Tie Rods, Bushings, Brakes and Rotors

Out of balance wheels, out of round tires, worn outer tie rods, worn steering rack, worn bushings, busted struts .

did you check the upper and lower control arm bushings for excessive wear or movement. also check the inner tie rods on the rack and pinion assembly.

I had this problem also. I had the rims cleaned, balanced the wheels and replaced the shocks. Each action helped a bit but replacing the shocks was the most improvement.

These may have problems with the Inner Tie Rod Bushings. The inner tie rods are up on the firewall behind the engine, have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth (just enough to feel all the play) and see if the rods are loose.

At 36,000 miles I had to have my rack and pinions replaced. Problem fixed. At 84,000 miles I had the front tie rods replaced and new front tires. Still has the noise. Now I find out it is suspension and bushings. I still love the car though.

2 bolts holds the bushings and tie rods in place. after the bolts and rods are removed you should be able to remove the bushings.

Exact same thing happened to me. On my 03 taurus and 03 Windstar. It ended up be worn inner tie rod ends. Would reccommend an inspection of bushings, tie rods etc.

I had a bad clinking sound as well and had the bushing knucle bearing and now found the clucnking is the outer tie rods. have them checked.

To Steering Gear Bolt 90 Nm (66 ft. lbs.) Jam Nut 75 Nm (55 ft. lbs.)
NUMBER: 19-001-01
GROUP: Steering
DATE: Mar. 23, 2001
THIS BULLETIN SUPERSEDES TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 19-003-00 REV A, DATED OCTOBER 6, 2000 WHICH SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM YOUR FILES. ALL REVISIONS ARE HIGHLIGHTED WITH **ASTERISKS** AND INCLUDE PART NUMBER CHANGES AND ADDITIONAL MODEL YEAR.
WARNING: FAILURE TO ACHIEVE A MINIMUM TORQUE OF 100 NM (74 FT. LBS.) MAY RESULT IN THE ATTACHING BOLTS LOOSENING AND FRACTURING. THIS COULD RESULT IN A SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. BENDING THE RETAINING TABS ALONE WILL NOT PREVENT THIS.

SUBJECT:
Loose Steering

OVERVIEW:
This bulletin provides service procedures and parts information for the inner tie rod bushings.
MODELS:
1993 - **2001 ** (LH) Concorde/Intrepid/LHS/New Yorker/Vision/300M
SYMPTOM/CONDITION:
Loose feel or clunk in the steering wheel as the wheel is moved from side to side.
DIAGNOSIS:
Observe the inner tie rod to steering gear attaching point while moving the steering wheel from side to side. If there is movement between the gear and inner tie rod, perform the Repair Procedure. If no movement is evident further diagnosis of the condition will be required.
DISCUSSION:
The inner tie rod bushings have previously been serviced with the tie rod assembly. This bulletin releases the parts, service procedures, and special tool necessary to service just the bushings. Subsequent service manuals will contain the Repair Procedure.

I did this on a 2002 Intrepid, and found that it wasn't too complicated. I replaced the bushings only, rather than the tie rod end. You can get bushing replacement kits where the bushing is in two pieces and doesn't have to be pressed in. Before starting, turn the steering all the way to the right, then remove the intake air ducting. The rack and pinion assembly should be easily accessible now. BE SURE AND REPLACE ONLY ONE TIE ROD BUSHING AT A TIME. If you take both bolts out at the same time, you may have a very hard time getting all the sleeves, etc. aligned in the steering unit so you can get the bolt back in the proper hole.