How to remove and replace Tie rod?

Yep, they only show the outer tie rod being replaced and don't say anything about the inner the outer tie rod replacement instructions are below for clarification. Check out the images (below). I wish we could be more help; I will ask other experts to join in to see if they can contribute.

They don't even sell an inner for that vehicle. It may be non-serviceable. It appears Moog makes one and World Pac seems to be the only one that carries it.

I looked at GM service info and they don't show the process, there are a number of inner ends available Moog, Delphi, TRW, Mevotech being a few. However even the OE service info doesn't show the inner tie rod changes. Strange because they are not anything special, the boot comes off and the end unscrews. The same style rod end and boot are used on the Trailblazer and it's siblings and that has the info for it's replacement. However they do say to remove the rack first. I suspect it's typical GM BS to make the Caddy crew pay more.

Maybe there's something in the design of the rack that can't handle the torque of removing and replacing it.

No problem, we are here to help. Please let us know what happens.

Hi there my fine feathered friends. I can add another dimension to this story. I ran into this same issue at the Chrysler dealership. The reason the inner tie rod procedure is not listed in the service manual is it was not intended to be replaced in the field when the vehicle was still under warranty. I never ran into a bad one in warranty, but if I had, we were supplied with a brand new rack and pinion assembly with both inner tie rod ends and both outer tie rod ends already installed. I did replace a few rack assemblies on the Stratus model for a very slight chirp when changing direction. Those were covered under warranty and a service bulletin for "customer satisfaction". Those racks also came with all four new tie rod ends.

Part of their warranty policy had to do with anything that was replaced under warranty had to restore that system to like new condition. That meant no used or rebuilt parts, and no machining of parts like brake rotors because that would reduce their life expectancy.

They never said the inner tie rods couldn't be replaced separately, but they left that up to the aftermarket suppliers. You might still find torque specs in the service manual, but always defer to those listed on the instruction sheet that comes with the new part.

The plastic piece described is often referred to as a "cushion". It slides over the end by my red arrow in the first photo. It softens the metal-to-metal contact when the steering system is turned fully in that direction. Tap that off with a flat-blade screwdriver and small hammer. You can reuse it if it fits. New inner tie rod ends sometimes come with a plastic disc that is slid on first for the same purpose. Don't use both.

The tool to remove this design is shown in the second photo. Use the crow's foot that fits the two flats on the back side of the joint. Slide the tube over it and run the ears into the two slots on the tool. Swivel the metal ring to hold the wrench in place. Put just a little outward pressure on the tool to keep the wrench on the flats while turning it with a ratchet.

Buy this tool from any auto parts store or any of the tool trucks that show up each week at the repair shops. You can also rent or borrow it from auto parts stores that borrow tools. In my city they make you buy it, then you get a full refund when you take it back. If you choose to keep a tool, you still return it, then they give or order you a brand new one.

By the way, three of my best students were girls. (I think they still are). The guys had a lot of respect for them.

I got confused reading those really long sentences, but it sounds like lack of experience is the only concern. From what I can see in the photos, it looks like there is some grease or assembly lube in the boot. That can be ignored. If you have power steering fluid that can be poured out, it's time to replace the entire steering gear assembly. With a seal that just recently started to leak, you might find a good half quart of fluid in that one boot. When one seal has been leaking for some time, that boot will fill up, then it will travel to and fill the other boot through the small metal air transfer tube plugged into each boot. At that point there's no way to tell which seal or if both are leaking. Just replace the assembly and let the rebuilder worry about finding and correcting the cause.

I have seen a few places where you can buy seal kits, but repairing these is something we don't do. Years ago a new rack and pinion assembly used to cost around $450.00. You only got a brand new one if the vehicle was under warranty, and then the customer didn't pay for it. As far back as the late '90s, you could buy a professionally-rebuilt rack and pinion assembly with a warranty for less than $150.00. That's a much better value than removing and trying to rebuild an old steering gear yourself. You'll miss or overlook something and end up doing the job a second or third time. Rebuilt rack and pinion assemblies also correct a design flaw that was very common on older GM vehicles.

When you have a thin steel plate with tabs to bend over, those are designed to prevent the part from loosening and unscrewing on its own over time. In this case, the center hole would fit onto the end of the steering gear's shaft only one way so it couldn't rotate, then, once the inner tie rod is screwed on and torqued, the tabs on that plate are bent over the socket of the joint to hold it from turning. Other methods that have been used include an Allen-head set screw and Loc Tite liquid on the threads. Some older designs, mostly on Ford products, used a pressed-in roll pin. Those were supposed to catch on the threads, but only after the tie rod had already unscrewed part way. A special tool was needed to pull those out, but you could easily get them out just by unscrewing the tie rod end. The threads would push those pins out without damaging the threads.