Hey all. I've got a '92 hatch that i've had since brand new and has almost 300K miles on it. I did a suspension upgrade w/ coilovers and megan racing shocks a few years ago. Other than that, I haven't replaced anything else in that area since new. Going down the road, more so on the freeway, my car feels EXTREMELY unstable. My brother-n-law told me it was more than likely my tie rod ends. My wheel bearings haven't been replaced, but read they would squeal at me if needed to be replaced. Other than my tie rod ends, what else do you guys think the instability is? I do not have power steering on this thing. When purchased, it was the DX model and stripped down pretty much. Thanks a bunch I really appreciate your feedback.

 

The only ideas I have are the tie rod ends, like you mentioned, or the steering rack itself. They do wear out, and your hatch has about 300K on it. My old 2000 DX had its steering rack replaced at 190K and it's at 265K now.

 

Was the steering column a pain in the *** to replace? I'm going to begin w/ the tie rod ends and see where that takes me. I'm hoping that'll fix the problem. I appreciate your response to my thread.

 

It was replaced at a shop. I most definitely didn't wanna mess with something like that. That was one of the thing the guy who sold it to us had fixed before he sold it. Very cool deal, 2000 DX for $2400 with pretty much all new suspension, timing belt, tires, etc.

 

I also have a problem with my car feeling loose on the highway. I will pull left for a bit ..... then pull right for a bit. Also if I am doing about 40 - 50 mph and swerve left and right, there seems to be a ton of body roll. It almost feels like the wheels are staying planted and the body is pivoting left and right. Any suggestions as to what this could be?

 

For body roll, consider bad struts-- do the bounce test. Or the sway bar broken or disconnected.

For loose steering, lift the front wheels off the ground by jacking under the control arm where the fork from the strut attaches. That way the suspension is basically in normal driving position but the tires are not touching the ground. Wiggle the wheels (helps to have someone hold the steering wheel still) and find where the loose part is.

 

When my lower ball joints were bad the steering was loose. Check those too.