i crawled under the truck today to see what could be the culprit for my wandering steering/bump steering/loose steering..

i grabbed the outer tie rod end and rotated it at its axis... there was a bunch of movement that was easily done by hand

is this a sign to replace them? thanks for you help guys!

Chris

 

I believe the test is to jack up such that the wheel is off the ground, then grab it at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions and pull/push. There should be no play, if there is, then yes, tie rod is shot. I THINK you can rotate it, to a degree, the problem is if you can move it laterally/back and forth and you feel play in it.

 

Generally speaking, if you can rotate it easily by hand, it's on its way out the door.

 

That sounds like the method for evaluating ball joints.

 

awesome thnaks guys ! What brand is good quality and price? MOOG? RAYSBESTOS?

 

Can't go wrong with MOOG.

 

For ball joints, you grip the 12 and 6 o'clock positions.

 

yup +1

 

Not sure, but I think I heard that the Master Pro house brand at O'Reilly's is Moog.

 

How would you know?? curious

 

You got me looking. Apparently, Master Pro *IS* made by Moog, and they both have the same part number system, but Master Pro is made in Taiwan or China. At least as of a few years ago, Moog was made in the US.

Next time you are over at O'Reilly's, you may want to do a direct visual comparison of a Master Pro and Moog part, and read the box to see where they are made.

 

I've never had a problem with Moog parts... as long as the parts counter gives me the correct part!