Absolutely priceless information..!!!! Took me about 2.5 hours total , but I took my time and no power tools … that’s including jacking the car up and getting jackstands set up etc … once the rack was disconnected I was able to push it back towards the firewall enough to pull it 6-8 inches from driver side which gave me enough room to then rotate it forward so the shaft would clear the wheel well on removal .. only got hung up a couple times so going to the opposite side to get a look a couple times was needed . But got it out in 5 mins , was an absolute breeze … just wish reinstalling the pump with high pressure line attached was that B easy, thanks for the great content
This is outstanding, been avoiding doing the rack on ours slightly leaking for like 4 years now just starting to get an ugly leak lol thank you so much!
Awesome advise!!! Thank you so much! One other piece of advice, if it’s an AWD, you have to unbolt the sway bar to get it out of the way, so the rack will come out via the passenger side.
Great Video, it was a big help. - But..... the subframe DOES have to be dropped for an AWD Flex. I just finished this job - and I tried about 1 hour to work it out like the video describes, but the PTU & driveshaft are in the way. The good news is that dropping the subframe is not that difficult. The front subframe bolts only need loosened (do not remove), then support the subframe with a jack and removed the rear subframe bolts. This allows the rear of the subframe to lower about 3", which is enough to work the rack out the drivers side. Final note - living in the rust belt, made this job much more difficult. (A) I had to cut off the tie rod ends - even though I could loosen the nuts, I couldn't get them off of the ball joints. (B) I definitely needed an impact gun to remove the rack bolts. Thanks again for the video.
I have a 06 Ford 500, if I have my rack and pinion replaced, how much more to just replace the sway bar's, and tie rod end's? I've already had control arm's replaced. Tbank you! John
Great video , great info.., I’ve never had to get the front end up yet, only one side at a time , what’s the best place for jack stands when doing the job ? 2009 flex
Thanks man, getting ready to tackle this next weekend. Question, I'm replacing the sway bar as well (broken bracket, missing bushing), book says I need to drop the cradle too. Do you think there will be enough room to get the sway bar out (after) removing the steering rack? Or am I screwed?
Is yours AWD? Cause I’m working on an AWD one right now and really don’t want to drop the cradle.. but am struggling getting around those AC lines and rear yoke… drive shaft is pulled as well and new is being installed after the new steering rack is installed any suggestions would be helpful
For whoever is still watching - copying my comment from a like video but wanted to update that I just did this job on a FWD 2010 Ford Edge and, while I didn't end up fully dropping the subframe, it did have to go down a bit (among a few other things that had to happen). Here's what I did to get the rack out: - Drop the subframe until it's touching the exhaust (about 2 inches, so left the frame nuts on but had them barely threaded on) - Use a saw and cut the two metal tabs off in the wheel well that are above the steering / sway bar opening (no purpose to these that I could tell) - Unbolt sway bar and remove through the opening - Put new steering rack in (needs to be twisted and maneuvered into place, suggest having two people for this (one under the car) - Re-install sway bar through opening (tricky, need to swing around rack) I was steadfastly refusing to drop the subframe as I didn't want to deal with separating an old, rusty / salt-covered exhaust, lol. Hope this helps!
I usually do my own repairs. I took my car to a local Les Schwab and they diagnosed it and quoted $2150 for the replacement using all Ford parts including the tie rod ends. I was shocked at the price and let them know, but agreed to it and I am scheduled for tomorrow. I'm now thinking it is a good deal. Ford wants $1850 for a New steering rack.
You can do that ONLY if on your stabilizer bar the rubber silent block is worn out or you have it replaced with a Moog part. Otherwise you can't pull up the sway link like that.
Be aware that this way will not work on an all wheel drive vehicle. If you have awd you will have to Uninstall the steering lines to get the old one out and new one in.
You sure can't do a Lincoln MKX like this, you have to drop the cradle and take a Porta pare and jack between cradle and frame rail to get the rack out because take out 6 cradle bolts it only dropped 2 inches because the exhaust ran under the cradle and the 4 exhaust bolts were stripped from a previous repair ( NJ salt car ) everything was rusty , also had remove sway bar links and theirs 4 bolts in a MKX rack along w 3 10mm holding line on and a 17mm holding high press hose on and a rubber hose w clamp. I'm a very good mechanic and did this on the ground outside in gravel and it still took me 5.5hrs to do a MKX because I couldn't fit under the car without having it jacked up 2ft in air , I charged 200$felt like that was fair enough and this was a heck of a job , getting it out took the longest, going back in only took an hour to get it back in and all put together. What a nightmare , and now the MKX still needs a power steer pump, I replaced the rack because it had no power steer and was leaking , replaced it and still no power steer so now the pump is what actually went bad and I gotta replace it tomorrow, and it's on the back of the block can't get to it from the top, have to go from the bottom so I'll have to drop the cradle again and possibly take motor mount out to drop it low enough to get it out. Anther nightmare to change the pump out.
@@whatsrt1490 I don't see how, I just did a 2011 mkx today and I sure had a ton of trouble, mkx rack isn't made the same as the rack on an edge, it's wider (held on w 4 bolts) and it wasn't coming out without dropping the cradle. If you did it without drop the cradle then I don't see how
@@whatsrt1490 what kind of noise does the car make? I have 2010 edge and it rattles at 30mph when going over pot holes. I did shocks, outer tie rod end, brakes, rotors, shock assembly and still rattling. Seams like someone replaced front end but left radiator loose and hoses not clamped. Don’t know what else to fix. Help please
Doesn't work like this ob ford edge must drop exhaust flex pipe drop 4 rear main large bolts the torsion bar will simple not swing out as much as that ford flex does. Hits the wheel well and not enough room to rotate rack out.
Ok my friend i hope your in NY long island because i have a job for you 2011 flex with the same issue ..how soon can u get to lake grove ? 😂😂 darn garage wants 588.00$ for the rack and pinion . 544.00 for labor and get this another 209.00$ to flush the power steering system 🤣😂🤣😂 unbelievable huh ? Im tackling this job first thing tomorrow morn.. but since u said u would do the job for 150.00 your hired lmfao
@@obiwanshinobi-pj5xh thats what the garage wanted to do..flush the system .. as soon as i disconnected the lines the entire system emptied 😂🤣. And get this ..the rack i just put in this morn is defective 🙄 i gotta do it again tomorrow sunday morn
I'm glad I found your vid. I need to do the rack and pinion on my Edge.👍
Absolutely priceless information..!!!!
Took me about 2.5 hours total , but I took my time and no power tools … that’s including jacking the car up and getting jackstands set up etc … once the rack was disconnected I was able to push it back towards the firewall enough to pull it 6-8 inches from driver side which gave me enough room to then rotate it forward so the shaft would clear the wheel well on removal .. only got hung up a couple times so going to the opposite side to get a look a couple times was needed . But got it out in 5 mins , was an absolute breeze … just wish reinstalling the pump with high pressure line attached was that B easy, thanks for the great content
This is outstanding, been avoiding doing the rack on ours slightly leaking for like 4 years now just starting to get an ugly leak lol thank you so much!
Awesome advise!!! Thank you so much!
One other piece of advice, if it’s an AWD, you have to unbolt the sway bar to get it out of the way, so the rack will come out via the passenger side.
It was easier pluging out from driver side after unbolting the sway on my awd limited flex
I knew it could be done this way after watching an hour of another video that dropped the sub-frame. Thanks for confirming.
Thank you, great info because I just watched another guy taking the whole subframe with the rack and pinion and the sway bar link out to replace it.
My flex needs a new rack and this is going to save me so much frustration. Thanks so much for sharing this!!
Great Video, it was a big help. - But..... the subframe DOES have to be dropped for an AWD Flex. I just finished this job - and I tried about 1 hour to work it out like the video describes, but the PTU & driveshaft are in the way.
The good news is that dropping the subframe is not that difficult. The front subframe bolts only need loosened (do not remove), then support the subframe with a jack and removed the rear subframe bolts. This allows the rear of the subframe to lower about 3", which is enough to work the rack out the drivers side.
Final note - living in the rust belt, made this job much more difficult. (A) I had to cut off the tie rod ends - even though I could loosen the nuts, I couldn't get them off of the ball joints. (B) I definitely needed an impact gun to remove the rack bolts.
Thanks again for the video.
wish i had seen your comment earlier. would have save me 6 hours of frustration. Bro needed to clarify his was a front wheel drive only.
I have a 06 Ford 500, if I have my rack and pinion replaced, how much more to just replace the sway bar's, and tie rod end's? I've already had control arm's replaced. Tbank you! John
Thanks! Confirmed what I thought it would take. And thanks for the tip on the AC line.
Great video , great info..,
I’ve never had to get the front end up yet, only one side at a time , what’s the best place for jack stands when doing the job ? 2009 flex
Thanks man, getting ready to tackle this next weekend. Question, I'm replacing the sway bar as well (broken bracket, missing bushing), book says I need to drop the cradle too. Do you think there will be enough room to get the sway bar out (after) removing the steering rack? Or am I screwed?
Is yours AWD? Cause I’m working on an AWD one right now and really don’t want to drop the cradle.. but am struggling getting around those AC lines and rear yoke… drive shaft is pulled as well and new is being installed after the new steering rack is installed any suggestions would be helpful
I'm about to take this on in my garage in a few minutes, I REALLY hope this works!
I have a 2009 tuarus x . I think it's the same frame as the flex. So I am thinking it would be the same. You think?
For whoever is still watching - copying my comment from a like video but wanted to update that I just did this job on a FWD 2010 Ford Edge and, while I didn't end up fully dropping the subframe, it did have to go down a bit (among a few other things that had to happen). Here's what I did to get the rack out:
- Drop the subframe until it's touching the exhaust (about 2 inches, so left the frame nuts on but had them barely threaded on)
- Use a saw and cut the two metal tabs off in the wheel well that are above the steering / sway bar opening (no purpose to these that I could tell)
- Unbolt sway bar and remove through the opening
- Put new steering rack in (needs to be twisted and maneuvered into place, suggest having two people for this (one under the car)
- Re-install sway bar through opening (tricky, need to swing around rack)
I was steadfastly refusing to drop the subframe as I didn't want to deal with separating an old, rusty / salt-covered exhaust, lol.
Hope this helps!
Thank you, I was just quoted $956 to fix my rack and pinion
Hello there my 2009 awd ford flex has very hard power steering so how to check if the rack is bad or steering pump is bad please advise thanks
Take the boot of the next to tie rod end if there’s steering fluid leak it’s the rack and pinion if not it’s gotta be the steering pump
@@-WW__WW- thank you
Do you need to get an alignment after you put the new one on?
Absolutely
I’m doing one tomorrow. Will try this. Thanks for the info.
You do have to drop the back of the subframe down if you have the rack with 4 mounting bolts. Yours has 2
Thanks bro. I was thinking the same and you confirmed it.👍🏽
I usually do my own repairs. I took my car to a local Les Schwab and they diagnosed it and quoted $2150 for the replacement using all Ford parts including the tie rod ends. I was shocked at the price and let them know, but agreed to it and I am scheduled for tomorrow. I'm now thinking it is a good deal. Ford wants $1850 for a New steering rack.
Does this work on the ford fusion sport 3.5
Nice swift move saved me a lot of time and money
Omg I have a 2009 also and power steering going out. Thank you so much
We have a 2011 Taurus limited and have been puting it off due to needing a lift?guess that’s not necessary now thank u
Did it work that same on your Taurus?
@davechap7819 did it work or no?
The hard part of this for me is getting the lines out of the rack. It's fairly straightforward except for the lines being stuck in my rack.
What noise does rack and pinion make?
You can do that ONLY if on your stabilizer bar the rubber silent block is worn out or you have it replaced with a Moog part. Otherwise you can't pull up the sway link like that.
i disagree my jack said otherwise!
Thank you so much. You saved my pocket.
Where are you located? I need this done
Be aware that this way will not work on an all wheel drive vehicle. If you have awd you will have to Uninstall the steering lines to get the old one out and new one in.
Does anybody know where to get some bushings for the rack and pinion??? I should not have to change the whole thing for just the bushings bad.
You sure can't do a Lincoln MKX like this, you have to drop the cradle and take a Porta pare and jack between cradle and frame rail to get the rack out because take out 6 cradle bolts it only dropped 2 inches because the exhaust ran under the cradle and the 4 exhaust bolts were stripped from a previous repair ( NJ salt car ) everything was rusty , also had remove sway bar links and theirs 4 bolts in a MKX rack along w 3 10mm holding line on and a 17mm holding high press hose on and a rubber hose w clamp. I'm a very good mechanic and did this on the ground outside in gravel and it still took me 5.5hrs to do a MKX because I couldn't fit under the car without having it jacked up 2ft in air , I charged 200$felt like that was fair enough and this was a heck of a job , getting it out took the longest, going back in only took an hour to get it back in and all put together. What a nightmare , and now the MKX still needs a power steer pump, I replaced the rack because it had no power steer and was leaking , replaced it and still no power steer so now the pump is what actually went bad and I gotta replace it tomorrow, and it's on the back of the block can't get to it from the top, have to go from the bottom so I'll have to drop the cradle again and possibly take motor mount out to drop it low enough to get it out. Anther nightmare to change the pump out.
I've done this to edge/mkx multiple times, in fact, just did it to one today....
@@whatsrt1490 I don't see how, I just did a 2011 mkx today and I sure had a ton of trouble, mkx rack isn't made the same as the rack on an edge, it's wider (held on w 4 bolts) and it wasn't coming out without dropping the cradle. If you did it without drop the cradle then I don't see how
@@thomasgibson8887
agreed
@@whatsrt1490 what kind of noise does the car make? I have 2010 edge and it rattles at 30mph when going over pot holes. I did shocks, outer tie rod end, brakes, rotors, shock assembly and still rattling. Seams like someone replaced front end but left radiator loose and hoses not clamped. Don’t know what else to fix. Help please
It is possible
Thanks for saving me a lot of money.
Thank you Cant wait to show my mechanic lol
06 ford freestar can a beginner DIY guy do this
EXCELLENT hack!
You're not doing it that way on a Edge. There's no getting around dropping the rear of the sub frame down. It's not designed the same as the flex.
Thank you!!🫡👍
Doesn't work like this ob ford edge must drop exhaust flex pipe drop 4 rear main large bolts the torsion bar will simple not swing out as much as that ford flex does. Hits the wheel well and not enough room to rotate rack out.
Sorry man but the Ford edge you for to drop the cradle. No way around it.
Damn my cousin had to pay $2700 parts and labor smh I didn’t feel comfortable doing this but next time I will
Thanks man
Ok my friend i hope your in NY long island because i have a job for you 2011 flex with the same issue ..how soon can u get to lake grove ? 😂😂 darn garage wants 588.00$ for the rack and pinion . 544.00 for labor and get this another 209.00$ to flush the power steering system 🤣😂🤣😂 unbelievable huh ? Im tackling this job first thing tomorrow morn.. but since u said u would do the job for 150.00 your hired lmfao
flush the power steering? Why? Just suck all the fluid out with a pump or a turkey baster, fill with new fluid, drive for a bit and top it off
@@obiwanshinobi-pj5xh thats what the garage wanted to do..flush the system
.. as soon as i disconnected the lines the entire system emptied 😂🤣. And get this ..the rack i just put in this morn is defective 🙄 i gotta do it again tomorrow sunday morn
So that vehicle is a Ford Edge
Read carefully guys don’t waste time like I did will not work on an all wheel drive hitch, the drive shaft
can you do mines
Don't work with electric racks
Try that on an 07 edge. You will fail.
fuck me i just started dropping the sub frame.... welp jobs done 7 hours ahead of schedule!
this looks NOTHING like a 2007 8 ford edge there is No Way to do this with an Edge, ...THX Ford.
Your right .. you got to drop the cradle on a edge. I have one in the garage that I tried to do like this. It's must drop the frame
Did you have to drop it completely down or no?