How to remove a steering rack from a Mk3

[manifold]

Heres a good one.

Have a look at the steering rack on a Mk3 with the engine and subframe assembly in place. How do you get the rack out without taking the whole lot out?

Answer is easy. If you look at the subframe mountings you will notice there are 2 inline front and rear each side.

What you need to do is to remove 2 subframe mountings from one side or the other. (Make sure it is supported first and the car is jacked up sufficiently to do the operation). Remove fixings from the steering column to rack coupling. You will need to remove bell from base of column to do this and have someone with thin fingers at the front bulkhead side.

You should then be able to rotate the subframe down on the axis of the remaining 2 mounts (as they are inline). This should then give you enough clearance from the body to unbolt the rack from the subframe.

Remember to keep an eye on the brake lines for kinking as you rotate (drop) the engine subframe assembly. You might need to remove your exhaust, depending on whether it has a ball joint or not. You may also need to remove the gear selector from the gearbox end.

[Hans Efde]

Hi David,
I am busy trying to unbolt the steering rack but am puzzled with the bell shaped cover on the end of the steering column. I undid 3 bolts but am only able to slide the cover backwards about an inch. I can't get to the flexible coupling. The Haynes just says "remove the coupling cover". Do you have a clever idea how to remove the cover?

[DavidL]

Hi David,
I am busy trying to unbolt the steering rack but am puzzled with the bell shaped cover on the end of the steering column. I undid 3 bolts but am only able to slide the cover backwards about an inch. I can't get to the flexible coupling. The Haynes just says "remove the coupling cover". Do you have a clever idea how to remove the cover?

Hans,
I'm not sure if this would work, but if you remove the steering wheel, then loosen off (or remove?) the steering column mounting, you might be able to slide the entire outer column upwards? It's been so long since I looked at a bare Metro steering column that I don't know if that would work, though.

[manifold]

Hi Hans.

I'm sure that I could lift the metal bell housing further back than 1inch up the column. Is there any stickers or obstructions in the way?

[Stuart]

You have to sort of fold the rubber inside out alike up the column. That should give enough room to undo the two fixings on the rubber coupler.

[Hans Efde]

I've pulled the rubber cover upwards. I can removed the bell upwards as well but it jams against the bracket of the pedal housing. I think I may have to loosen the streering column bracket and then I could slide it further upwards. This is really a bastard job!

[manifold]

My bell housing on the steering column IS the bottom bracket on the convertible.

Which kind do you have? the bolt on one with bolts to side of pedal box with a ring clamp and a rubber boot and a ring round to bolt to the floor or the steel bell housing which I had to cut the flange off a bit to fit into the recess (as I have the sandwich floor in the bottom of the bulkhead on mine too).

My Coupe has the rubber one and My Convertible has the steel one.

Yes anything to do with that area is a bastard job. Same as the front shockers or fuse box removal.....or heater box removal.....All best undertaken by removing doors and/or steering wheel and/or seats!

[mikeeskriett]

The pre 84 Metro column has the rubber bell at the bottom the post 84 has the steel bell with an access hole in the side. I'd normally pop the column out for this job as it makes life easier. If you have the metal bell pop the bung out of the access hole, unbolt the bell and loosen the jubilee clip this will allow you to move and rotate the bell. Use a long extension on the ratchet to undo the nuts holding the inner column to the flexi joint. You can then remove the flexi and from the rack. From memory if you have a ratcheting spanner you can undo the pinch bolt via the access hole by rotating the bell a little to turn the spanner.

[max midas]

I changed the rack on my Midas recently,
I dropped one side of the subframe as David specifies,
undid the pinch bolt from underneath and prised the rack off the rubber flexy disk thingy with a flat bladed screwdriver, undid the rack clamps, and wiggled it out (the rack).
To install the replacement I just did the reverse.
Didn't have to do anything with the column in the car.
Am I missing something?

[Hans Efde]

Here's a pic of my bell. It's a metal one and can't move aft because of the pedal box:

That's a sharp piece of metal that could cause severe injury when I would crash. I probably now remove the whole steering column to be able to cut a piece of the pedal box.
This afternoon I disconnected the column mount, lowered the column and could move the bell upward, so I could get access to this piece of UK automotive engineering:
. It doesn't look to good, but I already bought 2 new ones.