I have to replace my drivers side outer tie rod and want some advice. What special tools are involved and if my alignment is already way out is it gonna be dangerous to drive it to get the alignment afterwards???

Also my rack & Pinion boot is ripped on both sides. Would this be a good time to replace that, how important is that boot?

Thanks in advance!

what i had was the proper keys (iirc 17mm, 15mm) and also a torch, just in case, and a monkey wrench. Its also good to get a tie rod end puller. not the seperator. it did no good for me but it is something like a three prong hold that has a screw in the middle to pop out stubborn tie rod ends.

after replacing it you're alignment will be bad but if you're driving on dry pavement you'll be alright till you get to the alignment place.

Well I have basic mechanic tools, I've never done suspension work before only engine & clutch work. So if end up taking it to the guy to put it on how much should the job cost & is it safe for me to drive there?(like 3 hours away) My tie rod is pretty bad right now, it was misdiognosed at the inner tie rod so i never even looked at the outer grrrrr.

If i woulda known how hard it was, i woulda let the pro's handle it.

the tool being described is this one. It fits the type 44 perfectly. I used it to replace my tie rods last summer. It beats hitting the outer tie rod with a BFH, which got me nowhere.<ul><li><a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=36865">puller tool</a></li></ul>

I rented a pitman arm puller from Autozone to pop mine off. Only special tool I needed.

I then turned the end by leveraging a wrench against it. A lot of muscle work but it came off eventually. Scarred the hell out of the old end with this method, but it didn't matter as it went trashside anyway.

Count the number of turns to get the end off so you can put the new one on in the same general area (even though it's off alignment now, at least you won't worsen it).

detach both outer tie rods from the suspension, unbolt the middle from the rack, and pull the whole assembley - both tie rods and the center bracket - out through one of the wheel wells. Replace both tie rod ends, and clean and lubricate all the threads.

Go in and say you want to rent the large pitman arm puller, you put down a $20 deposit and when you return it you get your money back.

I like cheap.

The boot is very important. It protects the finely machined rack and its seals from scratching by dirt. With a torn boot, the seals will be damaged and the precious Pentosin liquid gold will begin spilling forth. (We're talking something like 1500 PSI, remember.)

I've replaced the entire rack with a rebuilt one. Allow a day or two to complete the job. You pull the rack out of the car through the rightside tie rod hole in the right fenderwell. It's tedious, but doesn't require anything more than standard hand tools.

It will help if you have a helper assist you while guiding the rack in and out through the tierod hole.

You'll need to fasten the new rack boot to the rack with (two different sizes) clamps (buy from an Audi stealer) that crimp similar to a crimped CV joint boot clamp. Pep Boys sells a CV clamp crimping plier that'll work. You should also buy new crush washers for the hose banjo fittings that bolt to the rack.

The problem with replacing just the boot is that it's a lot of work and you're not sure that the rack's seals are leak-free. Search the forum for information on how to examine a rack for leaks.

BTW I have a brand-new rack boot still in plastic bag. (I replaced the entire rack instead.) If you're interested, email me.