Tie Rods?

[TooFarPast]

Here's the problem:

When I accelerate, I can feel resistance from my front right tire (when inside the car). I hear a kind of low tone whistling noise too when I accelerate. The tread on the edge of the treaded area on the side of the tire facing out is going bald. When I approach 75-80mph, my steering wheel starts to shudder side to side and it feels like my tire is about to come off.

Now I don't believe it's that the tire wasn't put on correctly, so I believe that's good, worth checking out however. My dad took hold of the wheel and shook it and said it was most likely the tie rods are wore and need replacing. It seems pretty loose. Pretty much you can feel the resistance when you hit 40-60 and when I mean resistance, it's like a vibration that you can feel through the wheel, car, pedals, onward after 60 you really feel it. I'm kinda low out on money and don't feel like having a garage look at it and have to dish out any cash for that. Although it is the wiser choice to see what is wrong.

Any help or advice you can give will work.

Alignment? Tie Rods?

I have a 1995 Eagle Talon ESi with little over 130,000 miles on it.



Update Edit : I put the car up on jacks and wiggled the tire.

Holding top and bottom, the tire is pretty shakey, atleast half an inch it moves - so balljoints?

Holding from left and right, Not as bad but still is shaky, probably a 1/4" in movement - still not good though.

Suggestions? How much might the pricing be on parts to get things fixed? Expensive (and in what sense)? Alternatives? Thanks =)

 

[Meh987]

Grab on to the actual tie rod end and see if it has any up and down play to it. The only play it should have is some twisting play because of the ball joint. If that is tight and there's no play, it could possibly be a bad wheel bearing. Does it make any grinding noises?

If it's the tie rod end, it'll only cost about $7. But if it's the wheel bearing, it's gonna cost about a little over a $100.

 

[TooFarPast]

Well after I got my car back this April, I felt some type of grinding noise and I thought it was the rear brakes (which in some cases it is because they're heavily worn down and about to be replaced), but I thought it was doing that sometimes when I drive.

When I'm doing 30+ I feel the resistance as I said but that may be grinding, I can't tell for sure. Feels more like a vibration from the tires though.

That and I'm not driving my car til I get that tire problem fixed because it's pretty bad when I let it idle roll down the street at 5 mph and you see my right side go up and down from the issues it has.

I'll try what you said and get back with the info.

 

[FourG63 97GST]

have someone move the wheel while you look for the play, kinda hard to do alone.
if it as bad as u discribe, you will see where the play is coming from. there should be no play in the front end

 

[jtmcinder]

If you can shake the tire, it probably a balljoint. Has the recall been done?

Don't drive a car in that condition other than limp it to the shop.

- Jtoby

 

[TooFarPast]

Just checked the recalls - I'm not aware of the balljoints being replaced, figuring I should take it to a chrysler dealership and have them take a look at it?

 

[jtmcinder]

Yeah, that would be a good idea. After all, it kind of sucks to have a front wheel fall off at speed.

- Ayrton Senna

 

[TooFarPast]

Thanks everyone for your help Means a lot to some people!

 

[TooFarPast]

Two things:

1. I'm not the original owner of the vehicle - thus meaning that the recall is impossible for me?

2. I jacked the car up and took off both front tires to get a better look at the situation. For those that know your DSMs, when I pushed up on the whole unit (stabilizers, rotors), it went up, which isn't suppose to happen, did it on the left side, nothing happened. So I look around for the cause of it and notice that when I push up on rotor, everything lifts above the balljoint of the lateral arm. So basically, when it goes up and down on the balljoint when I push, however on the other decent side, that doesn't happen.

So I'm figuring two things - replacing the lateral control arm and then getting an alignment because the outer edge of my tire's tread really took a HARD beating from the vibration. Rotated my tires after that.

I can't think of anything else causing it, went through it and everything seems to be hard and stiff as it should be. I'm thinking when the tire goes back on, all the weight is down on the tire, but the tire stays still, causing everything to move up (like when I tested when I pushed up on the unit). So with it keeping everything pushed up above that balljoint and not being stiff, it's causing some play?

Any advice is dearly appreciated.

 

[wret]

I'm not the original owner of the vehicle - thus meaning that the recall is impossible for me?

The dealer is obligated to complete the recall repair for any owner without charge, whether the original owner or the 10th. What you describe does not really sound like ball joint faliure, but get it done anyway if it hasn't been all ready. Call your local dealer with your VIN and they will tell you if the repair has been performed.

 

[TooFarPast]

As shown in this picture, everything there basically sits on that lateral arm, for the most part, and it should be stiff, but however, everything above it, attached to it moves up and down.

The arm itself is stiff but the joint that connects it all together that is circled is letting everything go up and down.

 

[wret]

You've circled the lower ball joint which exactly the part that's covered by the recall. I believe that even recall-replaced ball joints must also be replaced if faulty. Check it out.

I've had faulty joints twice, and both times there was a very audible and annoying creaking during turning and/or suspension bounce. Yours may be well beyond the creaking stage and into the loose stage.

 

[jtmcinder]

I believe that even recall-replaced ball joints are must also be replaced if faulty.

Yep. It's lifetime. If they try to say it's already been done (or some other excuse), ask them to put their refusal in writing. When they ask why, tell them your heirs will need it for the lawsuit when the wheel falls off. It took them a moment to get my point, then they scheduled my appointment.

Of course, they crushed my oilpan while doing the work. Grrr.

- Jtoby

 

[TooFarPast]

I love the people of this forum.

 

[BossTSI]

Yep. It's lifetime. If they try to say it's already been done (or some other excuse), ask them to put their refusal in writing. When they ask why, tell them your heirs will need it for the lawsuit when the wheel falls off. It took them a moment to get my point, then they scheduled my appointment.

- Jtoby

Sad, and funny, but true....

 

[TooFarPast]

Well I headed over to the dealership with the recall information, they pull up the info on the car and say "Sorry this was completed back in May of 2001", recalls only happen once. And I'm thinking and then I say "what if the part's faulty again?" and they're like "Sorry, but there's a number you can call if you want to talk to Chrysler" so they give me it, I call it and it says they're not open, so I call the Chrysler company (the number on the recall info) and I get through and tell the hot sounding chick my problem (Ariel mm) and she really helped me out and told them they could perform a second.