Could worn steering rack cause vibrations?

1996 TOYOTA COROLLA
164,000 MILES
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DANSFRAZ
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I have a vibration bad vibration from 55mph to almost 70mph. At first I thought the problem could be with worn cv axles, but after replacing them I found the vibration persisted. The tie rod ends are tight, but the steering rod moves in and out of the rack about 1/8"-1/4" when the vehicle is raised. I guess my question is that is this normal or not and what else do I need to be checking to eliminate this issue.
Aug 11, 2012 at 6:22 PM
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CARADIODOC
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Worn steering parts will not cause a vibration but they can allow some other cause to make a vibration feel worse. At lower speeds suspect a broken tire belt or bent wheel but at the higher speeds you mentioned tire balance is the logical suspect. An out-of-balance rear wheel will be felt in the car seat and floor. A front wheel will be felt in the steering wheel.

Worn inner cv joints will cause a shimmy in the steering wheel while under load such as when accelerating but that goes away as speed increases.
Aug 11, 2012 at 6:52 PM
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DANSFRAZ
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Ok, thank you. I will have my tires rotated and balanced soon and let you know how it goes.
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Aug 11, 2012 at 7:01 PM
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DANSFRAZ
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I went and had my tires balanced and rotated them. The vibration is gone. Thank you very much.
Aug 11, 2012 at 9:45 PM
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CARADIODOC
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All right! One in a row. Happy to hear it was a simple fix.
Aug 11, 2012 at 10:44 PM