is there a differnce in outer and inner tire rod ends? a mechanic told me i needed new tie rods ends but when i went to price them there were inner and outer. do i need both or what?

 

yes, very big difference between them

you want the outer tie rod ends

count the number of turns it take to get the old ones off and put the new ones on the same number of turns, but you'll still probably want to get an alignment afterwards

 

counting the turns only counts if you're removing and reinstalling the same one.. aftermarket joints are slightly different lengths (I've measured some up to 1/4" difference, which will create about a 1" difference in actual wheel alignment.. that's about 5 degrees, IIRC).

best way to do it is to take some small pieces of wood and lay them up against your front tires, then measure the distance between the front and back edges..
when you get done changing your tie rod ends, you need to adjust until you get them the same distance as before.
it'll take a half hour or so, but that's the most accurate way of doing it..

If you plan to get an alignment afterwards, just get it close and then drive straight to the shop.