[Armadillo]

I had my car in for an alignment. The mech said I had a loose tie rod and should fix before I align. I'd already replaced the right one. I replaced the left one, and now the mech said it must be an INNER tie rod. I've seen videos on how to replace, but I can get a rebuilt rack with 2 new inners for about $150 from Rock.

Do I replace the rack or just fix the inner tie rod. My issue would be that I replace the inner only to find I need to replace the other inner only to find the play is coming from the rack!

Do racks go bad or is it usually the TRE?

 

[pecor]

I did one on a 96 It's a pain in the a#s, It's real tight under there you will scrape your knuckles up for sure And you will need Lot's of Patience , My lines on my rack rotted out from snow and road salt, And you can't just change those so I had no choice, The rack itself was just fine even at 138,000. Do you have snow and salt were you live? If so I would change the rack out do to line corrosion on the rack as you really can't inspect them and when they go the rack is toast . If you live somewhere with no snow and No Salt I would just do the inners, Lots easier, If you do change out the rack you will want a Impact wrench for sure, The big bolt that goes through the aluminum bracket on the rack was almost impossible to remove do to galvanic corrosion, Steel against aluminum + salt = frozen solid bolt. I had to soak it with Kroil and had to hit it with the impact several times over a day and a half to finally get it to move as I didn't want to snap it. The input and output lines to the rack can be removed from under the hood if you have skinny long arms and are a contortionist, The drive pin on the steering shaft has to be driven out with a punch to remove the knuckle from inside the van under the dash, So you have to pull out the boot and carpet on the driver's side to access it, I spent a total of 3 days fixing it just working on and off on it, That way I could keep my sanity. I found the best price on amazon on the rack, This is what I bought they even have a prepaid return label for your core exchange in the box. Good luck on your decision I'll have a cold one for you as you work:thumb: https://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Axle...996:plymouth:voyager&keywords=rack+and+pinion

 

[1994PlyGVSE]

Racks can and do go bad....and sometimes at relatively low miles. The type of driving seems to be the main factor (city use with lots of parallel parking ferinstance) but sometimes its just the luck of the draw due to inconsistent quality control.

Changing the inner tie rod ends requires some special tools and ear plugs for those nearby who may be offended by the stream of invectives that will flow from you while attempting this.

But even with new inners installed you will still have worn seals and bores that are worn and probably out of round...not to mention wear on the meshed bits.

In summation, if the inners are worn then replace the rack. Be sure that its actually rebuilt and not just a repaint job with new bellows!

 

[mistypotato]

Closing in on 300,000 miles on my 1999 with the original rack.
Replaced tie rod ends and steers like a new vehicle.
Not a drop underneath after replacing the high pressure hose last month.
If you start losing steering fluid check this first. The pump hammers the hose with the high pressure and pin holes develop eventually. It's fairly easy to clean it then watch for leaks once it's up off the ground.

I've heard of remanufactured PS units that blew on first use. A heck of a lot of work to do twice.

If you do replace, don't go cheap. It's not a job you want to do twice.

I find replacing the tie rod ends to be fairly easy. Takes about 30 minutes each.
YMMV.

 

[TC08Jon]

Thanks for the advice!
And congrats on 300k miles