CV joint? Steering rack? Failing wheel bearing?

[DON SVO]

1990 ford Festiva, FWD manual rack/pinion.

The car has started making a whirring/grinding type of noise from the right front. Turning the car right eliminates the noise. While driving the car gets a mild vibration thru the wheel and some vibration when braking. Vibration is speed dependent. Handling has gotten skittish (will vaguely move itself around with no steering wheel input). Car does make a clicking sound when turned left to the lock.

The wheel bearings are always suspect on these cars, so I lifted the car and got no play pushing @ 12oclock/6oclock. However, I get some slop from 3oclock/9oclock. I looked and it appears as if the inner tie rod is moving in the rack, which I see as the steering rack having too much play. Can the rack be faulty and cause the symptoms I have?

[Mach1]

man, alot of those symptoms sound like CV, others dont, im lost....

[Vertnut]

Could be the inner joint. They're a little tougher to detect. I had one go bad in a '94 Legend some years back, and it about drove me nuts trying to figure it out.

[91CoupeMike]

Do those cars have rag joints? Does the exhaust run closer to the steering shaft then the original motor? That would explain road walk, the other I'd thick inner tie rods

[Chas_svo]

Kinda sounds like a cv joint and an inner socket. To test the wheel bearings, a cheap stethoscope makes it easy. Just compare left to right.

Can't get much more than that over the net.

[DON SVO]

Do those cars have rag joints? Does the exhaust run closer to the steering shaft then the original motor? That would explain road walk, the other I'd thick inner tie rods

The rag joint I need to eyeball, exhaust runs directly under the motor/K member