inner tie rod end
 

do these wear out? how often should they be changed?

Yes they do, mine were bad at 88k miles. Didn't notice any symptoms just took it into a shop and they noticed it.

I have never seen a Honda inner tie rod fail at 88K miles!

COT damn, boy, what did you hit? A moose?? And what did the shop notice?


OP...are yours loose? If not...then just go on living your life. If they are loose....buy a new set from Honda.

when my car is off and i snap the steering wheel back and forth i can hear some noise . i am not sure if that is more just a electric steering rack or if they are bad. i have 161k on my car so probable better to just change.

When they go bad, you change them. When they are worn, they have excessive clearance, which results in excessive play in steering. They don't typically make noise.

The usual test involves grabbing them and rocking them around to feel for any play, then grabbing a tire at 3 and 9 and trying to force it to steer it one direction then the other, while you feel for and watch for any movement at joint.

Steering racks have gear slop. Almost any car with a reasonable amount of miles on it will make a knock if you rock the wheel back and forth rapidly.

CHECK for worn components.

If you need them, buy them from a Honda dealer.

At 161K, you're probably still good on tie rods. Its a Honda...not a shitbox.