1991 Chevy S-10 front end wooble

1991 CHEVROLET S-10
47,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 4WD • MANUAL
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GARRY CAGE
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at approx. 35mph i feel a wooble in the front end, but not much shake in the steering wheel. i jacked up the pas. side and found that i could shake the wheel horizontly about 1/2 inch. i then checked the driver side, and found the same. i can see the tie rod moving, but fail to see any free movment in its joints. with the truck on the ground, i watched the tie rod movment as the steering wheel was being turned back and forth, the only free joint movment that i saw was very minor in the tie rod joint that connects to the steering box arm. at one time i felt this same wooble, but at a speed over 60. when it started at the slower speed, it seemed to get worse each time i drove it. i live in buffalo, ny. its cold, i dont have a grage, and my wife is on me to get it fixed, so she can have her car back. what do you think, what should i look for?
Jan 28, 2008 at 12:26 PM
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MIKE H R
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have the balance checked on the wheels first, they can check the front end while they are balancing the tire. There are a couple of things that could be loose but hard to spot. I would start with the balancing of the tires. If you want to try something you can always change the tires, put the ones on the back on the front and the ones on the front on the back to see what happens.
Jan 28, 2008 at 1:53 PM
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GARRY CAGE
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thank you for your response, however, wheel and or tire balance is not the problem. as i mentioned in my problem question, i can move the wheels back and forth approx. 1/2 inch on both sides when one side or the other is raised. the only movement that i can see in any of the tie rod joints is a minute movement in the tie rod joint that is attached to the steering box arm.
Feb 2, 2008 at 3:01 PM
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MIKE H R
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Check your steering stablizer see if you can see any leaks and the steering linkage assembly. I would take it to a garage and have them look at it, Just ask them to tell you what it is. the steering linkage sometimes seems tight but can have some play in it.
Feb 3, 2008 at 12:07 PM