Golf Mk2 tie rod change

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Mon 30 Sep 2002 18:20
Golf Mk2 tie rod change - Robert Fleming
How on earth can I get access to undo the tie rod lock ring on the steering rack? There's absolutely no room to swing a spanner.

It occurs to me that it would be much easier to remove the steering rack. But surely it can't be that complicated to change the damn thing?

Frustratedly,

Rob F
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Mon 30 Sep 2002 21:25
Golf Mk2 tie rod change - Ben {P}
I understand your frustration. I thought the tie-rods had gone on my old Jetta 16v. The tie-rods on these cars last amazingly well in my experience. Are you changing them becasue they are bent? If not i expect the problem you are experiencing is due to a worn-out rack. Undo the ball joint and give the rod a good yank to see if there is any play. If you get the car up on a ramp its usually quite easy to spot if the racks gone.

I couldnt get a spanner anywhere near my tie-rods. I expect there is a special tool to do it. Otherwise i think you will have to slide the rack out to get at them.

Ben
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Mon 30 Sep 2002 22:53
Golf Mk2 tie rod change - Robert Fleming
Thanks Ben - it's not just me then!

Unfortunately it's not the tie rod that needs changing, but the track rod end, and on the n/s you can't do one without the other.

VW can be real tight b'stards. The replacement I have comes with a detatchable end like the o/s.

Looks like the rack must come off, which probably means loosening the steering column. I can't see why I should replace the shear off bolts with normal hex ones I had from the scrappy though.
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Tue 1 Oct 2002 10:00
Golf Mk2 tie rod change - Richard Hall
What you haven't yet realised is that it's almost impossible to remove the rack. The rack clamps are secured by bolts running upwards through the subframe to almost inaccessible nuts on top of the clamps. These nuts are made from German smoked cheese and will round off the moment you look at them. The bolt heads are recessed into the subframe so you can't easily take the heads off with a grinder. In the end, IIRC I removed the whole front subframe complete with steering rack, as this was the quickest way out. Then I chopped through the bolts with a grinder, refitted the subframe and put the rack back in with new nuts and bolts.

Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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