Tie rod failure is easy to see. If you see the tie rod end hop up and down when you push and pull and 3 and 9 then its bad. But since it does not rotate at speed, it is unlikely the noise you are experiencing. But it could still be bad. It is possible that the CV joint is bad and the tie rod is loose.
On Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 4:18 PM, Peter Frederick <psf...@earthlink.net>wrote: > A bad axle will not show looseness, that has to be either a wheel bearing > (brake disk will move in and out with the hub, strut mount will NOT move) > or a bad ball joint. > > I'd vote for a wheel bearing. If they are the standard front wheel drive > type, they are double race ball bearing permanently sealed bearing pressed > into the steering knuckle with the shaft keyed into them and bolted in > place. They can growl, but often knock like a bad ball joint on bumps. > I've had both failures over the years. Some are bolted on instead of > pressed in (much easier to replace). > > If the ball joints are bad, you can get the steering knuckle moving back > and forth with the weight off the tire, but only if it's really bad. > > Do the normal checks -- straight in and out play at the bearing is the > bearing, in and out play on an unloaded (jackstand under the control arm) > is probably ball joint or maybe loose strut mount bolts. Play when rocking > top to bottom is ball joint or strut mount (upper), side to side is a tie > rod or drag link, vertical play when prying up on the bottom of the tire is > a bad ball joint. > > A bad CV joint can groan, but the diagnostic is a low speed very sharp > turn. A distinct "click click click" at wheel speed is a worn out joint. > They normally don't fail unless the boots are bad, but it does happen at > high milage. They can also moan and rumble when they get really worn, too. > > Peter > > > > > ______________________________**_________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives > http://www.okiebenz.com/**archive/<http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/> > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/**mailman/listinfo/mercedes_**okiebenz.com<http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com> > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
