450 Steering Tie Rod

Mod Details

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The is the steering rack from a 450 fortwo. It’s unique on this model as it has a steering damper (the shock absorber in front of the rack). However, other smart steering racks should be the same but without the steering damper.

The ball joint end of the steering rack arms are hidden underneath rubber bellows. They are just to stop contamination. Remove the clamp at the rack body end…

…and again with the much smaller outer hose clamp.

The rubber bellows can be slid outwards to reveal the ball joint. It’ll be covered in grease so give it a good clean. Don’t use any cleaner spray, just wipe the grease off with a towel.

There are flat areas on either side of the screw connection. Using a 32mm and a 19mm spanner…

…and unscrew the outer from the inner. The threads are glued with a thread lock fluid so it’s going to be tight. Really tight.

Now you can slide the rubber bellows inwards, loosen the jam nut shown to the right of the bellows and clamp below. You can now twist the tie rod until it fully disconnects from the steering ball joint.

It’d be a good idea to mark where the tie rod was before removal so you can fit the replacement back into the same position. This may reduce the amount of wheel alignment required later on.

The jam nut and the outer end of the tie rod will almost certainly be seized so get it sprayed liberally with penetrating lubricant.

On the right hand side, if you have a steering damper, you’ll have to disconnect it from the rack.

You’ll need an E12 socket.

Now you need to unscrew the mount. I used adjustable water pump pliers as I didn’t have a 46mm spanner to use on the flats.

The mount slides sideways…

…so you can access the flats mentioned on the previous side.

When you fit the new tie rods, make sure you use thread lock fluid. Once everything is done, get the car wheel alignment adjusted by a professional.