INNER STEERING RACK END

Hi

My 2004 TF has play on the inner steering rack's end in the left side.

Can the inner steering rack end be replaced without removing the whole front sub frame from the car?

I suppose the the inner rack end is secured by thread locker, so it might make the work quite difficult if there is no space to give some heat to the nut.

Does anyone have experiences on this kind of repair?

I would think you could change steering components without full subframe removal. It may be worth you buying a very good 2nd hand steering rack than replacing a worn inner tie rod on your rack, on the basis they are around £ 60, full replacement would be less work and the other side tie rod will probably not be far behind.

Thanks for your answer.
Car is driven only 64000 km, so I don't think the unit is generally so worn. I also ordered already new inner steering rack end from MGFnTFBITZ which cost only 60£

This is LHD car and the problem is on the drivers side.

I don’t recall changing the rack as tough job once you have access. As most folk will be doing this lead on their backs, getting the car high enough to be able to work comfortably will be the hardest challenge. I recall being able to get to the “U” bolts from under the bonnet & undoing the steering column was a job worthy of a contortionist, not a bloke nudging 70 as I was then. Later racks are faster than earlier, so if you’re working on a Mk1f I would advise the later version. There’s not a great difference but it’s there. Track rod ends are accessed once the wheels are off.
M

So the whole rack has to be removed from the car. Rack end is not possible to replace while the rack is in the car.

I think the mix of left & right hand threads & their respective lock nuts makes working on it on the vehicle more problematic than if it were on the bench. If the racks removal is within your compass you would find these jobs easier, however you might view this as exchanging one extra job undertaken to make the job in hand easier. Only you can make these judgements & that will be based on your facilities. Notanumber comments that if one side has failed then the other could be questionable, changing it in its entirety would obviate these problems.