LJ70 - Replacing worn out steering relay rods

[NF20]

Hi everyone,

I am glad that I found the community. I have been reading through quite some posts and I am impressed by the knowledge and the enthusiasm here. A bit about me: I am new in the game, owning a Land Cruiser LJ70 2.4TD LHD SWB for some weeks. The vehicle has been used in rough conditions in Central Africa and will continue to be driven there, so there’s quite a bit of maintenance to catch up on..

Right now, the worn steering relay rod ends need to be replaced. I’m currently abroad and would like to bring the necessary spare parts back with me. I found these OEM part numbers for the left and right ends:

No	PNC# (SUB)	OEM part number	Required per car	Production period	Name	Applicability
01	45044	45045-69065	01	05.1993 - 01.1995	END SUB-ASSY, STEERING RELAY ROD, RH	LJ70
02	45045	45044-69097	01	05.1993 - 01.1995	END SUB-ASSY, STEERING RELAY ROD, LH	LJ70

I read that members who replaced these ends on other models mentioned that the left and right sides differ in their threads, one is left-hand thread and the other is right-hand thread. When I look for aftermarket replacements, many listings seem to show right-hand thread on both sides. Since I’m currently abroad, I can’t verify the threads on my vehicle myself. Does anyone know whether the LJ70’s left and right relay rod ends are actually different, and if so, is it one left-hand and one right-hand thread, or are both right-hand thread?

For info: it’s a left-hand-drive LJ70 (1993) with the square headlights.

Thanks for helping me out and clearing that up!

Cheers!

 

[AirheadNut]

You’re correct that they need to be opposite threads, that’s how the steering is adjusted (it’s like a big turnbuckle). Photos in listings aren’t always reliable, they may have just used the same photo for both parts. Go by the part numbers like you’ve shown above, that should get you the right parts.

If the relay rod ends are worn how are the tie rod ends? Unless they’ve been replaced recently it might be advisable to pick up a set of those as well.

 

[Dprio34]

Three Fives makes the Tie Rods aftermarket. (555). My LJ is 1989, so my part numbers won't do you any good. You will need 1991 > tie rods.

View attachment LJ70 Tierod.jpeg copy.pdf

 

[Eurasiaoverland]

If you can find genuine rod ends, get those. 555 are popular but in my experience they are junk. I put a new 555 (Japan, from Partsouq) rack end on my RAV4 DD and after a year or so it was loose again.

 

[NF20]

Hi everyone,

thank you very much for your help. I will get replacement rods that match the part numbers exactly. The original Toyota parts are simply too expensive here, so I have to get aftermarket parts.

Cheers