[MCO_Carter]

Specifically, how do you know when they are going out. I occasionally THINK I hear a pop when turning or stopping; one of those things that I can't be sure if I really heard it, or my brain said it heard it, and the mufflers on my SLP system occasionally bump the underside of the car, so I'm not 100% sure what (if anything) I'm hearing, or if I'm just being paranoid.

When driving a highway speeds, the wheel is rock solid, no play at all.

So my question...should I be concerned? When Tie-Rods start to go, doesn't the wheel also start to feel loose, or have a shake to it?

I'm at 146,000 miles, and have a 70 mile a day round trip commute on the highway, and the last thing I need is a front wheel falling off while I'm doing 70 in rush hour traffic (honestly, that would probably actually BE the last thing that would ever happen to me).

 

[Cuda]

So you have 146k on the front end parts? Loose parts often give warning signs but not always. Play it safe and have it checked out somewhere if you can't jack it up yourself and check it out, I've seen tie-rod and ball joints fail at 30k or less.

 

[MCO_Carter]

So you have 146k on the front end parts? Loose parts often give warning signs but not always. Play it safe and have it checked out somewhere if you can't jack it up yourself and check it out, I've seen tie-rod and ball joints fail at 30k or less.

Yup, I've had amazingly good luck with this car (my Pink Thingee didn't fail until 140,000 miles)....only Front End I've had to have was the Tension Struts last summer. I'm taking it to the dealer on Saturday morning for an oil change. I'm specifically ask them to check out the Tie Rods when they do the inspection.

 

[Roody]

On my Avalanche I could tell the tie rods were shot when the truck was parked - grab hold of the tire on opposite sides, and if you can shake it back and forth a noticeable amount the tie rods are done...at least this is what a friend/mechanic told me

 

[MCO_Carter]

Had it looked at today. One of my outer Tie-Rods DOES have a slight bit of play to it...but the noise I was hearing was from a Sway Bar Link that was completely broken.

 

[Roody]

Ah, end links do make that clunking noise when broken