SQOD Squad - Stupid Question Of the Day (5 Viewers)

[cruiseroutfit]

Hey everyone, I need to replace my high pressure steering line part # 44410-60710. Has anyone replaced this before? If so, any tips or tricks to get the union nut (don't know if that's what it is called) that goes into the steering rack assembly out and back in? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

I recently replaced in my 200. I was getting weeping from one of the crimped fittings at around 200k miles. We did it at the same time as the rack and we had the front diff and CV's out. I replaced the mounting hardware and clamps to be on the safe side.

 

[bloc]

I seem to have vomited a quart of oil last night... No it's not a drinking problem.

Steering rack was replaced 2 weeks ago. My gut says the mechanic didn't tighten something, but I'm not sure what it would be.

My SQOD - aside from a double-O ring on the oil filter (oil was changed ~1500 miles ago back in ~Sept I think) any idea where this came from? Ignore the location on the floor as that's just an artifact of the skid having a slight angle and the puddle of oil running back - the issue is somewhere up front (see second photo) as I can see oil dripping off the hose behind the oil filter, oil was dripping down the filter door on the skid, etc.

I've had a timing cover leak for a while but it's just been a slight seep.. nothing on the floor or skid up until now, so unless the FIPG completely gave out that seems unlikely. I do see oil on the large bolts on the oil cooler housing but I couldn't see exactly what's above/around it.

I had the truck flatbed towed to the dealer because it seemed to be more than a drip and driving 30 minutes is probably unwise. Didn't have time to drop the skid and investigate further as I had meetings this morning. Oil was just barely at the bottom tip of the dipstick.. no oil pressure or low oil level warnings, thankfully. Glad I caught this before making a 3 hour trip this weekend...

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Thing is I’m not sure what they’d undo for the steering rack. The only place oil flow exits the engine is to and back from the oil filter/cooler stand. I suppose it’s possible they had to loosen parts of this to get better access to steering rack fasteners or lines..

But yeah it’s too coincidental to not be related.

 

[MTNLIVIN]

I recently replaced in my 200. I was getting weeping from one of the crimped fittings at around 200k miles. We did it at the same time as the rack and we had the front diff and CV's out. I replaced the mounting hardware and clamps to be on the safe side.

I'm just over 200k on my 2015 myself. The rack is in good shape and not showing any signs of issues. but the high pressure line has been leaking for a bit now (not enough for me to add steering fluid). I wanted to take care of it while I am finishing up a few other things on the LC.

 

[TLC2013]

Hey everyone, I need to replace my high pressure steering line part # 44410-60710. Has anyone replaced this before? If so, any tips or tricks to get the union nut (don't know if that's what it is called) that goes into the steering rack assembly out and back in? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

After attempting to tackle the drivers side with the 200 on stands I called it quits. Not impossible but without a lift it was a total nighmare trying to access and remove the two fittings that connect to the rack on the drivers side. I can only imagine it would be 10x harder to get them back in and torqued on ones driveway.
Dealer charged around 2 hours of labor. I supplied the parts and it was completed same day. Money well spent in my book.
Working on the Passenger side is a breeze and disconnecting the hose connections from the middle of the rack is a cake walk. Just that driver side is a PIA with little to no room to work.

 

[linuxgod]

Thing is I’m not sure what they’d undo for the steering rack. The only place oil flow exits the engine is to and back from the oil filter/cooler stand. I suppose it’s possible they had to loosen parts of this to get better access to steering rack fasteners or lines..

But yeah it’s too coincidental to not be related.

Dealer called back and said the oil filter housing seal is bad. Quoted repair price seems ridiculous ($750) though I think that includes the $150 tow. I assume for the price quoted it's the entire filter assembly and oil cooler, not just the o-rings and gaskets. Service writer swears the steering rack replacement doesn't involve this space and the problem is unrelated. Horrible coincidence or shop **** up? You make the call!

Ultimately I'm stuck with them fixing it because the alternative is for me to have it towed back here (another $150), then take tomorrow off work to repair it myself. It can't wait until the weekend because I need to take my daughter for a college visit Friday morning, so otherwise I'd have to rent a car for that as well. I'll argue with the service manager when I pick it up tomorrow though once its repaired I'm not expecting much leverage.

 

[Sandroad]

Dealer called back and said the oil filter housing seal is bad. Quoted repair price seems ridiculous ($750) though I think that includes the $150 tow. I assume for the price quoted it's the entire filter assembly and oil cooler, not just the o-rings and gaskets. Service writer swears the steering rack replacement doesn't involve this space and the problem is unrelated. Horrible coincidence or shop **** up? You make the call!

Ultimately I'm stuck with them fixing it because the alternative is for me to have it towed back here (another $150), then take tomorrow off work to repair it myself. It can't wait until the weekend because I need to take my daughter for a college visit Friday morning, so otherwise I'd have to rent a car for that as well. I'll argue with the service manager when I pick it up tomorrow though once its repaired I'm not expecting much leverage.

Post back with what parts were replaced. Odd failure in any case. If they just replaced the gasket, they probably used one of those gold plated platinum ones made by a jeweler.

 

[linuxgod]

Post back with what parts were replaced. Odd failure in any case. If they just replaced the gasket, they probably used one of those gold plated platinum ones made by a jeweler.

Yeah. I'm checking out ground on the far side of a barrel, for sure.

Flat Rate Manual says R&R for the oil cooler assembly is 1.4 hours, skill level C. So for the moment I'm going to assume they're swapping the entire thing, rather than rebuilding it. But yeah, I'll update on how it goes...

 

[bloc]

Dealer called back and said the oil filter housing seal is bad. Quoted repair price seems ridiculous ($750) though I think that includes the $150 tow. I assume for the price quoted it's the entire filter assembly and oil cooler, not just the o-rings and gaskets. Service writer swears the steering rack replacement doesn't involve this space and the problem is unrelated. Horrible coincidence or shop **** up? You make the call!

Ultimately I'm stuck with them fixing it because the alternative is for me to have it towed back here (another $150), then take tomorrow off work to repair it myself. It can't wait until the weekend because I need to take my daughter for a college visit Friday morning, so otherwise I'd have to rent a car for that as well. I'll argue with the service manager when I pick it up tomorrow though once its repaired I'm not expecting much leverage.

My concern given the amount of corrosion on your truck is that the filter/cooler stand has started to fail, causing the seal to give out. They’ll know when they get in there.

I also call BS on not needing to do anything in that area. The relevant parts are like 8” apart.

 

[linuxgod]

My concern given the amount of corrosion on your truck is that the filter/cooler stand has started to fail, causing the seal to give out. They’ll know when they get in there.

I also call BS on not needing to do anything in that area. The relevant parts are like 8” apart.

I don't think there's much corrosion, certainly not as much as you'd think from the photos. Mainly anything on the frame, oil cooler, etc is red Moab mud (that stuff never washes off), fluid film, a layer of normal dirt on the fluid film, and now a tremendous coating of motor oil. Pretty sure that stuff will all wipe right off.

I agree w/ calling BS. I'm going to bring a printout of the FSM instructions when I show up to pick up the truck and see if the service manager will relent. The FSM says in step 9 to remove the oil cooler bracket (though not the cooler itself). Most likely I'm eating this for now and will raise a complaint with Toyota corporate but at 150k miles likely they're not going to do anything.

 

[linuxgod]

Yeah. I'm checking out ground on the far side of a barrel, for sure.

Flat Rate Manual says R&R for the oil cooler assembly is 1.4 hours, skill level C. So for the moment I'm going to assume they're swapping the entire thing, rather than rebuilding it. But yeah, I'll update on how it goes...

Found this, seems to be a common issue on the Tundra. I've not noticed any leaks up until now. This guy said it was $360 to R&R a few years ago.

oil leak from oil cooler. Anyone else ??

Are any of you guys have this oil leak? I just changed my oil over the weekend 2016 with 22k miles.. mine is leaking at the bolt.nut at 12 oclock of...

www.tundras.com

$750 still feels spiteful but I suppose we'll see when I can take a close look at the bill tomorrow...

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

Hey everyone, I need to replace my high pressure steering line part # 44410-60710. Has anyone replaced this before? If so, any tips or tricks to get the union nut (don't know if that's what it is called) that goes into the steering rack assembly out and back in? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Someone else might have more specific advice, but be ready with a good set of 3/8 crows foot wrenches and a quality u-joint, couple extensions etc. Don't know that I'd have managed the same job on my 100 without them. I'd assume you're not going to have significantly easier access on the 200 lol

 

[finboy]

What is the most rare colour combo for exterior and interior for the lx570?

 

[MTNLIVIN]

Someone else might have more specific advice, but be ready with a good set of 3/8 crows foot wrenches and a quality u-joint, couple extensions etc. Don't know that I'd have managed the same job on my 100 without them. I'd assume you're not going to have significantly easier access on the 200 lol

That was going to be my next step, try it with extensions and crows foot. This might take some time but we get it figured out! I might have to put this off until late March or April. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[linuxgod]

Found this, seems to be a common issue on the Tundra. I've not noticed any leaks up until now. This guy said it was $360 to R&R a few years ago.

oil leak from oil cooler. Anyone else ??

Are any of you guys have this oil leak? I just changed my oil over the weekend 2016 with 22k miles.. mine is leaking at the bolt.nut at 12 oclock of...

www.tundras.com

$750 still feels spiteful but I suppose we'll see when I can take a close look at the bill tomorrow...

I spoke to my normal service writer, not the guy who was filling in for him yesterday. When I asked for an explanation he initially said, it’s a lot of labor but to give him a few minutes to check. He called me back and said they don’t remove the oil filter housing when they do the sway bar, even though the book says to, but he agreed it wasn’t leaking 2 weeks ago and said he spoke to the service manager and they’d be willing to cover the repair if I covered the towing and tax. So ultimately it ended up being about 30% of the original price.

Based on the invoice it’s less than $50 in parts gaskets and o rings and the FSM says 1.4 hours to R&R, so in other circumstances it would just be a good price on the work, but given I wasn’t exactly driving it out of there it feels like a reasonable price for the repair if I’d had to pay for it. Interpret that however you’d like.

 

[Polecat]

I spoke to my normal service writer, not the guy who was filling in for him yesterday. When I asked for an explanation he initially said, it’s a lot of labor but to give him a few minutes to check. He called me back and said they don’t remove the oil filter housing when they do the sway bar, even though the book says to, but he agreed it wasn’t leaking 2 weeks ago and said he spoke to the service manager and they’d be willing to cover the repair if I covered the towing and tax. So ultimately it ended up being about 30% of the original price.

Based on the invoice it’s less than $50 in parts gaskets and o rings and the FSM says 1.4 hours to R&R, so in other circumstances it would just be a good price on the work, but given I wasn’t exactly driving it out of there it feels like a reasonable price for the repair if I’d had to pay for it. Interpret that however you’d like.

Seems fair and more than I’d expect from most other service depts. Glad to hear they took care of you.

 

[KLF]

I spoke to my normal service writer, not the guy who was filling in for him yesterday. When I asked for an explanation he initially said, it’s a lot of labor but to give him a few minutes to check. He called me back and said they don’t remove the oil filter housing when they do the sway bar, even though the book says to, but he agreed it wasn’t leaking 2 weeks ago and said he spoke to the service manager and they’d be willing to cover the repair if I covered the towing and tax. So ultimately it ended up being about 30% of the original price.

Based on the invoice it’s less than $50 in parts gaskets and o rings and the FSM says 1.4 hours to R&R, so in other circumstances it would just be a good price on the work, but given I wasn’t exactly driving it out of there it feels like a reasonable price for the repair if I’d had to pay for it. Interpret that however you’d like.

I'm impressed they ate that much off the bill, but I guess it pays to be a frequent flyer. My truck has only been in one dealership in 7 years of ownership, and that was for the seatbelt recall. I'm sure they wouldn't have done the same for me.

 

[linuxgod]

I'm impressed they ate that much off the bill, but I guess it pays to be a frequent flyer. My truck has only been in one dealership in 7 years of ownership, and that was for the seatbelt recall. I'm sure they wouldn't have done the same for me.

Being semi-regular probably helps. I’ve probably dropped $10-12k in maintenance and repairs over 100k miles. Also the usual guy there knows me and that I probably know far too much about the vehicle and I suspect when he looked up the book time and repair procedure he realized what was going on and the explanation (charge for the tow) gave him cover to make it right. (Or righter). I’ve heard the service writers get a commission on repairs and I suspect the other guy was trying to fleece me. I think they ultimately charged me what it would’ve cost to repair it if I’d driven there and not had it towed, maybe a little less. Which I’m fine with giving it’s a couple hundred bucks. I mean, it wouldve been stellar for them to cover it all, but given it could just be a coincidence it feels fair.

 

[bloc]

It says a lot about modern dealer customer service that everyone agrees having spent 10-12k most likely facilitated getting a fair price on this repair.

 

[linuxgod]

It says a lot about modern dealer customer service that everyone agrees having spent 10-12k most likely facilitated getting a fair price on this repair.

Agreed. You’d think in a big city like Chicago there would be a bunch of great mechanics (along with lots of mediocre ones and a few scumbags of course). But I’ve had so many mediocre experiences over the years with vehicles, and a couple of outright liars, despite all the stellar reviews shops seem to have, that I’ve not found one yet which is honest, excellent at troubleshooting, and always willing and able to work on a repair… Nevermind “reasonably priced”.

I hate going to the dealer for work as their general labor rate is high ($160/hr) and they’re a half hour from my house, but they’ve always been good at finding the actual problem and not overselling it (until now at least). I have a friend who runs a repair shop in town but he’s always backed up and really doesn’t like to tie up his couple of bays with big jobs. Chi-Town was my go-to but they’ve stopped doing “dealer work” and just focus on bolt-on mods like lifts and bumpers.

So yeah spending a bunch of $ over the years is likely why, which is sad because when your labor rate is $160/hour why does a dealer feel the need to charge 3-4x the number of actual hours on a repair?

 

[bloc]

Agreed. You’d think in a big city like Chicago there would be a bunch of great mechanics (along with lots of mediocre ones and a few scumbags of course). But I’ve had so many mediocre experiences over the years with vehicles, and a couple of outright liars, despite all the stellar reviews shops seem to have, that I’ve not found one yet which is honest, excellent at troubleshooting, and always willing and able to work on a repair… Nevermind “reasonably priced”.

I hate going to the dealer for work as their general labor rate is high ($160/hr) and they’re a half hour from my house, but they’ve always been good at finding the actual problem and not overselling it (until now at least). I have a friend who runs a repair shop in town but he’s always backed up and really doesn’t like to tie up his couple of bays with big jobs. Chi-Town was my go-to but they’ve stopped doing “dealer work” and just focus on bolt-on mods like lifts and bumpers.

So yeah spending a bunch of $ over the years is likely why, which is sad because when your labor rate is $160/hour why does a dealer feel the need to charge 3-4x the number of actual hours on a repair?

It’s a complicated thing.. cars being far more complex, requiring an inherent level of skill that can be used to make more money doing something else less grimy, consumers wanting (or needing) to pay less for repairs, making it hard for the truly good shops with a moral compass to compete.. all in the context of some likely planned obsolescence in pretty much all modern vehicles.

Between these factors, many others, and a populace that has shifted to view their cars not as something they can maintain themselves but as magical mystery machines, the dealers have carte blanche to get away with stuff like telling my friend he needed to pay $4k to fix a minor oil leak on his Tacoma. And he was gonna do it! Until he asked me for a second opinion.

I often tell people when they find a truly good independent mechanic, do everything they can to send that person business. But then I think these guys can make more money posting on YouTube than actually working in cars and… then I go to the garage and look at my toolbox with something resembling love…


I barely got any sleep at work last night.