Pontiac Repair: 2002 Grand am inner tie rod, inner tie rod, sterring wheel

Question
How do I get the inner tie rod off the rack, driver side?

Answer
Hi bob.

You have to remove the clamps that hold the palstic bellow boot to the rack and the tie rod end. then GENTLY wiggle the bellow boot off and away from the steering rack. then you will see the end of the tie rod it is threaded onto the sterring rack with a large nut well actually it's a round boss with 2 flat spots on it. That is where a wrench goes on and the tie rod is threaded on like a nut. It's a large size like  1 7/16" or 1 3/8" In not sure which is the size but it's big a big adjustable wrench should work good for you. If you turn the sterring wheel all the way to the right it will extend the rack out on the left side so you can access the rod end easier. when you take the outter tie rod off the old inner rod cound the # of turns and put it back on the new inner rod the same amount that will get you close so you can get to an alignment place with out scuffing that tire too bad. Good luck :)