The 98 z i got a week ago has very stiff steering and a clunking noise on the pass. side. I am guessing it maybe the ball joints. I jacked the car up and had my wife turn the wheel back and forth. I could hear the rack making a funny noise but maybe it was just the fluid moving through it. The car was off so there was no power assist. now i find out the lower ball joint have to be pressed in. What about the uppers? When i called for prices on tie-rod end they asked me inner or outer, these cars dont have inner tierod do they? I mean its a rack and pinion, i didnt see any inners.

 

Only an outter tie rod. They are not hard to replace either. Took me maybe 25 minutes. What kind of weird noise was the rack and pinion making? If it was a liquid sound it was probably the fluid. My rack and pinion made a clicking noise when ever I turned the wheel past a certain point in both direction. Unbolting it from the brace, and rebolting it (and cleaning it up), and flushing the old fluid out got rid of that problem.