inner tie rod vs. new steering rack

[Oliver Seiler <oseiler@acm.org>]

Hi all,

I recently brought my car ('86 8V, power steering) in for an alignment
(first one since I bought it) and was told that the inner tie rod,
driver's side, was hooped. I finally got under the car and had a look
today; the boot is completely twisted, full of holes, and pretty covered
in grease and dirt. 

So, the alignment place suggested I should get a new steering rack, given
the cost of the work that would need to be done. Though it'd be nice to
put a nice, clean steering rack in, I'm not sure if I'm convinced yet. I
suppose it depends on the extent of the damage to the rack. If I do all
the work myself, would I be better off (depends on what one means by
"better off") just replacing the tie rod? I have no idea how long the boot
has been open to the elements.

While I'm on the subject, what are people's opinion on power steering vs.
manual? I don't have anything to compare it to. If I replace the rack,
going to a manual rack is a possibility...

Thanks,
Oliver

Oliver Seiler -- Software Developer, Pivotal Software, http://www.pivotal.com
    Scirocco MkII Diary - http://erisian.com/~oseiler/scirocco/index.html


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