LX470 steering binding and clunk

[abigbox]

The title pretty much describes the problem. Here is the story:

3 weeks ago, the clunking appeared when the car stopped at the traffic light/stop signs. Later, followed by that, a wired steering appeared. A slight binding (or more of resistance) in either right or left turn from the center. I took the car to a shop and they "diagnosed" it with the following:

• Bad steering rack
• bad lower control arm
• bad lower ball joint
• bad diff mounts

Then I started ordering parts and replaced everything above. These are the new parts:

• Poly LCA bushing
• diff mounts (all 3 of them)
• 555 lower ball joints
• Extended sway bar links
• New steering rack (non-OEM)
• outer tie rods

However, even though the right quality got improved (as expected), the clunking and binding of the steering still persist. I took it to the shop for alignment after all those fixes, and they told me I either got a bad steering rack or there is wear in u-joint of the steering shaft. I lost my trust in them. I then took the car to another shop. He told me he put the car on the "shaker" and everything seemed tight. He lubricated some spots, and he said he took the car in the parking lot to do "figure 8s" and it feels fine!

I got the car back, and the steering definitely improved, but I can feel there are still some problems there. Yesterday, after driving the car on a rainy day, the binding came back.

Here are my thoughts and what I would do next:

• Bad CVs, I still have the old CVs and I will rebuild them (CVs were replaced laster September, non-OEM)
• Bad steering shaft u-joint (I didn't ask where the later mechanic lubricates, so this might be a simple fix)
• Take the car back to the mechanic for further troubleshooting

Sorry for the long writing. This is by far the most annoying and frustrating problem I have to deal with my cars and projects. I think I would share it here, and also want to hear your opinions.

 

[Medrybstrange]

Definitely check your lower steering U-Joint, Mine locked up and created a strong binding feeling on the wheel around 9 and 3 oclock, a key tell was it bound similarly both directions when the u-joint started to flex. It's not possible to determine if it's bound up without taking it off either in my opinion, mine was bound almost solid and i could not tell from testing, but as soon as i popped it off, it was dead stiff. If you're comfortable with tools it's easy enough to pop off and check yourself, just takes some patience.
These shops just throwing every part at the truck to fix it is so frustrating, nobody wants to spend the time to actually diagnose properly.

 

[LC Lurker]

I second what @Medrybstrange said, the u-joint on the lower steering shaft is probably shot. Mine was corroded pretty bad (I love road salt).

Before you spend money on it, remove the engine skid plate and spray some silicone lube on it to see if it improves the steering symptom. If so, then you know the culprit and you can have it replaced.