have to much play in steering wheel and the front tires facing the fenders are bald, some expensive mechanic said that i needed idler arms and tie rod (something else i forget). but a friend of mine said get new tires and just a wheel alignment. what do you guys think??

 

If there's play in the steering and it feels loose then you most likely need inner and outer tie rod ends like many thirdgens do. Don't forget to check the balljoints and wheel bearings also while your working up there.

I had to rebuild my steering at 60,000 miles because it was loose and wearing the tires. I also went ahead and rebuilt the steering box as well which helped some also.

 

thanks. think i should get a new steering box to or am i straight?

 

Steering boxes are very expensive. If it's not leaking fluid I would just leave it alone. If it's leaking you can get a rebuild kit from Advanced for around $20. Aside from that I would do the tie rods first. That should make a big difference depending on how worn they are.

 

rag joint! rag joint! rag joint!!!

please check your rag joint, have some one turn the wheel back and forth with the engine off while you look carefully for play. i looked mine over many times and it appeared fine but once i got a helper to turn the wheel i was shocked at how much play there was. they may be other worn parts but this was the best 15 bucks i have ever spent.

 

If all those don't fix it, it's the steering box. You can take off the intermediate shaft and twist the exposed gear by hand. If there's play, you'll feel it. My box needs to be rebuilt as well (no, not because it's leaking).

One thing you could check, ball joints. The wheels will shimmy, causing excessive wear, and it's not safe either.

 

i got 4 new tires put in and a wheel alinment. the mechanic said i needed nothing else except to relube certain components,which he did.:lala:

 

My bet would've been the idler arm and "center link", not tie rod ends. The center link and idler arm are "wear parts" on our cars; they eventually wear out, even if you drive around every bump on the roads. Glad to hear you didn't need anything else! Invest in a $15 lube gun and a $5 tube of synthetic lube, and keep those fittings happy whenever you do an oil change!