I know the bent tie rod is not causing the no PS assist condition, I just wonder if when I bent it that the act of bending it caused the failure of the rack.
I guess it doesn't matter - I have the PS rack pulled and my wife is going to pick up a replacement for me tomorrow.
The irony here is that this whole situation was caused by a simple failed axle boot. It was spitting grease from a tiny hole. I replaced the axle (under warranty) and damaged the seal (popping the spring out of the seal). So, axle fixed - seal broken (leaking from the diff). I've since popped the axle and replaced the seal three times trying to fix this stupid leak (still leaking ffs), and during the process I bent the tie rod and now my PS unit no longer works.
My PS has been loud for a while, so I think the rack has been on its way out. But, the timing just seems very coincidental to me. Then again, it doesn't matter.
