2000 Outback auto 160k miles. I can hear a click when turning the wheel back and forth while idling. Checking into it, I can feel looseness and clunking on the front left tie rod end. It feels and sounds like it is on the inner side where it screws into the rack.

 

Is that almost certainly a bad inner tie rod end? Or is there something that can go wrong with the rack to cause that looseness?

 

Just wondering because I replaced that (left) front inner (and outer) tie rod end a couple years ago with new genuine parts because I could feel a similar looseness. I guess it's possible it went bad again.

The rack will also clunk, I replaced my inner tie rods only to find out the clunk was in rack, I replaced the whole rack and it fixed it.

I have a loose bushing in the rack that clunks from time to time. I've also had an inner end loosen up and clunk around. The boots are not hard to remove to check the condition of the inner end. Clean the tie rod off and hit it with some silicone spray and the boot will slide right over it. A shot of silicone spray helps with getting the boot back over the lip on the rack as well.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to pull it on the ramps so I can really shake it down under there. I can feel something loose but after checking it again this morning it's hard to pinpoint it without getting under there.

 

It seems to be in the up/down direction only is the looseness. Fore and aft seems tight. I have to shake pretty hard to be able to feel it. So maybe I will check out the ball joint too.

 

I put loctite red on the new inner tie rod end so hopefully it wasn't able to loosen it self back up.

 

I think I saw there is some sort of rack clearance adjustment screw on the left side too, I wonder if that can need checking over time?

 

Thanks for the silicone spray tip. Nipper hooked me up with that tip some time back too, and I couldn't believe how well it worked. I had the boot greased but spent probably 20 minutes not being able to wrestle it back over the rack. With a shot of silicone spray on there it just popped into place in about 5 seconds.

Ball joint.

 

With it on jackstands, place a pry bar between the knuckle and the control arm, (just behind the balljoint) and pry. There should be no balljoint movement. IF there is....it's the ball joint.

Thanks, I'll have to check the ball joint. I ended up replacing the Subaru tie rod but it didn't make any difference. I was getting a shimmy in the front that I thought might have been caused by that looseness, but it actually turned out to be a slightly seized brake caliper. The slight clunk is still there and I can feel it if I shake the inner tie rod up and down hard at the rack end; it isn't terrible it's just something I noticed. I saw the manual says the steering gear clearance can cause that, but it looks like you need a special tool to hold the nut while adjusting it. But then the factory repair manuals for Subaru cars do often list all kinds of special tools that may be helpful but might not be absolutely required to do the job.

Edited June 25, 201114 yr by porcupine73

I have a 2000 O/B with the same issue. 158k on it.

 

I have changed tie rods but the clunk is in the rack.

 

There is a backlash adjustment, I believe, but it is not accessible on this model with the rack installed.

 

I'm wondering if it is possible to disconnect the fluid lines and the steering input shaft, so I could rotate the rack about 90 degress to get to the backlash adjustment?

 

As far as a special tool; I tried it on a rack out of a car, and a socket worked fine to loosen the nut.