So, in an attempt to get my 1996 850 NA wagon (163K miles) to stop shuddering upon braking from highway speeds, I'm changing the inner and outer tie rods. There was a bit of slop in the driver side wheel when shaking the tire at 9 and 3, plus some light thunking. I just pulled off the passenger side boot over the inner tie rod and maybe a teaspoon and a half of fluid dribbled out onto the garage floor. Ignore? There seems to be a white plastic seal where the shaft emerges and connects to the inner tie rod. Replace that? If so, is it just pried out and replaced, or am I opening some other huge can of worms? Thanks.

 

What color was the fluid? Have you checked the PS fluid level in the power steering reservoir?

 

It looks like power steering fluid, and I do occasionally have to add some, so I'm assuming it is in fact power steering fluid. But I decided just to roll the dice on this one, since replacing the rack has the sound of a pretty major job. I just finished putting the tie rods back together, have got the wheels back on, and will take it in for an alignment tomorrow. If I have to suck it up and replace the rack later, well, that's life. But thanks for the reply.