inner tie rods

[deathegg]

My festy (88) shop manual does not have a procedure to r&r Inner tie rods... only the outer ones.. my steering is awfully loose and wiggly... is this usually the outer tie rods or do the inner ones go bad too? Would it just be better to replace the whole steering rack??
Thanks!

[deathegg]

that's 1988...sorry

[25Horseplay]

Are you sure the inners are worn out? If they are you will need a special tool to remove them. You might be better off replacing the whole rack and pinion, it might be worn out.

[dahodges]

The whole rack and pinion is about $350. First check the wheel bearings. Then check the control arms. Then check the outer tie rods. Last thing you want to do is replace the innner tie rods. If they need replacing take it to a shop. It can be a PITA to replace.

[deathegg]

I will have to take it to a shop to see what they say.. I've been driving it around like that for many years, and I seem to recall my old mechanic (now retired) saying I need INNER tie rods because he couldn't do an alignment.. maybe he said OUTER and I just have a bad memory.

Do the inner's have a habit of going bad?

(1988 L+, 186,000miles,)

[silver '88]

I just did inner and outer on my 88 and it wasnt too bad with the special tool and an impact.