the car is acting funny at speeds higher than 50 the steering wheel shacks violently it gives me a real un-easy fellin my question is this a common symptom of a bad tie rod i'm gettting ready to pull it apart any way for my E.S. kit so i'm trying to find what is causeing it to drive this way

 

Check your wheel lugs also, make sure they arent loose.

If you get under the car and push/pull the outer tie rods, do you feel movement in the steering rack or ball joints?

Jack the front of the car up, grab the tires and try to force them back and forth, top to bottom, then side to side...is there play?

 

like keebler suggested, you reall have to get underneath there and check whats loose. it may not even be your balljoints. who knows, until you or someone else checks.

having two persons helps, one to move the wheel and the other to feel around whats loose. it just takes putting your hand around the balljoint or arm and feeling for looseness.

 

i agree with keebler and tyson, but, yes, that does sound like something loose down there obviously.

When doing something like urethane bushings, it's always a good idea to replace ALL the balljoints that haven't been replaced recently.

urethane bushings wear those things out faster, and believe me, it sucks to put that all in, then a year later have another set of balljoints going out, requiring you to pay for another alignment.

 

I've had both go bad at different times. My advice would be to break the outer tie rod loose from the spindle.
For the outer tie rod, move the joint with your hand - it should move 'side to side' in an arc, but not 'up and down' (like you're trying to pull it out of the socket).
For the inner tie rod, it should also move 'side to side' in an arc. You shouldn't (should not) be able to move it 'in and out' (like you're trying to pull it out of the socket).

A vibration at higher speeds can also mean a bad wheel bearing or hub - see if the hub has any free movement in relation to the knuckle/spindle (this would be a rocking motion 'up and down' or 'front to back', not referring to rotational movement).

Hope this makes sense, I haven't been on here in awhile.

 

Oh Oh let me play

Wheels can be unbalanced also

 

Agreed, I'd start with guessing out of ballance or even a shifted belt on your tires