I have a 2003 Lincoln LS which seems to have a lot of commonality with the S-Type. My car has 200,000 miles and I've been battling a clunk in the front suspension for a long time. I could find no loose parts after I've changed (wheel bearings, lower ball joints, sway bar bushings, and sway bar links). I could hear the clunk hitting the curb on my driveway and over most small bumps. I began to suspect the rack was loose. Though I couldn't see the slop, I could hear it and knew most racks have adjustment to eliminate the slop. Since most of the wear should occur with the wheel straight ahead, I rotated the steering wheel one turn to the left and jacked up the driver's side of the car which was supported on a jackstand. I had my wife rock the wheel left and right while I slowly tightened the 17mm nut on the rear of the rack with a 6 point socket. It took about 1/8 of a turn clockwise to get the slop out (see below, white line / yellow line). I'm happy to say the clunk is gone. The wheel seems to self center fine, but I know over tightening will make the wheel/rack stick. This rack lacks the jam nut that most racks have. There's a rubber plug in the bottom of the nut. I removed it but don't think there is anything under it that needs to be held. I'm not sure if any of this is right, so if you know better please post it up. I've searched LVC and this site with little luck.

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That is an interesting repair and some good trouble shooting by you!

But at 200K miles that rack has done it's duty.

You do know a whole rebuilt rack with warranty is between $150-$200?

2003 2006 Lincoln Jaguar Power Steering Rack and Pinion | eBay
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Yes I know about Detroit Axle, the cost of the rack, and the ease of replacement on this chasis. My brother has a D.A. rack in his Focus, and it works fine. My car was recently aligned, so I don't want to spend the extra money on that either. I have two kids in college, so I save where I'm able. I didn't get much activity on lincolnvscadillac.com so I figured I might get some input here. Is there a history of rack replacements on the S-Type?

 

No history. You have more miles than most, though.

 

I've not seen a single thread on Jaguar rack issues since I joined this forum months ago.

 

I believe there was a history of rack-replacements before the advent of the magic-elixir noise quieting solution...back when the approved procedure involved slamming the steering wheel to lock on one side or the other....normally coincident to that procedure falling into the hands of a particularly brutish and muscle-bound tech. But none that I know of from normal usage.....