You canâ??t troubleshoot CV joints with the car in the air.
The best way to check inner and outer tie rods is to put the car on ramps, climb under and have an assistant â??rock the steering wheel back and fourth (just enough to take up the play, you are not turning the wheel). While doing this grab the tie rods a feel for movement. Donâ??t for get the inner rods under the bellows.
Check the ball joints and lower arm bushing with the car in the air, Pull the top, bottom and front/rear of the tire and look for play in these joints.
Unless a bearing is falling apart you wonâ??t be able to see or feel a problem. You need to check the with a dial indicator. And sometimes even that will miss a noisy one.
Motor mounts, CV joints and tires can cause your problem. Do the physical checks of the front end (ball joints bushings and tie rods) first. If all looks good, swap tires front to rear, if the problem goes away get new tires.
jeff
