Inner Tie Rods Of Ke70

[Tham]

Hi, I'm from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

I have a 1981 Corolla "DX" KE70, 4K engine.

 

The steering has been making some "clunking"

sounds for some time, especially when going over

rougher roads and humps, and one can "feel"

the clunk a little at the steering wheel too.

 

I was told about a year or two ago that the inner tie rods,

which the mechanics here call "drumsticks" or

"steering ballhead" in their jargon, were somewhat

loose, but it was minor and need not be replaced.

 

Well, it has been getting louder these few days, and

I wonder if there is a risk of the tie rod snapping and

the wheel flying off ?

 

The ball joints had been inspected too at the same time

as the tie rods a year ago, and they looked alright then,

though had never been replaced since I bought the

car 11 years ago.

 

Thanks.

[Tham]

Sorry about the mistake, but I didn't notice this

was not a technical discussion section.

 

Should have posted in the KExx section below instead,

but there was no provision for deleting this post.

[Tham]

Thank you very much for the info, Nick.

You are most helpful.

 

I'll go get them replaced soon as I can. Wow, I didn't

realize it was this dangerous to have loose rack ends.

 

I had already purchased a spare some time back, one

of those Japanese "555" brand replacement parts -

not very well-made or durable. Wasn't that costly,

but the labour charges to replace them will be. And

will have to add extra for realigning the steering too

after that.

 

You're right, there's nobody reconditioning or rebuilding

whole steering units here, just what you can get at

salvage shops.

[Tham]

Hi Nick,

 

I went to one of the steering alignment shops yesterday.

 

They checked out the inner tie rods by jacking up the car

and moving each wheel to and fro, but said there wasn't

much looseness in the rods and they still looked good.

The steering still returns, or "snaps back" to center quite

easily after a turn.

 

Both wheel bearings (the left one had been changed

not too long back) were loose however, and they tightened

them up. They also said the ball joints and outer tie rods were

fairly good too, and overall the steering still looked alright.

 

The steering now feels somewhat better, but the "clonking"

sounds , and the slight movement feeling as it "clonks"

are still there however. I'm thinking that the gears of the rack

or maybe pinion is worn out overall. I remember when I had my

previous car, an Isuzu Gemini, the mechanic then told me

that the rack will wear out over time and needs to be replaced

(usually with a salvaged one) after some years.

 

Might a tightening of the bottom adjusting nut to reduce

free play help ?

 

Thanks.

Edited February 12, 2006 by Tham

[Tham]

It basically "clonks" the moment I drive. The

sound is a muffled "clonk" over straight even

roads, but louder over bumps or rough/rocky roads.

Doesn't seem to come when I steer, however.

 

The sound appears to be coming from the steering

shaft area or around the right (driver's side) of the

rack region.

 

I think there are a couple of fiber or metal mounting

bushes on each side of the rack, but they said these

normally don't give much trouble.

 

I'll have to find another mechanic some time to

check it out.