Loose steering wheel: How to tell if bad tie rod ends OR bad ball joints
 

First of, I am not very mechanically inclined. Problem is my 07 JK 2 door has a loose steering wheel. I need to turn the wheel about 1" (maybe more) before the jeep actually turns. I read previous write-ups on the forum but they do not tell how to know whether the problem is bad tie rod ends OR bad ball joints. My current lift setup is:

Rock Krawler X factor 2.5 (3100 coils on a 2 door=3.5" lift) w/ Bilsteins 5100
Tires: Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ 35's

I am pretty sure the castor angle is set up correctly.

So how to tell if my problem is bad TRE or bad ball joints? Also, could it be something else (steering box or column) and if so how can I diagnose the right problem so that I don't end up spending $500 (or more) in parts to solve a $150 problem. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4J_l6UJ06o

Had a similar situation after installing my 2.5" lift. Rode fine for a few 1,000 miles then steering got loose. Make sure everything is re-tightened (track bar, tie rod, drag link, etc.) Ended up being my track bar bolt was a little loose. Tightened it back up and no issues since. All else fells, take it somewhere to get an alignment to double check everything before you spend big $$$ on parts.

I have 189,000 on my 2011 jku. My wheel is the same. My issue is 3 of 4 tre/drag link ends are worn. each one has some play, and creates a big amount of movement. All parts ordered. Just waiting for it to get here.

I will have to call NAPA tomorrow to see if they are here.

Did you install arms ?

Who, MOI?

arms - loose steering wheel
 

All 8 control arms included in RK's X-factor kit were installed at my local 4wheelparts.
Also today I noticed my tie rod has up & down play but I think this is normal to a certain extent?

Have somebody sit in the driver seat with the Jeep on and someone looking at the front end components. Be sure to check the pitman arm end on the draglink and the axle end on the draglink. Check both tie rod ends, and both ends of the trackbar. One or a couple of those could be bad causing the loose steering. Even if the bolts on the trackbar don't move watch the trackbar itself as the joints on the RK trackbar can go bad.

Also, do a retorque of everything under there too. Its time for mine to get a control arm loosen and rock then torqued again. Doing that ensures proper CA alignment on the bolts.

If 4wp used the CA specs RK list (which they will always do) caster is prob low. Did you get a alignment ?

yep....followed this youtube tutorial by planman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uQwlmlhiF4 and I found my issue....mine was the passenger side draglink end. Good tutorial for fixing flighty steering as well, or any frontend issues.