Are tie rods supposed to do this?

[exranger06]

I recently did a bunch of front end work to my 92 Accord. New front brake pads and rotors, lower ball joints, driver side CV axle, and passenger side wheel bearing. After I did all that, I started getting this slight shaking in the steering wheel at around 70 mph. I then replaced the upper ball joints (whole upper control arms) and the sway bar end links, not really expecting that to fix the problem, but because I was planning on doing that anyway. The problem is still there. The tires are pretty worn and need to be replaced, but they were worn before all this work and I didn't have this problem then, so I'm doubtful it's because of the tires. The car also already needed an alignment.

The tie rods seem pretty worn and I suspect this is the main cause of the problem. I can rotate/wiggle them back and forth fairly easily (see videos below).

1. Are they supposed to do that? I know I should grab the tire at 3 and 9 o-clock and wiggle it back and forth, I didn’t think of that before but I will try it when I have time.
2. Do you think worn tie rods would cause this shaking?
3. Do you think new ball joints would make other problems (like worn tires) more evident and that could be the cause?
4. Would replacing the ball joints throw the alignment off, and would a bad alignment cause this?
5. Any other ideas as to what it could be?

 

[JHZR2]

tie rods should be able to have some movement so that the ball joints can turn when you need to steer.

If there is a lot of play in the wheel still, them maybe so, the slop just is more constrained now so you notice it. My bet is that something else isnt right.

 

[eljefino]

You're supposed to be able to twist them like that; it has to happen for the suspension to articulate in its normal range of motion. A shot TRE can be felt by an experienced mechanic by twisting super easy, but we can't tell how much muscle you're applying in your video. Besides, the inner TRE also contributes to assembly rotating "stiction."

What matters is that the steering pushes left and right, and the steering knuckle follows precisely. IOW the 9 and 3 oclock tire shake test.

 

[The_Eric]

Yes, like eljefino said, 3 and 9 o'clock shake test.

You're feeling for lateral movement. Pay close attention to both the outer and inner tie rods. Sometimes and heavily worn tie ride will show movement up and down too.

 

[JZiggy]

Wait a minute, it looks like the jam nut isn't tight. At the end of the video, when you turn the tie rod end, it looks like it rotates relative to the inner tie rod (the shaft that it threads on to).

Other than the jam nut, that motion is normal. What you don't want is play in the join up and down or in and out (normal to the plane of the wheel)

 

[mechtech2]

Of course tightne things up first!

A good quick test is to have the car on teh ground, and someone rapidly moving the steering wheel back and forth about 1-2 inches.
Any play will be evident to the observer. You can easily see what moves and should, and what is not moving that should! Like the rod to the joint moves, but he joint/hub/wheel does not.

 

[exranger06]

Everything was tightened up (completely reinstalled, bolts torqued down, etc) in the videos, except of course for the wheels. IIRC, the driver's side tie rod jam nut was loose. I remember being able to thread it up and down on the inner tie rod (I was careful to not mess with it though, I didn't want to screw up the toe) I thought that was normal though.

I have no idea how that could've gotten loosened up. I sure as heck didn't touch it and AFAIK no one else ever did either. Like I said before, I'll do the shake test when I get the time, which probably won't be till tomorrow night.

 

[JZiggy]

The inner tie rod joint is able to spin so it can back in or out of the outer tie rod for an alignment.

 

[exranger06]

Update: I did the shake test, and there is no play whatsoever in the tie rodfs. The jam nut on the drivers side was very loose so I tightened it. The shake is still there. So, basically the tie rods seem perfectly fine and are apparently not the problem. So WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE? Please refer back to #3, 4 and 5 in my first post.

 

[mechanicx]

I think it is most likely your front wheel and tire assemblies. Although the shake may have not been there before all the work, the tires may have worn into a certain pattern and the new suspension parts are making the issue more noticable. Try rotating your tires and see if it changes.

 

[mechtech2]

Loose suspension parts do not cause shaking. They ALLOW it.
Something has to exert a force to make them move.
Bad wheels/tires/bearings are first.