[Andy Schmidt]

Hello everyone. 2011 Elantra Ltd owner here. A month ago the wife started noticing a "clunky" type noise coming from the front end while going over any form of bump. It slowly got worse to also when just driving on smooth straight roads. A mobile mechanic friend came out and drove it, stating the PS inner tie rod was to blame. Jacked it up and used a tire iron to "pry up" on the tire from the ground. Could hear the clunks which he stated was for sure the tie rod.



The parts are cheap, and I am mechanically efficient for most car repairs (other than electric... No way!). Is this a DIY-able job? hemanual.org doesn't seem to cover tie rod replacement.

Hyundai dealership here in town quoted $420+tax for replacement and alignment. Stated the rack MUST be dropped to replace the inner. Can any techs on here confirm this? I have had a couple times where this particular dealership has over quoted for smaller repairs, which is what prompted me to ask on here. If it helps, the VIN is KMHDH4AEXBU104272.



Has anyone done inner tie rod ends on their MD Elantra? Is it really necessary to drop the rack? Or can I DIY using an inner tie rod tool that I already own?



TIA!!

 

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you may want to check the front sway bar links before diving into the tie-rod replacement as they can cause some of the same symptoms.....

 

[Andy Schmidt]

you may want to check the front sway bar links before diving into the tie-rod replacement as they can cause some of the same symptoms.....

thanks for the reply! I have inspected the sway bar links on both corners. Boots are intact and pliable with no play in either. Any other component up in front end that might mimic the same symptoms? Would a ball joint mimic the sounds?



IIRC, the last time I took it for a test drive, it seemed like a bit of play in the steering when I would turn back and forth at slow speeds in my cul-de-sac. That was never felt before recently. The mechanic also felt that which furthered his belief that the inner was bad.

 

[camper]

I would just replace the sway bar links and sway bar bushings and see what happens. They are cheap and no alignment issue involved.

 

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to determine if there is play in the sway bar links one has to slightly jack up the control arm until the load is relieved in the link...then one can check the link for play by hand...UTUBE has some videos on this...

 

[Andy Schmidt]

to determine if there is play in the sway bar links one has to slightly jack up the control arm until the load is relieved in the link...then one can check the link for play by hand...UTUBE has some videos on this...

Thanks jumpstart. I did just that. Found that the lower end on the DS stabilizer link was shot. Replaced with Moog. Good to go. Thanks y'all. Now I need to figure out this new issue of water collecting in #1 spark plug recess causing misfire...ugh. Ha ha.

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