how to check and inspect tie rods and pitman arms?

Answer 1

If the car is too close to the ground to get under it from the front, drive it up on a pair of ramps, With a assistant behind the wheel, have him / her turn the wheel from left to right while you are watching what you want to check, If you see the tie rod ends give any side to side movement whatsoever, they need to be replaced. if pitman arms are not tight or the end boots are deteriorated, they will need new end boots installed. DO NOT jack up the car to check these things like silverstang says to do, you cannot check suspension parts for looseness or wear with the tires hanging free, they must have the weight of the car on them to do a accurate check.

Answer 2

Have the front end raised off the ground, letting the wheels hang free, and let someone shake the wheel back and forth(example: as in turning left and right.) As your under the vehicle, have your hands checking the tierods, and feel for popping, when person is moving wheel back and forth. Also look at other linkage of your steering, and see if the same thing is happening there. Hope that helped some.