Hi all
Discover I had a sever loss of steering fluid which was escaping into the o/s boot cover. Decided to change the rack. Having scoured the net for any tips on the L320 supercharged without any success I took the plunge and can confirm it will come out without lifting the engine. But it is a bit fiddly to physically remove through the space. The disconnecting of all the elements only took 1.5 hours but took me nearly 3 hours to work out how to get it through the space in the wheel arch
1. Steering wheel cantered and front end on stands.
2. Wheels off and track rod ends disconnected from hub.
3. Remove plastic covers(L shaped ones with press clips) both sides.
4. Turned steering wheel to gain access to column knuckle nut. Removed and returned s/wheel centre.
5. Using a prybar tapped knuckle free off pinion drive.
6. Disconnect the twin feed pipes on the pinion shaft and capture oil.
7. Undo the brackets ((x2) that secure various flexible pipes to the rack to allow them to be moved clear (this won’t be far)
8. Pull boots from rack and undo tie rods from rack as a complete assembly.
9. Remove rack securing bolts.
10. Undo bracket securing the gearbox oil cooling pipes located in o/s wheel arch. (Necessary to manoeuvre the pipe slightly during removal.
11. Disconnect the electrical connector and remove sender unit from pinion shaft.
The rack is now ready to be removed. This is very fiddly with only millimetres to play with. The rack needs to be lifted from its mounts and rotated forwards bring the pinion shaft forwards squeezing it passed the alternator and chassis. (Trust me it will go)
With a lot of manoeuvring and a little forceful tugging it will rotate. I did this on my own but it would have been a bit easier with more hands. Once rotated and constantly moving the various pipes it will come out through the wheel arch with a squeeze.
I am waiting for replacement rack to arrive and will try to supply pictures with an update on fitting.