Dear fellow bricksters,

Thank you all for the superb advices and suggestions regarding the steering rack replacement for my '87 760GLE. I took my car back from the shop yesterday. I have also touched the base with JAC Rack (Jorgen). They offer a set of rack and pinion, 2 inner tie rods and 2 rack boots for $224 (rebuilt) plus $22 round-trip shipping. A very good deal! The lifetime guaranteed comes in when the whole set is installed by a licensed mechanic. I have not decided at this point whether I would do it myself. I am leaning toward it though. My approach is to collect enough information so I can comfortably tackle it.

I also have done some checking around and surfing in the brickboard for more information about steering rack problem/replacement in 200s. There was a thread of discussion about removing tie rod ends 2 years ago. There was a suggestion of using two/three jaw puller or gear bearing puller to remove tie rod ends without damaging anything. I also looked into Haynes manual to get familiar with what is involved in rack replacement. The Haynes I have covers rack boots replacement with several excellent photos, but no section explains how to remove the rack itself. I think I have a clear idea how the tie rod and tie rod end put together. I am still puzzling how tie rod connects to the steering rack though. Since the boot is broken now, I hope I will be able to crawl down there this weekend to take a peek. We are fortunate there is no snow in southern TX in winter (well, sizzling hot in summer in return). It's only fair, isn't it?

My questions:
1. How are tie rod and steering rack connected?
2. How do I remove the steering rack?
3. Will a 2 jaw puller be a good alternative to do the work?

Thank you all again for the help.

Joseph
'87 760GLE 190K