely a tire rod end. Typically only the outer ends go bad. They cost about 25.00 bucks if my memory is right from Autozone. The replacement procedure is pretty easy basically only need a few tools:
-Socket set
-Adjustable crescent wrench (used to loosen tie rod end with a pipe on handle it if is really stuck)
-a tie rod end puller or "pickle fork", the puller is the better choice if you are just removing the tie rod to put the same one back on later.. but since yours is probably trashed the pickle fork will work (it just likes to cut the boots that protect the tie rod end) Both are pretty cheap at Autozone to purchase and I have found many uses for both types other than tie rod ends. Or you might even be able to rent them at some auto parts stores.
-factory service manual or Haynes or Chilton's which ever you have

3) Finally, you can have a bad control arm bushing in the front that can cause the wheel to move a lot in and out. Basically just have a friend look under or look under yourself and see if you can see the bushings move. Energy suspension makes a great kit for this and its relatively cheap as well about $40 for both sides

The tie rod end will be really obvious when you look at it and wiggle it around when you have the wheel off. How many miles are on your car? The bushings will be obvious if you have someone watching them (check out Vfaq.com he has a pretty decent write up on replacing the bushings.) And a wheel bearing would be making noise when you drive down the road a hum or ticking noise.

Any other questions let me know. I've done all of these on my car. Including the inner tie rod ends but I am a bit compulsive when it comes to mechanical repairs.