I have a 95 TA with 87k miles. When stopped and turning the wheel quickly left to write i can feel a bit of play in the steering. There's also a slight clunk that goes along with it. I was thinking maybe it was the rag joint in the stearing shaft that got deteriorated from being close to the headers but i had some one turn the wheel while looking at it and it apears to be fine. Also, stearing still feels fairly crisp while driving.
Would someone be able to explain to me the process of determining where the excessive play is coming from? I don't want to just throw new tie rod ends on if it needs a rack or steering shaft.

 

A thorough exam of all the steering components while the steering is being turned should uncover the issue. For me is was up and down movement of the pinion gear on the rack (145K miles on the rack).

 

Not to steal the thread, but I have a FE2 rack and pinion for sale. Off a 95 with 50k miles. PM if you might need it.

As for slack, mine has a little slack, but nothing huge. I thought it was just the way the steering was set up