Looseness in steering?

I have 31,000 mostly highway miles now, and hear a distinct looseness in the right side of the car when turning tightly over uneven or broken pavement at low speeds. It sounds like a loose tie rod end, but I can't feel any looseness with the wheel off the ground, even with a lot of muscle.

The car has kinda had this since new, but it's more nticeable now. I checked the steering actuator mounting bolts & they're all tight. I can't see or feel anyting obviously loose.

Any ideas?

interested in hearing a reply to this one ... I think my LGT acts in the same manner. It got worse since installing F/R sways 6months ago.

What are your initial thoughts??

I'll go check right now.

How do you check for a loose lower ball joint? Do you have to remove the springs first?

Well that seemed to make a ~ti~ difference. Still clunky & loose feeling (this is with the cluch in & in netral too).

Anyone?

I have 31,000 mostly highway miles now, and hear a distinct looseness in the right side of the car when turning tightly over uneven or broken pavement at low speeds. It sounds like a loose tie rod end, but I can't feel any looseness with the wheel off the ground, even with a lot of muscle.

 

The car has kinda had this since new, but it's more nticeable now. I checked the steering actuator mounting bolts & they're all tight. I can't see or feel anyting obviously loose.

 

Any ideas?

Do you not only hear looseness but feel it as well?

Yesterday while making a u-turn I heard some noise and felt the steering wheel get loose for a second. The ground was uneven as well. This actually happened a second time later in the day as well.

At first I thought it had something to do with my Fulcrum LCA bushings but maybe it's not.

i say still check the lower balljoint. jack the car up and stick a pry bar under the tire and try to lift it. if you can feel it move, or you will hear some knocking sound it is the balljoint

So that's how you check it? OK, that's easy enough to do. Do the LGTs have a history of these going loose at 30,000 miles? (mostly smooth Florida highways even!)

hey deer killer i just came back from my shop the place that does all my installations and they test drove the car, and eventully put her on the lift, and started smacking the bottom side of the tire with a rubber mallet until they diagnos the problem, and in fact it was the inner tie rod, i already have an appointment for my suby dealershsip for tomorrow monring where i will tell them that the tie rod seems to be the problem.

whenever i go over train tracks, or turn left at either low speed or mild speeds over uneven road i hear bouncing in the right front steering.

in addition my left front hub bearing ha gone as well.

in addition addition whenever im going 70-90 on the highway and the road veers left i feel lots of vibration almost pulsation

I wonder if I have a bad tie rod???

I have the same exact problem as you do Spawn,turning left over a speration or something but my mechanic couldn't find the problem.

Let us know.

I've had it since new. Let's see... Can repeat it if the wheel is turned and you hit the covers for the inground fuel tanks at gas stations. Also get it if I hit pavement lips/sewer grates during repaving.

Rattles maybe three times then stops. Higher pitch that what a rod sounds like, at least based on my experience.

I haven't been able to find it the couple of times I looked.

New suspension is going on in a couple of months, might dig deeper then.

I have a clunk as well. Seems to be on the left side. Happens well going over certain speed bumps, uneven sections, and after entering my driveway.

I used to have a clunk when making high g turns, that was from my cusco front brace after tighining it that one went away.

This one has less to do with hard turns and more to do with unevenness in the roads. It has presented itself after adding

the standard Fulcrum LCA bushings, Whiteline's roll center kit, and moving endlinks to stiffer position (all one job).

Steering feel is excellent, and I like the way it drives, but the clunk is getting to me.

I've changed endlinks, retightened the cusco front lower brace, but clunk is still there.

I got the clunk after installing Fulcrum bushings. Only in turns when going over bumps. It's not very annoying, so I don't worry about it.

I read it's common (and normal).

 

whenever i go over train tracks, or turn left at either low speed or mild speeds over uneven road i hear bouncing in the right front steering.

Mine does the exact same thing, I always notice it when I go to visit my parents because of their uneven driveway. Is the tie rod damaged or defective?

i went to subaru today...and they basically said its fine over the phone. i said keep my car on the lift, im coming over and going to show you. So they kept it up there and i said give me a rubber mallet an a pry bar...i told one tech to start banging on the inside of the passenger side front tire. he starts hitting it i tell the guys can you here the hollow knock with a little sound? they said yea...so i went to the other side and said now hit it here...and it didnt make the sound. so then i stuck the pry bar in and put pressure on the inner tie rod, and the sound went from being heard to not. they said "wow thats cool, but we dont know what that specifically is" i said ok. order me an inner tie rod and let me get out of here.

parts gunna 28 bux. i pick it up in a few days, and gunna have the shop that works on my installs actully swap the tie rod