ok, first things first..my upper ball joints need replacement. secondly, when i grab ahold of either front wheel and move from side to side, shes a little loose. i did some searching and i'm wondering if this is my problem(rack and pinion). a few of my friends were under the vehicle when she was on the lift and i was moving each wheel, and that's where the clunking came from, the steering rack. if so do i need to replace the entire component?

 

move up and down too...could be wheel bearings. also check the tie rods.

 

tie rods are good for sure, I ordered new and took everything apart assuming it was them. Tie rods were great. like i said, everything seemed to come from that rack.. are there bearings inside to replace or what?

 

anyone know of a good rack/pinion thread??

 

i read somewhere where they said that if the rack and pinion is bad you can tell when you first start the car up and even though you have power steering it his hard to turn the wheel either side and then go back to normal like mine...!!!

 

I don't have power steering

 

wow thanks for the help guys

 

sounds like wheel bearings ... i belive they have to be pressed in so take it to a shop and have them do it

 

Sounds like a friends problem, we could wobble his wheel back and fourth when it was in the air, replaced the wheel bearings, problem solved.

 

thanks for the replys.. i'm going to throw on some UCAs and give the wheels a shake again. appreciate the other ideas.

 

got the steering rack apart. the rack end bushing looked fine. round two, wheel bearings.