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Steering slop
There are various symptoms...maybe related, maybe not. The first one is the one that concerns me most. Any ideas as to what is wrong and how to best remedy it (even if it means replacing major parts) are appreciated.
1. Vehicle is jacked up so that only 1 of the front wheels is off the ground. I grab the wheel/tire and gently turn it about the steering axis and there is a "notchy" feel to it with a quiet thunk. This means that the wheel, knuckle, ball joint, and tie rod all move about 2mm in sync (no play between these components), but the opposite side wheel does not move (of course not...it's still on the ground), and the steering wheel does not move. It's free play on that individual wheel. Doesn't matter which front wheel is off the ground..they both do it.
2. Steering shake at various speeds
3. A Mid frequency vibration during braking (not brake related...weight transfer related) with a sort of grinding sound that can be heard and also felt in the floor/pedals/steering wheel.
4. Semi squirly over rutted or uneven asphalt. It's like one wheel suddenly pulls the car its direction. Steering wheel turns in this situation, too. Not hard to control...just a bit annoying.
So, my thought is a crack in the rack allowing for 1-2mm of separation between the 2 halves of the rack. However, I don't know if this would cause the other road noise/vibrations issues or not. All help is, as always, greatly appreciated!!
Mat
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