my gf's 2003 lancer has a couple of ticks over 50k miles. recently has this weird noise at first. the noise ONLY happens when you are coasting. when your on the gas pedal the noise isn't present but say you get up to 30mph and just let the car coast to a stop it makes this weird noise, like a humming noise, while coasting the humming noise instantly stops if the brakes are applied.

when she told me this i was thinking in my head a possible broken muffler bracket or something near the cat that broke and is moving around. then she tells me now it got worst
, she now tells me its noise + vibartion and squeek/moans.

now i'm completely lost in the sense of were to look.

i'm going to jack up the car and look at the my gut instinct which tells me the vibration is due to the exhaust stuff hopefully i see something broken or loose. the squeeks, moan and humming noises i suspect might be the rear drums. the front brakes have been done 3 times by me but i never touch the rears because i dont know how to do shoes.

 

ok, here is what i found....

i jacked up the car look around. my first thoughts were busted axle, nope all good. then i thought maybe my sway bar end links. nope. i thought maybe rear sways nope.


i saw part of the exhaust shield broken, i pulled it off. so i while the car was up in the air, i put it in D, to elimate the wheels. no noise, vibation or anything. drove the car and its still there. I took off all the wheels and on my LAST wheel. drivers front. there was a hell of a lot of play. i was able to make the noise that was getting to me. i was able to ALEAST move it about an inch forward and backwards. i checked other side and it was solid.

i put on the wheels and drove to parts store. the NOISE IS GONE, i guess because i was messing with it.

I also knew that my drivers side inner rod is slightly bent. So i'm going to replace both tie rod ends with MOOG since they are dirty cheap at $20 a side. And then i need to get a inner driver side which ran $50 by some no name company.

i know how to do the tie rod ends, as i pretty much took it off when i was playing with it. Just loosen the 17mm nut. hammer it out. and then loosen it from the inner rod. thats CAKE. but how the hell do i take off the inner rod, i loosen the spring clip at the boot but the boot didn't really slide.

i know there is a tie rod tool of some sort, looks like a cheater bar. But thats as far as i know. Anyone help with more detailed steps on how to get to the inner tie rod on drivers side.

AFter all said and done, i guess i need to get an alignment as well.

 

If i'm not mistaken, the inner rod cannot be replaced by itself, it has to be the whole rack. I've read that in a thread on here when I did my tie rod ends, but never looked into it myself.

If it's true, pray it's not necessary to replace the rack, because it'll cost you a chunk of change...

 

well i can get the parts... so its not 1 peice part of the rack.

i'll see when i get it tomrrow

 

Good luck!

 

The inner tie rod is replacable. You need an inner tie rod tool- that's what it's called.

However, that isn't whats wrong with your car. Your wheel bearing is failing-- that's what's causing the play and the noise.

 

the wheel bearing was another one of my thoughts.


i dont know how to test it and i dont know how to replace this... any write ups here.

if i chose to replace the wheel hub which cost more money like $150, but it does have the new bearings packed inside already correct?

the method to replace this would be remove the wheel, brake pads, rotors. probaly loosen up the tie rod as well. unbolting the hub is a matter of 4 bolts, loosen the axle bolt which is like a 32mm, and i should be able to hammer the hub off in a couple of hits.

then just replace the hub with the new and be done.

 

so i get the tie rod tool from autozone... yea that isn't going to help much at all.

well i'll post back in a couple of hours what my findings are and if i was able to do the inner

 

everything went well... autozone tool stinks, doesn't fit.

i took off air box and etc. and got it from the top. driver side is cake to do. Just gotta find a place to align it.


oh and it wasn;t the wheel bearing. the play in the wheel is now the same on both sides.... very firm. .


moog outers feel great. altogther parts ran me 90$ and it took about 2 hours of time time, mainly because i had to figure out how the hell to i had to reach the nut on the inner.