Symptoms of Bad Tie Rod (Inner and Outer)

Welcome to Top5autorepairs. My channel consists of automotive repairs lecture. In today's topic I will explain how an inner and outer tie rod works, what are the symptoms you should pay attention to such as knocking noise, bad dust boot, and play in your steering wheel. A bad tie rod will cause excessive vibration while driving as well. I hope you'll consider subscribing.

[@keybokatze1927]

Goated guide. So many of your videos have been helpful already.

[@mattbaird5467]

You sir may have just confirmed a shaky steering wheel problem I've dealt with for a year thank you

[@kuklux8764]

Thanks man your explanation is on point💯🙌🏻

[@hermessrt2414]

It's always on the drivers side most of the time

[@culwelljason]

This is a very concise explanation, thank you!

[@Hardwick989]

Thanks bud ,for a clear -quick explanation of tie rod faults.others take to long.(prob sucking my data up on purpose ) lol

[@teresag2015]

I like you. You teach almost exactly as I would. Thank you and blessings.

[@Dead10thgen]

Could a broken outer tie rod boot cause clunking noise, even when not turning?

[@tgod1993]

I really appreciate your video sir! You’re a very smart and well spoken man. I’m using this as reference for my ATV Issue, I don’t really notice any issue when turning or driving other than vibration especially at high RPM. I’ve replaced so many things trying to fix this vibration but last night I noticed a little bit of play in one of them, I didn’t have a jack but even with wheels on ground it had a little movement.. the “rubber boots” are torn/out of place and I noticed gritty-like grease where they mount. My AT vibrates in neutral at high RPMS just as bad as it does while driving at high RPM. I feel it mostly in the handlebars and foot pegs Could bad tie rods be my issue? I know you aren’t working on ATVs but I can’t find anyone to help me.. any advice is greatly greatly appreciated

[@Texas_Made_]

1:45🤣💀💀,my steering wheel shakes like crazy when i start to pick up speed🙄

[@nicholashinrichsen534]

Great explanation

[@454lando]

Great explanation thanks for your video

[@ben159xbox]

Thank you so much for the video! Greatly appreciate it!

[@jeufuyang6261]

How do I know if it’s rack and pinion or tie rods ?

[@pdilla1763]

I have some play in the steering wheel and slight wondering when going straight (Not horrible). Going over small circle speed bumps in my neighborhood, wheel moves side to side (like steering wheel is loose) Slight vibration when driving, but not major. No clicking noise when turning, none even at full turn. Power steering doesn’t assist as quick as before either. Do you think it could be inner or outer tie rods or both? Car is AWD. Thanks in advance.

[@nyne9ether640]

Ever found out what the problem was?

[@tmcunlimited]

Thanks This was so helpful. Great presentation

[@TotodrivesspdTanker]

Great video as always...Thanks!!

[@damocles7230]

Thank you, God bless you.

[@josequiroz4605]

see ive just changed mostly all of my front suspension parts on my 2011 durango. and the have new tires and alignment done. but steering wheel shakes left to right and have wheel vibration at haigh speed right after 55mph-75mph. ive changed one tie rod end wheel hubs are still good no play in them i hardly doubt i have bent wheel

[@rosepedal3140]

Great video!! Thanks!

[@Pinkielover]

The way my car is on my Mazda if your outer tie rods are bad, check your upper control arm the way they designed the upper control arm usually makes the others fail You'll usually need to replace them both at the same time... and always keep an eye on the upper control arms they are the first thing to fail , especially the bushings to the frame the way they are pinched they act like a spring the rubber components so they fail pretty quickly, if it's not good quality rubber

[@shadowman1992]

Help!! Lol if my car sits over night or during my work day i get a cluck noise only when backing up slow when first moving the car after it sat. The noise only happens one time i dont hear it again until the next time i move the car after sitting. Any ideas ? Other than that the car drives fine.

[@wmleatherwood]

Well done

[@josepaiz528]

Good video

[@humbertorivera7080]

Thank you brother, that’s an pretty much self explanatory video to learn and know issues with inner and outer tie rod 👌🏻 Thanks

[@Oh_that_guy]

Thank you. I think I just found an explanation of what is wrong with my wife Dodge GC

[@steveramirez7395]

It's a dodge that's the main problem

[@mattball420]

Ofcourse, wives are basically pothole finders

[@feliiiik]

Thank you for your videos man. They are very helpful. Can you help me with a specific problem i'm having? My car (2013 civic lx) drives great on flat even ground, but once the road gets bumpy / uneven, my car gets erratic and gets really hard to keep the car driving in a straight line. Its like it wants to steer left or right on its own. I can also feel this in the steering wheel as it makes small jerks. I've done the following: the front suspension replaced, front and rear end links replaced, and passenger side cv axle... but the problem still persist. Any idea whats going on?

[@Top5AutoRepairs]

Check the control arm bushing and worn ball joints

[@feliiiik]

​@@Top5AutoRepairs I was able to film some of the noise that I also hear in the steering wheel streamable.com/vw1ubr Does it sound like a rack and pinion issue or a inner tie rod issue?

[@AkashYousuf]

@@feliiiikwhat was it? I’m having the same issue on my FD2 Civic

[@garyzhang5099]

Thank you for your video! As you mentioned If the tie rod is going bad, the steering wheel is going to shaking all the time, my mech told me one of my inner tie rod has a bit of play, but he also said it still has one or two years life remaining. I do have steering wheel shake problem, but it’s only at certain speed, it start from 50mph and completely gone at around 68mph, should I worry about tie rod? Or it’s due to the imbalanced wheel?

[@Top5AutoRepairs]

It could be due to imbalanced tires.

[@garyzhang5099]

@@Top5AutoRepairs thank you! I’ll do that first👍

[@garyzhang5099]

Haha, just report back and post here so anyone have same problem can see. So the tire rotation fix 90% of steering viberation @ 55mph(all 4 wheels are off balance, one of them is even 150% off balance lol), later yesterday I replace the inner tie rod and did an alignment, and that 10% viberation is now gone

[@josequiroz4605]

​@Top5AutoRepairs I have same issue but my new tires have been balanced to the wheels

[@FlexRixh]

Feeling like driving drunk

[@chrisp.5272]

Replaced my Ford Escort ZX2’s outer tie rods, and one ball joint, then got an alignment, no vibrations, but the car is pulling to one side, it’ll randomly start wondering, turned around after 5 mins of driving and went back home, too sketchy to commute to work on that. Ugh now I gotta get the X3 with a slow coolant leak, (Possible Head Gasket) and cold starting issues fired up after like a year of sitting… Not fun at all. I just dumped $400+ on registration/title/tags to get the Escort on the road. I have a feeling the issue is a rack and pinion issue. I had a buddy help me top off my brake fluid, and he ended up putting a small amount into the power steering reservoir. I then sucked out most of the fluid in the reservoir with a turkey baster and refilled with some Prestone fluid. Could be the inner tie rods too. It seems to clunk when I shake the steering wheel while car is sitting and engine is off, like near the steering column area.

[@SirD31V1D]

What about wheel bearing? It also push to sides when it is bad and makes a metal to metal sound when you accelerate. Take off the wheel and brake rotor, one hand on your strut spring and with your other hand turn the wheel hub, if there is a huge vibration could be your wheel bearing.

[@ebonyjohnson1529]

I have audi q5 was told they dont have bushing . Im so confused

[@804MRMAN]

Lol. The inner tie rod doesn't have a bushing it works on ball bearing. The outer ( steering ) tie rod has a bushing.