[Alfisto Steve]

Well, today after church, lunch, and while BJ's Wholesale tire shop was fixing tire with two nails/screws in it for ML's Jeep I had a couple hours to work on Rosso.

She has been suffering from the dreaded passenger side not designed to be replaced failed rubber mount on steering rack. Being a LHD model with oval boot and centering spring on right side seeing failed mount much less getting to it with engine/power steering in normal position is near impossible. So I decided to drop engine and sub frame down about 5-6 inches so I could get my hands and tools close to rack.

I jack standed patient under front door jack points and put a board on floor jack under engine. I disconnected steering column universal link under dash after removing boot around it by accelarator pedal and bolt in joint.

Removed front wheels and front and rear inner fender liners. With board and jack under engine I disconnected upper dog bone mount, removed AFM and top of air cleaner, removed top radiator hose bracket bolt from upper radiator support and removed air deflector next to left headlight.

I wedged a board in between false firewall and idle actuator on back of intake plenum. Then I went underneath and remove 6 bolts holding subframe to body. Next I disconnected reaction rod and shift linkage rod (5-speed).

Next, I slowly lowered jack under engine and tranny so subframe and engine came done about 6 inched on passenger side (front of engine side) and about 4 inches on tranny side. Now I was able to see nuts holding heat shield on rack and removed them and heat shield still using long extension from above and ratchet and deep 13mm socket from tranny side. Used 17mm socket and wrenches to remove front studs and rear bolts after disconnecting banjo fitting from power steering pump supply hose and rack pressure hose from pump and pump supply hose and rack return hose from resevoir near tranny side.

Popped outer tie rod ends loose from steering knuckles using suspension fork and hammer on threaded ends with nuts set flush with threaded ends so as not to damage threads.

Now with subframe and engine lowered and everything loose, I slide rack out tranny side.

Hope picture show and tell helpful. Notice failed engine side mount (LHD Model), Used a 1/2" drill bit to drill off top clamp. rubber insert shot and what was left came out in two pieces.