2002 dodge stratus se 2.7 tie rod problem, driver side wheel moves back and forth

Check to see where the movement occurs. Usually it is the tie rod pivot that is moving which is common. Check to see if tie rod will move up and down. If so , it is worn. If the movement in where the tie rod connects to the shaft, tighten the clamp.

Replace both, better be safe then sorry.

Hi there, I'm AL the owner of Big As Auto Repair in Missouri

I look forward to helping you with your problem.

Anytime you have clunking in a wheel area it can be several things. (1) It could be a TIE ROD END and here's how to check it. Jack the wheel off the ground and grab it at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock and move it side to side if you feel something loose replace the outer tie rod. (2) Grab the wheel at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock and move it back and forth if you feel something loose replace the BALL JOINTS. NOTE: It could also be a wheel bearing loose. If you need further assistance go to my website. Click Here: Auto Repair

You will need to jack up the front end of the truck and get a helper. Have your helper grab one wheel at the top and bottom (12 and 6 o'clock) and move it back ond forth. You will watch the upper and lower ball joints to see if there is any movement in the j the whole wheel assembly. If there is, they need to be replaced.
Next get your helper to grab the wheel at the 3 and 9 o'clock position and move it again. This time you are lookng for movement in the tie rod ends the connect the 2 wheels to the steering. There are 2 tie rod ends on each side, an inner and an outer, check both for movement. Replace any that have movement.
Have your helper put some muscle into moving the wheel and look at the control arms for movement. You may need to replace the bushings where they connect to the frame.
If ,by chance, you have this truck jacked up and bigger tires, you should invest in stabilizer links for the steering. The Jeep thing known as "death wobble" is not exclusive to Jeeps. It applies to all short wheelbase vehicles like an S-10 or an S-15.

I would look at replacing your ball joints and/or tie rod ends, either can cause those symptoms. The balls joints should be check by a professional.

To check your tie rods jack one front side of your car check it, then do the other;

Move the front wheels. Placing your hands on the tire at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, move the tire back and forth rapidly. A properly tightened front end will give no signs of excess movement and should give you the feeling of the entire wheel moving back and forth tight to the hub. If there is a movement, ask a friend or partner to ascertain where the movement is coming from. There could be many places that excess movement in a front end could be coming from. The tie rod ends are the easiest to check. Generally, if there is movement in the outer tie rod end, you will see it moving near the ball area where is sits down into the knuckle of the control arm. Excess movement there will require replacement of the outer tie rod. As far as movement on the inner tie rod, place your hand on that while your helper is moving the tire in the same motion described above. Determine how excessive the movement is, if any, for an inner tie rod. Some vehicles will give off a little movement in the rack and pinion. Some vehicles will have what feels like excess movement, but have pitman arms and idler arms that will also need to be checked. Those components should only be allowing side-to-side movement.
Take some time and make sure the lower ball joint is not moving. Place your hands on the tire at 12 and 6 o'clock and try to move it up and down. Many vehicles nowadays have wheel bearing hub assemblies, and there should be absolutely no free-play whatsoever. If there is and the lower ball joint is not moving in the knuckle, chances are there's movement in the bearing. Some rear-wheel-drive vehicles have a bearing seated rotor and this can be adjusted to tighten the looseness in a bearing; however, a little movement in that type of application is generally OK.

Sounds like you need some front end parts. You can narrow down the parts you may need though. Get a jack and some jack stands and raise the front of your vehicle so the front wheels are off the ground. The first thing I would check is the tie rod ends as this would give you loose steering. Now that your wheels are off the ground, take both hands and grab each side of a front tire and wiggle it side to side. Keep your eye on the other front tire. If you can move the tire side to side at all, even a little bit, and the other tire does not move side to side with it, you have bad tie rods. Locate the point where the tie rod end connects to the steering knuckle at the wheel. The tie rod end will have a rubber boot with a bolt going through with a nut and probably a cotter pin holding the nut in. Now wiggle the tire again and keep your eye on this spot where the rubber boot meets the steering knuckle. If your knuckle moves (even a little) and the tie rod end does not, THAT tie rod end is bad. There are inner and outer tie rod ends. You want to check the pivot point (the place that the tie rod end is connected) on the inner and outer tie rod ends on both wheels. Again, you are looking for one side to move and the other to not move. Even if it only looks like a couple mm, it is bad. There should be NO movement whatsoever. Once you have identified all loose parts by moving the wheels side to side, we can now check ball joints and bearings. To do this is very similar to what we just did only this time we grab the top and bottom of the wheel and try to move it back and forth. Pull the top of the tire towards you and push the bottom of the tire away from you then vise versa. There should be absolutely no wiggle. If you do get a little play here, locate your upper and lower ball joints. these too will have rubber boots on them and just like the tie rod ends, you are going to keep your eye on the point where the boot meets the A-arm. If you see any movement here, that ball joint is bad. Now, if your wheel wiggles back and forth but your ball joints are tight (zero movement) then you have issues with the wheel bearings. If you have to replace any tie rod ends you will have to have an alignment done because your toe will be off and you will wear out your tires. When replacing a tie rod end, prior to taking it off, count the number of threads that are visible. You want to leave that same number of threads visible when you install the new one. Keep in mind, this only gets the alignment close enough to get to the shop to have it aligned. Good Luck!!

have rear swaybar/stabilizer links checked and replaced...and be sure u have a place that dose a 4 wheel alinement...hope it helps

Hello
Welcome!
The torque spec for the tyrod ends are 45 foot pounds.

• Unlock the steering wheel before jacking up the vehicle. This allows the Steering linkage to be moved for the best possible access to the ends' fasteners by grabbing one of the axle hubs
• Secure the vehicle on jackstands before removing the wheels.
• Buy name-brand tie-rod ends. Saving a few dollars on cheaply made parts isn't worth the risk.
• Mark the tie-rod ends' positions on their threaded adjusters before removing the old ends. This way, the new ends can be screwed in to approximately the same position as the old ones to get wheel allimint in the ballpark.
• Have the vehicle professionally aligned afterward, especially if the steering wheel isn't centered or the vehicle pulls one direction when attempting to drive straight.

Signs your haveing probloms with the tyrod ends

• Front-end shimmy, shake or vibration.
• Abnormal front-end noise.
• Hard steering.
•steering wheel doesn't return to center properly.
• Vehicle wanders.
• Steering feels unstable, loose or has excessive play.

Look behind front wheel for rod that attaches to spindle/knuckle, and moves your wheel back & forth from steering rack. The tie rod (outer) is the piece attached on the end, that is threaded on that rod, and attaches to the spindle/knuckle, behind the wheel. Grab your tire and try to wiggle it hard from side to side. (hands at 3 & 9 o'clock ) Push with one hand while pulling with the other. If there is slop, or play, you have probably got a bad tie rod end, which you can observe it move by looking at where it attaches, while someone else wiggles it. Maybe this picture will help you I.D. it.

why ???? somebody. see you like a rich person. ask you self the steering wheel shakes when you brake. have somebody to helpyou jack the car from the front put the parking brake on move the front wheel side to side(dont losing the nuts from the tire) and up and down you fell some play on both tires maybe you need tie rods