No play...but are the tie rods done?

oversteer

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As many on this site have posted about, i've got some front end vibes. Bit of steering wheel shake occasionally at highway speeds. Been through replacement of lower ball joints, lower control arm bushings, steering rack bushings, and tire balancing. I've also replaced all bushings in the rear arms. Alignment is dead on...springs and shocks are low mileage Bilsteins.

The tie rods feel fine when checking them out with the truck up in the air (grabbing at 3 and 9 o'clock and checking for play). What I find interesting is the vibration I get at highway speeds goes away if I turn slightly. While going straight you could say the tie rod ends are "unloaded". No real tension on them aside from slight tension as most alignments have slight toe in. Turning would "load" the tie rod ends and thus remove any play. .....just a theory.

Has anyone had tie rods that felt fine during a check, but ended up having enough play while driving to cause vibration? I've never replaced a tie rod that didn't exhibit play. Hate to throw parts at the truck too so just looking for what others have experienced.

This is an '02 w/155k and original tie rods. Thanks in advance for your input...
 
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Does the steering wheel feel like it clicks back and forth when going over washboard or small continuous bumps? Mine had play and would wonder on the highway, but also had those symptoms. Ended up being the slip joint in the steering column. Super easy fix, there are tutorials and what not, [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] made a video of it as well I believe.
 
I would replace the tie rods anyway for an 02'. They're cheap and easy enough to replace, but definitely check the slip joint in the steering column as itskohler mentioned!
 

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