1991 Chevy Corsica Tie Rod PLEASE HELP

The tie rod end will have to be replaced as a unit, the rubber is just a dust boot.

mark (mhpautos)

Thank you for your help. The rod itself is fine. Can I just replace the dust boot or is that part of the unit?

You can just do the boot if you like, but a tie rod end is quite cheap to replace as well.

mark,

P.S. what was the cause of the wheel wobble?

The wheel wobbles because of the boot being gone... The entire rod ( which I can access from under the hood) moves. I can grab it and wiggle it. Im not sure exactly how bad the tire wobbles cos I cant see it when I'm driving. However the steering wheel, dash and everything shakes pretty bad. I'm afraid of the whole wheel flying off.

This will not just be the rubber boot, as i said that is just a dust boot, sever steering vibration may be due to the actual tie rod end being worn, you run the risk of total steering failure if this is not rectified, i strongly recommend having the steering & suspension checked over by a qualified mechanic, who ever told you that the cause of the problem with the steering was the rubber boot is a fool.

Mark (mhpautos)

Well it IS highly likely that the rod is worn. The rod is sturdy at the wheels end. It is loose at the center link, which is the thing I can grab and wiggle. It doesnt seem very worn though, the rubber is just missing which causes the wheel tho wobble and the car to shake. When I get it up over 60mph or below 20mph it rides smoothly. Thats why I wanted to just replace the bushing... aside from the fact that while a tie rod is pretty cheap, I will also need an alignment. I cannot afford all of that at this time. Labor charges are insane and since I'm a girl mechanics usually try to swindle me. There are also other issues Im having with the radiator hose and the air filter.