Play in front Wheel

[grizzly14]

Hi What Causes side play in the front Wheel

[taffyhl]

It could be a number of things:
Worn bearings, worn balljoints (track rod end and/or lower wishbone), axial joint.

Is there movement side to side only or side to side and top to bottom?

I had about 4 mm movement when holding front when at 3 and 9 O clock but none at 12 and 6. After investigation I found the problem was the axial joint which goes between steering rack and track rod. I pulled back the gaiter covering this and could visibly see play in the ball end of the joint. Only a few millimetres but this translated into noticeable movement at the wheel. I believe this is a common issue.

The part was cheap (£12) but a pain to change without the 'special tool'. My wishbone needed replacing anyway (worn rubber bushes) so I removed that to give more access and used a large stilson to loosen the joint. As I would need the tracking re-done I also replaced the track rod (£10) and hopefully I won't need to touch that part of the suspension again!