Loose steering and tire wear plague older cars like the Volvo 850, but diagnosis is literally only a wiggle away. Front-end issues are easily diagnosed and easily repaired if you've got a few basic hand tools. Outer tie rod ends are the last link in steering a vehicle's wheels, and after 100K can begin to fail.
Diagnosis
Outer tie rod ends are an easy diagnosis that starts from within the vehicle. Is the steering feel getting vague off-center? Does it take a little bit more steering input than usual to get the car to turn, then an abrupt feeling once the car finally does turn?
With the front end jacked up and the steering wheel held tight by a helper, do the front wheels wiggle left and right, sometimes accompanied by a knocking sound?
Place your hands or feet on the mounted tire to wiggle it back and forth. It should be tight and the wheel should not turn at all if the steering wheel is being firmly held by a helper. If it wiggles, take a look behind the tire - is the movement originating from the inner tie rod, outer tie rod end, control arm, or something else? The outer tie rod end on a Volvo S70, V70, 880, and more is the easiest to diagnose movement, so if it's bad, let's dig in.
Replacement
- Place the front end of the car on jack stands and remove the front wheels.
- Loosen the tie rod end lock nut.
- Remove the 18mm nut holding the tie rod end to the knuckle.
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At this point, the tie rod end will either be spinning in the knuckle, or frozen in the knuckle requiring a tie rod end removal tool. These are generally "fork" shaped, and ruin the tie rod end. Have a replacement tie rod end ready to go on if you must go the destructive route.
- Unscrew the outer tie rod end from the inner tie rod, revealing the threaded inner tie rod.
- With the tie rod completely removed, I always like to clean up the knuckle where the boot mates. If this is dirty or overly rusty, water can intrude upon the joint and cause premature failure. The following pictures are before cleaning / after cleaning / and with the tie rod installed.
Alignment
After any front end service that alters any adjustable or worn points, an alignment is a firm requirement. There is no way to "eyeball" a perfect alignment unfortunately, and not doing one can mean off-centered steering and accelerated tire wear.
