Rebuilt rack or tie rods and boots?

[festerzilla]

The manual steering rack boots on the festiva have been torn a bit, and when I got the car inspected the guy said the tie rods were getting a bit loose. There is a bit of play there but I'd like to know if there is a way to tell if the inner tie rods are bad or if it's just the outer tie rods. If I could get away with it I'd rather clean/relube the rack, get new boots and outer tie rods. The tires look OK and car handles well enough. What do the experts think :?:

[Festy46]

Unless the boots are really torn up and a lot of dirt has gotten into the inner tie rods, you should be all right just changing the outer ones and the boots. I have never seen a worn out inner tie rod - only bent ones. When you have your boot removed, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left or right depending on which side you are checking. When you have removed the outer tie rod from the inner, take hold of the inner and try to push and pull it back and forth. Watch your rack gear to be sure any "play" you feel is not the rack moving back and forth. If you don't feel any loose movement, you should be in good shape.