Good day all.

My son-in-law went off-roading in his 2010 Freelander 2 (TD4 diesel) last weekend. Apart from a number of war-wounds his car now has play in the nearside steering. (ie wheel moves when holding it at 9 & 3 oclock , but NO movement when holding at 12 & 6 oclock)

On closer inspection there is NO play in the wheel bearing, the NS track rod end shows NO play at all. But there is play in the Inner track Rod end. (the OS has been checked and NO play found in the wheel bearing or track rod or inner trackrod)

Question:
1: Can the Inner Track Rod end be replaced (I see you can get the part via the internet - so poss answered my own question)?
2: can it be done with the steering rack in situ?
3: any special tools needed?
4: Any other comments will be greatfully recieved.

Many thanks

Andrew

Hi,

You can easily replace it, but you need to do measurement, to have almost the same wheel alignment.
It's better to have a ball joint remover tool, unless you want to replace the track rod end.
You still need to go to the garage to do wheel alignment, and the garage will certainty charge you for front and rear wheel alignment.

First off, if it's driven off road, care and restraint needs to be applied, as the suspension and steering components are Ford Mondeo parts, and so not really designed for off road use. It's very easy to bend shock tubes, break springs, and cause other damage.
If it is used off road for anything more than gentle situations, expect to be replacing parts which normally last the life of the vehicle if used on road only.
Also if it's been through muddy water higher than the wheel centres, the parking brake assembly needs stripping, cleaning, lubricating, reassembly and adjusting, or it'll seize up before the next MOT.

As for the track rod, yes it's replaceable, there are kits available for this purpose. Make sure you only use OE parts, or they'll likely fail again soon. Advanced Factors are the suppliers I use for Freelander parts, as they only sell top quality parts at reasonable prices.

No need to remove the rack (removing it is a complete ball ache), and the only tools needed are a large adjustable spanner, some brake cleaner, and thread locking compound.

Obviously after replacing the track rod (I'd do both sides and the rod ends, and the gaiters while there) the wheel alignment will need to be done.

After off-roading the car also need to be carefully cleaned, mud can stick under the vehicule. Some parts like wishbones can easilly rust if mud get stuck on them.

Many thanks for the replies. I agree with the off road retraint. I am a 4x4 instructor and have run a 4x4 company in Iceland for 10 years, but it was the son-in-law (enough said)

I have a wide array of tools inc ball joint seperators etc.

Thanks for the advise re motor factors -

Cheers again

regards