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So would I. That is, dread making the trip to a dealership parts dept in this day of let your fingers do the walking. But I do fondly recall jabber-jawing with some parts counter personnel, and I miss that.
So far I've been able to preserve the old lock washers sufficiently well to pass my safety standards in re-use, which are vague, subject to change, and deniable in a court of law.
Getting to your original question, here's how I diagnose tie rods: Lift the car by the crossmember and put it on stands so the wheels hang and you can safely get under. Safe with an assistant around too. Said assistant needs to be coached in wobbling the steering wheel back and forth gently, just a few degrees, so you can locate the loose joints by feel using both hands on the parts either side of the joint.
Doing this, you'll soon distinguish loose tie rods from tie rod ends, wheel bearing looseness, and ball joint looseness. You may even discover looseness in the rear control arm bushing, but the point is, with an assistant, you can get both your hands on each part of the system. And yes, I know how getting good assistance in the garage is akin to making a trip to a Manhattan dealership and initiating a conversation about a 25 year old car and a 25-cent part for it.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
To err is human, to moo bovine.
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