W210 - Play in Steering Rack?

[gmercoleza]

1997 E320, about 175K miles.

About a year ago I began feeling just a touch of play in the steering, typically when wheel is turned far off center (like on tight U-turns). Resembled the feeling of a worn ball joint or tie rod, but not very severe. The car was due for tires, so I left it alone.

I put new Michelins on a couple weeks ago and decided to inspect the front end and correct the problem. Ball joints and outer tie rods were tight on both sides, but on the driver's side I detected a bit of play which appeared to be coming from the inner tie rod end. So I picked up the part and got under there. After removing the boot, I noticed the tie rod ball joint was perfectly tight with absolutely no play in it. However, with my wife wiggling the steering wheel ever so slightly, I could still hear a tiny bit of play. I put my hand on the tie rod ball joint and could feel the play, but it's not in the tie rod end, so I'm guessing it could be coming from the rack itself. The play seems to be most noticeable when the rack is at its extreme left or right limits. I did not remove the boot to inspect the inner tie rod on the other side, but when I put my hand on that side I am not noticing the play as much. I don't think the tie rod on the other end is worn.

Also, the old tires wore perfectly evenly, and there does not appear to be any play at the wheels.

Question for the experts: Does this sound like a worn rack? If so, how long before I'll be forced to replace it? There are no problems with the steering, just the occasional "play" that I will feel on very sharp turns.

The local parts supply has a reman rack for $450 with exchange. Will I need to drop the subframe, or is this a simple unbolt and replace job?