Steering rack?

[Chris97Exploder]

So I've searched the threads and I was thinking my problem was an upper balljoint clicking but I'm starting to think its the steering rack.

The rack has "tight spots" and they have gotten slightly worse recently. A thumping noise has started in the front end recently, when I hit chatter bumps, and I put new shocks which it needed anyways thinking that may have been it but it is still there. THis weekend when I was swapping the T Case I grapped the front wheel while it was on the lift and the tie rod went in and out of the steering rack about 1/8". However the steering is very tight on it and it doesn't jerk, unless you hit a hard bump going at a decent speed. It has also started to feel "sloppy" say when you go over railroad tracks. I've yanked on the wheel and jacked up on the lower control arm and yanked and the balljoints feel tight. So I am almost certain this is my dilemna. YAH!
:fire:

 

[BrooklynBay]

I once had a similar problem with my 1988 Aerostar van. It has rubber bushings on the upper part of the suspension where the the upper ball joints are connected. Even though everything may feel tight when you try to move it by hand, keep in mind that you have the weight of the vehicle pressing against these suspension parts. When you hit a pot hole, or encounter a wavy part of the road, you will have the weight of your vehicle putting intermittent pressure on a lot of points of your suspension. One example of this is on a U-Joint. You could try to wiggle the drive shaft to see if there is any play, and it could be rock steady. When you remove one side of it, and try to wiggle it in your hand by holding the end cups, you will see some play if it is bad. The standard rubber bushings dry out, and start to crack as the vehicle gets old. You could replace these parts with performance bushings that are supposed to last longer. They are some blend of urethane, thermoplastic, or neoprene. Either way, just check all of these parts, including the sway bar bushings.

 

[mrd]

..clicking..rack has "tight spots"..thumping noise..feel "sloppy" say when you go over railroad tracks...

Have you checked your halfshaft CV joints? Binding could cause tight spots and noise, and its effect would be more pronounced when the suspension is flexed over bumps and railroad tracks.

 

[Chris97Exploder]

I've already checked everything and thats when I found the play in the steering rack. Which was when it was on a lift at full suspension drop. So if the right side of the rack had 1/8" of movement at full drop it would be significantly more in the settled position supporting its own weight. From what I've discovered its the steering rack.

The reason the steering is still "tight" I believe is because the left side of the rack is still good. But when I hit bumps etc the right side kicks around giving the loose feeling.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I saw a tool in an automotive warehouse that is used to replace the inner tie rod on the rack and pinion. This shouldn't be confused with the small outer tie rods. If the actual rack is good, then it's possible to just replace these parts on the rack. If the rack is already old, then I guess you might be better off just replacing it as one whole unit. It might be cheaper than looking around for specialty tools, and replacement parts that are used for rebuilding a rack. One way to tell if the CV axles on the rack are shot is to see if they are leaking grease from ripped boots. If the boot is ripped, dirt gets in, and contaminates the joint. A rack for your vehicle is between $50-$100, depending upon where it is purchased. You would have to use your old one as a core for a rebuilt/remanufactured one. That core is worth almost as much as a rack! I don't know why, but a rebuilder once told me this. One thing I just wanted to mention was that a rebuilder I used to deal with was also a distributor/supplier for a local Ford dealer. The dealer would probably charge double the price, and it was the same exact rack as a local auto store! That supplier sold to a lot of auto stores in my area, and dealerships as well. I don't know how they advertise original Ford remanufactured equipment. I haven't seen this rebuilder in a few years, and one local store stopped selling his parts. From what I've heard, he was having trouble collecting his core merchandise, and it wasn't worth his time to keep delivering parts without getting cores back to rebuild.