Go to for Steering Box? (3 Viewers)

[man0fsteel]

Haha nope not my welds. And i may have underestimated my abilities slightly, maybe i have some "experience" but I truly have no Idea what I am doing unless im following a detailed write up.

Redhead was very solid with communication and everything all around. I had an extra steering box core to send them to save myself the core charge. They had a few on the shelf ready to send out when mine got there and was verified good. The day after receiving my core my new one was on the way. I got all upgrades+tapped. It only took 3-4 days to get to me in tx. The steering does indeed feel amazing. Before, I could turn my wheel wildly left to right while driving and still go straight, not to mention the fluid leaks... Now the steering feels tight and i feel like i certainly have more control.

I have seen a lot of people here say that the frame crack is not an IF thing but a WHEN. I personally haven't seen the crack but i have limited experience around other 80s. My 80 is going in an all out crawler direction so I called upon my welding buddy so that i will hopefully never have to deal with it again. Seeing as how you have a fab shop at your disposal, I would certainly recommend knocking it out while your there. The welding to be done on the inside frame area is tight though, I picked up a puller set so i could remove all the steering arms and stabilizer to open up as much space as possible. It also helped a bunch that I had removed every single other component of the PS system for replacing.(besides the paperclip)

Thanks for describing the improved driving performance. Exactly what I was looking to hear - My steering doesn't sound quite as bad as yours but it's not getting any better, that's for sure.

First of all let me digest all of this. I’d say you are an over energetic lover of Land Cruisers. Slow your roll. Test it out bc you can’t build the perfect Cruiser until you you you break it/. Understand?

Well, yeah...guilty as charged. I bought my girl in '95 with 10K miles on it and barring some accident/theft, it'll be with me until I'm 6 ft under. I'm not looking for her to be perfect, but I do want her as solid as possible and the steering play is something that has been bothering me. As for slowing my roll...I'm on a roll and need to keep the momentum going! It took me 5+ years to finally start restoring my girl and I'm getting too old to wait for things I want done

 

[baldilocks]

Thanks for describing the improved driving performance. Exactly what I was looking to hear - My steering doesn't sound quite as bad as yours but it's not getting any better, that's for sure.



Well, yeah...guilty as charged. I bought my girl in '95 with 10K miles on it and barring some accident/theft, it'll be with me until I'm 6 ft under. I'm not looking for her to be perfect, but I do want her as solid as possible and the steering play is something that has been bothering me. As for slowing my roll...I'm on a roll and need to keep the momentum going! It took me 5+ years to finally start restoring my girl and I'm getting too old to wait for things I want done

Yeah ok, roll too slow and you wind up in a flat spin which is where I’m at. You forgot to add in barring incarceration. That definitely slows your roll! You drive a truck and trucks wander a bit bc of tire size or wear in a number of possible places.

Have you tried adjusting the screw on top of the steering gear? Do that in half turn increments between test drives.

I don’t believe that a new steering gear is the only solution. When the blood is present the sharks amass……

As I’ve stated, without hesitation, a couple times in this good thread, I do believe that my RedHead rebuilt steering gear box is top notch. It may leak sooner than a new box, who knows, but then I’ll send it up the street for a reseal. There is no permanent solution to our pain so we just “roll” with it!

 

[97HM]

Dubai Wednesday my doorstep in CO Friday. There she is:

View attachment 3726225

So fresh and so clean clean

 

[ChargedSHOTaco]

Until the cost to rebuild a steering box is considerably lower than the cost for an entirely new one, buying a new one will continue to make the most sense.
That said, I have a new upgraded 105 sector shaft for sale if anyone wants to try their hand at a rebuild.

 

[azusa]

Until the cost to rebuild a steering box is considerably lower than the cost for an entirely new one, buying a new one will continue to make the most sense.
That said, I have a new upgraded 105 sector shaft for sale if anyone wants to try their hand at a rebuild.

If it's still available, how much you want for the sector shaft? Do you also have the pitman?

 

[ChargedSHOTaco]

If it's still available, how much you want for the sector shaft? Do you also have the pitman?

$215 shipped. No pitman arm, but does come with a free spring washer. DM if interested.

 

[DivByZero]

Has anyone tried to replace the recirculating ball valve into an older housing with the 105 shaft upgrade and rebuild supplies. Impex shows the valve with balls part# 4412060180 as available at around 300 bucks iirc. Plus the shaft pitman arm and supples would put you at about 1000 bucks.

This would get you all new wear parts as the balls in the valve body account for a lot of wear and slop that is felt in “rebuilt” boxes as I understand it.

I didn't see an answer to this, so I thought I'd chime in with that question from the perspective of the part of the world which knows which side to put the steering wheel on!

So with the recent changes in price and availability of these parts, at least in the LHD versions, I've been looking into the situation for RHD steering boxes, and pricing up a rebuild with a new new valve assembly. For the LHD version that's part number 44120-60180, but for the RHD versions it's 44120-60170, and the situation is quite different for the two. For reference, the part we're talking about is this:

It's the main component of the steering box itself, essentially all the parts of note minus the housing, sector shaft, and some bearings and seals. Critically, this replaces the actual gears that mesh with the sector shaft, and the recirculating ball bearings, which combined will ensure a tight steering box that'll last the distance. It makes sense as a middle-ground rebuild option - everything that wears is replaced, so the final result will basically be a new box, but it's still a fair chunk of the time and stuffing around, so it's not a time saver, but it's a viable "budget" version of a new box that's actually a proper refresh, not just changing the seals.

That was the idea anyway. For a LHD box maybe that's an option. Impex list this valve assembly at $361.17USD, Partsouq at $830.72AUD. If you can get it from Impex, might be a good option for those facing the problems with Impex not shipping the complete box anymore. Chances are, they'll ship this part if you order it - if they can get it. I'd recommend trying, but you might run into problems like I'm about to describe, which exists at least for RHD markets. I tried to get the RHD version of this valve assembly - 44120-60170. Amayama said it's not available, and now list it as "out of production" on their website. Partsouq shows no stock. I contacted Impex, and they checked with Toyota Japan. They also reported, out of production. That seemed.... odd, since this part is a key component of the full RHD steering boxes (44110-60202), which is very much still in production. I spoke to the guy at the Toyota parts counter today, and here's what he saw on the system - the part is NOT flagged as discontinued/out of production on the system, but it does show up as 0 stock, backordered from Japan, with no delivery ETA. So it may well be, the part is still being made, but for whatever reason Toyota aren't selling it directly, at least not to third parties. It's possible ordering through Toyota you'd be able to get it, but the price for that valve assembly Toyota quoted me was over $3600AUD ($2450USD), which at that price I wasn't interested in finding out the answer to.

Seeing that these boxes are getting more difficult to get new parts for, I dropped some cash and got this:

I got this from the Toyota dealer here in Australia. Impex price was $1715AUD ($1170USD), before shipping costs, which were likely to be $590AUD ($400USD) or more, and before import taxes/charges, which were likely to be another $300AUD ($200USD) or so on top of that, if Impex actually shipped the RHD version and didn't cancel the order like they've been doing for LHD boxes. Next best alternative was Partsouq at $2905AUD ($1982USD), but they showed no stock anyway. The Toyota dealer here, despite often being more expensive (but not always) than other options, and wanting $3600 for the valve assembly alone, had the 44110-60202 RHD steering box for $3000AUD even ($2047USD), and the guy behind the counter who knows me gave me a discount, so I got it for $2700AUD ($1842USD).

So the takeaway is, effectively the best you can do on the RHD boxes is reseal them or replace them. Without the valve assembly, which provides those new gears that mate with the sector shaft, I don't believe a rebuild is worth it, just a reseal. At least here in Australia though, it seems you can get an OK price on a whole box from Toyota, at least compared to the alternatives. It's still the biggest single purchase I've ever made for my 80 by far, but I want this car for another 30 years and it's my daily drive, so for me it's worth it over the life of the vehicle. Your situation may vary. As for the LHD models, I suspect you may find it's a similar situation - you may not actually be able to get the valve assembly separate. Amayama list no stock and an unknown time to order. Partsouq list 0 available and don't let you purchase. You may find if you try and place an order, it's swatted back and they say the part is NLA. Someone would have to make an enquiry. You can send a message on Impex and ask for a price/availability check, that's what I did with the RHD version, and pick up the phone and see what your Toyota parts department says. I'm not optimistic though.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I didn't see an answer to this, so I thought I'd chime in with that question from the perspective of the part of the world which knows which side to put the steering wheel on!

So with the recent changes in price and availability of these parts, at least in the LHD versions, I've been looking into the situation for RHD steering boxes, and pricing up a rebuild with a new new valve assembly. For the LHD version that's part number 44120-60180, but for the RHD versions it's 44120-60170, and the situation is quite different for the two. For reference, the part we're talking about is this:
View attachment 3730465View attachment 3730466

It's the main component of the steering box itself, essentially all the parts of note minus the housing, sector shaft, and some bearings and seals. Critically, this replaces the actual gears that mesh with the sector shaft, and the recirculating ball bearings, which combined will ensure a tight steering box that'll last the distance. It makes sense as a middle-ground rebuild option - everything that wears is replaced, so the final result will basically be a new box, but it's still a fair chunk of the time and stuffing around, so it's not a time saver, but it's a viable "budget" version of a new box that's actually a proper refresh, not just changing the seals.

That was the idea anyway. For a LHD box maybe that's an option. Impex list this valve assembly at $361.17USD, Partsouq at $830.72AUD. If you can get it from Impex, might be a good option for those facing the problems with Impex not shipping the complete box anymore. Chances are, they'll ship this part if you order it - if they can get it. I'd recommend trying, but you might run into problems like I'm about to describe, which exists at least for RHD markets. I tried to get the RHD version of this valve assembly - 44120-60170. Amayama said it's not available, and now list it as "out of production" on their website. Partsouq shows no stock. I contacted Impex, and they checked with Toyota Japan. They also reported, out of production. That seemed.... odd, since this part is a key component of the full RHD steering boxes (44110-60202), which is very much still in production. I spoke to the guy at the Toyota parts counter today, and here's what he saw on the system - the part is NOT flagged as discontinued/out of production on the system, but it does show up as 0 stock, backordered from Japan, with no delivery ETA. So it may well be, the part is still being made, but for whatever reason Toyota aren't selling it directly, at least not to third parties. It's possible ordering through Toyota you'd be able to get it, but the price for that valve assembly Toyota quoted me was over $3600AUD ($2450USD), which at that price I wasn't interested in finding out the answer to.

Seeing that these boxes are getting more difficult to get new parts for, I dropped some cash and got this:
View attachment 3730474View attachment 3730475

I got this from the Toyota dealer here in Australia. Impex price was $1715AUD ($1170USD), before shipping costs, which were likely to be $590AUD ($400USD) or more, and before import taxes/charges, which were likely to be another $300AUD ($200USD) or so on top of that, if Impex actually shipped the RHD version and didn't cancel the order like they've been doing for LHD boxes. Next best alternative was Partsouq at $2905AUD ($1982USD), but they showed no stock anyway. The Toyota dealer here, despite often being more expensive (but not always) than other options, and wanting $3600 for the valve assembly alone, had the 44110-60202 RHD steering box for $3000AUD even ($2047USD), and the guy behind the counter who knows me gave me a discount, so I got it for $2700AUD ($1842USD).

So the takeaway is, effectively the best you can do on the RHD boxes is reseal them or replace them. Without the valve assembly, which provides those new gears that mate with the sector shaft, I don't believe a rebuild is worth it, just a reseal. At least here in Australia though, it seems you can get an OK price on a whole box from Toyota, at least compared to the alternatives. It's still the biggest single purchase I've ever made for my 80 by far, but I want this car for another 30 years and it's my daily drive, so for me it's worth it over the life of the vehicle. Your situation may vary. As for the LHD models, I suspect you may find it's a similar situation - you may not actually be able to get the valve assembly separate. Amayama list no stock and an unknown time to order. Partsouq list 0 available and don't let you purchase. You may find if you try and place an order, it's swatted back and they say the part is NLA. Someone would have to make an enquiry. You can send a message on Impex and ask for a price/availability check, that's what I did with the RHD version, and pick up the phone and see what your Toyota parts department says. I'm not optimistic though.

For this scenario sourcing hard to get parts, reach out to Dave Stedman at Japan4x4

 

[effjay80]

You just KNOW there's a few brand new boxed steering boxes, OEM charcoal canisters, new 94 VAFs, etc etc etc sitting somewhere on some dusty long forgotten shelf.

 

[OGBeno]

I didn't see an answer to this, so I thought I'd chime in with that question from the perspective of the part of the world which knows which side to put the steering wheel on!

So with the recent changes in price and availability of these parts, at least in the LHD versions, I've been looking into the situation for RHD steering boxes, and pricing up a rebuild with a new new valve assembly. For the LHD version that's part number 44120-60180, but for the RHD versions it's 44120-60170, and the situation is quite different for the two. For reference, the part we're talking about is this:
View attachment 3730465View attachment 3730466

It's the main component of the steering box itself, essentially all the parts of note minus the housing, sector shaft, and some bearings and seals. Critically, this replaces the actual gears that mesh with the sector shaft, and the recirculating ball bearings, which combined will ensure a tight steering box that'll last the distance. It makes sense as a middle-ground rebuild option - everything that wears is replaced, so the final result will basically be a new box, but it's still a fair chunk of the time and stuffing around, so it's not a time saver, but it's a viable "budget" version of a new box that's actually a proper refresh, not just changing the seals.

That was the idea anyway. For a LHD box maybe that's an option. Impex list this valve assembly at $361.17USD, Partsouq at $830.72AUD. If you can get it from Impex, might be a good option for those facing the problems with Impex not shipping the complete box anymore. Chances are, they'll ship this part if you order it - if they can get it. I'd recommend trying, but you might run into problems like I'm about to describe, which exists at least for RHD markets. I tried to get the RHD version of this valve assembly - 44120-60170. Amayama said it's not available, and now list it as "out of production" on their website. Partsouq shows no stock. I contacted Impex, and they checked with Toyota Japan. They also reported, out of production. That seemed.... odd, since this part is a key component of the full RHD steering boxes (44110-60202), which is very much still in production. I spoke to the guy at the Toyota parts counter today, and here's what he saw on the system - the part is NOT flagged as discontinued/out of production on the system, but it does show up as 0 stock, backordered from Japan, with no delivery ETA. So it may well be, the part is still being made, but for whatever reason Toyota aren't selling it directly, at least not to third parties. It's possible ordering through Toyota you'd be able to get it, but the price for that valve assembly Toyota quoted me was over $3600AUD ($2450USD), which at that price I wasn't interested in finding out the answer to.

Seeing that these boxes are getting more difficult to get new parts for, I dropped some cash and got this:
View attachment 3730474View attachment 3730475

I got this from the Toyota dealer here in Australia. Impex price was $1715AUD ($1170USD), before shipping costs, which were likely to be $590AUD ($400USD) or more, and before import taxes/charges, which were likely to be another $300AUD ($200USD) or so on top of that, if Impex actually shipped the RHD version and didn't cancel the order like they've been doing for LHD boxes. Next best alternative was Partsouq at $2905AUD ($1982USD), but they showed no stock anyway. The Toyota dealer here, despite often being more expensive (but not always) than other options, and wanting $3600 for the valve assembly alone, had the 44110-60202 RHD steering box for $3000AUD even ($2047USD), and the guy behind the counter who knows me gave me a discount, so I got it for $2700AUD ($1842USD).

So the takeaway is, effectively the best you can do on the RHD boxes is reseal them or replace them. Without the valve assembly, which provides those new gears that mate with the sector shaft, I don't believe a rebuild is worth it, just a reseal. At least here in Australia though, it seems you can get an OK price on a whole box from Toyota, at least compared to the alternatives. It's still the biggest single purchase I've ever made for my 80 by far, but I want this car for another 30 years and it's my daily drive, so for me it's worth it over the life of the vehicle. Your situation may vary. As for the LHD models, I suspect you may find it's a similar situation - you may not actually be able to get the valve assembly separate. Amayama list no stock and an unknown time to order. Partsouq list 0 available and don't let you purchase. You may find if you try and place an order, it's swatted back and they say the part is NLA. Someone would have to make an enquiry. You can send a message on Impex and ask for a price/availability check, that's what I did with the RHD version, and pick up the phone and see what your Toyota parts department says. I'm not optimistic though.

You could have just said: “I bought a new RHD box.”

 

[Nay]

There is no permanent solution to our pain so we just “roll” with it!

I mean, replacing worn out stuff with brand new parts has always been the solution

It’s used of course in the first mile but there’s the good life of the part and the ‘live with it’ life of the part and you can’t get back to the good part without a new part. If you’ve replaced everything on your front end from bushings to tierod ends and the stuff you thought was worn out wasn’t…well then it’s probably in the steering system behind the pitman arm.

None of which says I would have paid any more than I did for a new box. I would not have and I would not be complaining about the result - my 80 drives to the trail but it sees very few miles otherwise. This was just a one time event where the blood in the water was a historically weak yen that made new box and resealed box within a water ballon toss distance of each other in cost.

My personal modality is to not pay the same money for risk of a poor outcome as it costs to get OEM new.

 

[CharlieS]

Wow, long time since I posted this. My 308k mi steering box is leaking like a seive. I tried to ignore it, but it kept getting worse. I picked up a spare steering box from ebay, and have rebuilt it. So far, so good.

Can anyone share the measurement specification for input shaft torque? That is my last step before reinstalling it.

PS. I wouldn't recommend this for the faint of heart. It took lot of tools, patience, and goes beyond what the typical DIY mechanic would tackle.

 

[CharlieS]

Can anyone share the measurement specification for input shaft torque? That is my last step before reinstalling it.

Reply to self: hey dummy, try a little harder before posting; it is in the FSM - 0.3-0.5 N-m (3-5.5 kgf.ctr, 2.6-4.8 in..lbf).

 

[CharlieS]

Also, I was struggling with how to adapt a torque wrench to the splined shaft. I think I'll make a tool out of an old steering box rag joint once I have the old one out of this 80, but in the meantime, here's what I did: I put saran wrap over the splines, put a thick gob of quicksteel (metal epoxy putty) around the shaft, squishing it into the splines, then another layer of saran wrap, then a socket over that. Once it cured, I had a tool - the quicksteel engages with the splines, and the socket allows me to put a torque wrench on it. Cave man engineering at it's finest.

 

[azusa]

The smallest 12 point socket and some disposable shop rag to make it snug over the shaft.

 

[CharlieS]

Having looked at all of my torque wrenches, I don't have anything that goes down below 20 inch pounds. What're the cool kids doing to measure this tiny amount of torque?

I don't have a 5 inch beam type low range torque wrench like the SST handy.

 

[azusa]

Bought this off of a gentleman who had placed an ad on Craigslist for $125, that was way before the pandemic.

 

[azusa]

By feel, 4-in lb on that shaft would have a slight drag.