Inner tie rods aren`t that hard...easier than replacing the rack which could be a pain trying to remove the high and low pressure hose connections due to seizure.
I replaced an inner tie rod last year.
Raise the front wheels high enough to work under the car.
Remove the flexible bellows and slide them down the tie rod out of the way.
The end of the inner tie rod has either a rivet or roll pin,(safety feature)that has to be removed.If it`s a rivet,use a chisel and hammer and gently raise the rivet head so you can get a pair of vice grips on it to pull it out.
(note...the rivet or roll pin may be in a position that`s not readily reachable...in this case there`s enough play to loosen the inner tie rod end to expose the rivet/roll pin...
IMPORTANT,when loosening inner tie rods you have to use 2 wrenches,one to hold the rack shaft on the exposed gear teeth in place,(drivers side) and another to loosen the inner tie rod`s so you don`t damage the rack.
I used 2 big adjustable wrenches.
Once the inner tie rod/s are removed from the rack shaft,you loosen the lock nut that threads into the outer tie rod and mark the position on the threads of the old inner tie rod and unscrew it from the outer tie rod.
Then mark the approximate position on the threads of the old inner tie rod onto the new inner tie rod and thread it in and tighten the lock nut.
Then attatch the nut of the inner tie rod to the rack shaft and tighten while holding the other end on the gear teeth.Once tightened,install the new supplied rivet/roll pin.I`m pretty sure there`s a few positions for the new rivet/roll pin on replacement inner tie rods compared to the one hole of the stocker,so you can tighten it down without having to worry about the holes not being accessable.
Install the flexable bellows and make an appointment for a wheel alignment,as the toe spec will likely be a little off.
Whew...hope this helps.
But if your rack is leaking,a new rack would be in order.
Mine is still original and has never leaked.I`ve changed the fluid over the years and fairly recently used Valvoline Synpower PS fluid with seal conditioner/stop leak for some extra insurance.
Just be sure to use 2 wrenches when removing/installing inner tie rods.
