96 LC II(LJ79) Stering column rattle

[Arjun75]

My LC II has 123,500k's on th clock and i have had it nearing a couple of years now with no problems.

Of late there is a rattle from the steering column/steering when the road surface is bad.Also there is a slight clunk i can feel when the steering is on full lock on uneven surfaces even at parking speeds.

Couple of months ago i changed the tie rod ends and all the front suspension bushes so im quite sure its something with the steering.

Could it be the bearings on the steering column or wear of the steering column shaft??

would be great if you'll could shed some light on the issue.

Thanks

 

[oldblue]

I have the same thing on my 1993 Prado, have checked all over and still cannot find what cause's this noise.
Sounds like a hard stoping noise at the end of stearing play, more noticeable when going slow on stone's [ river beds ] etc.
My Prado never fails a WOF inspection because of this.

 

[oldblue]

On thinking about this, I removed my stearing damper a while back, to make the stearing lighter, so mybe this would cause the front to be loose, so to speak.
I will fit it back then see what happens

 

[roscoFJ73]

My LC II has 123,500k's on th clock and i have had it nearing a couple of years now with no problems.

Of late there is a rattle from the steering column/steering when the road surface is bad.Also there is a slight clunk i can feel when the steering is on full lock on uneven surfaces even at parking speeds.

Couple of months ago i changed the tie rod ends and all the front suspension bushes so im quite sure its something with the steering.

Could it be the bearings on the steering column or wear of the steering column shaft??

would be great if you'll could shed some light on the issue.

Thanks

I have the same thing on my 1993 Prado, have checked all over and still cannot find what cause's this noise.
Sounds like a hard stoping noise at the end of stearing play, more noticeable when going slow on stone's [ river beds ] etc.
My Prado never fails a WOF inspection because of this.

If you have checked everything you could look at adjusting the steering box. Im not too sure about the light duty models but the others are allowed about 25 mm of freeplay at 12 oclock on the steering wheel.

I did mine about 4 years ago and have never had a problem since.

Old Blue's post regarding the steering damper is also something to think about and should be looked at before a steering box adjustment is done
A new damper can make the world of difference,it is after all a shock absorber for your steering. They dont need to be top of the range brand names.

 

[Arjun75]

If you have checked everything you could look at adjusting the steering box. Im not too sure about the light duty models but the others are allowed about 25 mm of freeplay at 12 oclock on the steering wheel.

I did mine about 4 years ago and have never had a problem since.

Old Blue's post regarding the steering damper is also something to think about and should be looked at before a steering box adjustment is done
A new damper can make the world of difference,it is after all a shock absorber for your steering. They dont need to be top of the range brand names.

Installed a new steering damper recently and did not make a difference.The steering has only the normal play which is negligible.

Could it be a worn out bush or bearing on the steering column itself...cause all the other parts in the steering system except the steering box are new.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[KZJ77]

Maybe there´s something going on with the servo pump? Have you checked oil level? Have you already checked V-belt?



Michael

 

[Ron R]

Have you checked the splines just in front of the steering box?

This is where the shaft from the colomn connects to the box.
I had a nocking sound when accelerating or decellerating briskly.
Took me ages to find it. It was these splines lacking grease.
To get grease into these splines I had to disconnect the U-joint near the firewall ( in the engine bay), then I could dismantle the splines and grease them.

These splines are necessary because the box is fixed to the frame and the steering shaft is fixed to the body. And because the body moves in relation to the frame......

 

[roscoFJ73]

Installed a new steering damper recently and did not make a difference.The steering has only the normal play which is negligible.

Could it be a worn out bush or bearing on the steering column itself...cause all the other parts in the steering system except the steering box are new.

Thanks again for all the help.

My 7* series have a mini uni joint to join the steering shaft together. Maybe it needs checking.

 

[Ron R]

My 7* series have a mini uni joint to join the steering shaft together. Maybe it needs checking.

Yes, mine as well. But that is close to the firewall.
And is there no spline?
In my rig it is covered by a plastic cover. It's very close to the box and difficult to make out.
Something has to compensate for the movement between frame and body.

 

[Gold Boy]

bj74 steering adjustment

under the hood on the drivers side [rhd] look down passed the head light and you will see the adjustment screw on top of the steering gear box, undo the nut and adjust the screw in small increments. the play on the steering wheel should not be more than 40mm, 40mm is the correct oem spec.

edit,

 

[roscoFJ73]

Yes, mine as well. But that is close to the firewall.
And is there no spline?
In my rig it is covered by a plastic cover. It's very close to the box and difficult to make out.
Something has to compensate for the movement between frame and body.

I cant remember ,I havent poked my head down there lately.

Splines(vague memory) would need some grease now and again

This will make it clearer,note this is a collapsible column,there is also a non collapsible steering column.
Splines are close to the joint

 

[Arjun75]

Have you checked the splines just in front of the steering box?

This is where the shaft from the colomn connects to the box.
I had a nocking sound when accelerating or decellerating briskly.
Took me ages to find it. It was these splines lacking grease.
To get grease into these splines I had to disconnect the U-joint near the firewall ( in the engine bay), then I could dismantle the splines and grease them.

These splines are necessary because the box is fixed to the frame and the steering shaft is fixed to the body. And because the body moves in relation to the frame......

Thanks...will check those splines.

 

[Ron R]

I cant remember ,I havent poked my head down there lately.

Splines(vague memory) would need some grease now and again

This will make it clearer,note this is a collapsible column,there is also a non collapsible steering column.
Splines are close to the joint

Yes, hard to see but at the bottom of your drawing it's the part where the number 45260 points to...

 

[roscoFJ73]

I still think the uni joint will be the problem

 

[oldblue]

Refitted the Prado stearing damper, It's stopped the harsh knocking , but there's still a small amount of the problem still there.

 

[himhj60]