Steering box?? (1 Viewer)

[cclemow]

So my 1997 with 235K miles continues to have loose steering, and I'm a bit tired of not having the thing track like I'd like. Its in OEM spec still. Been through alignment, birf rebuild, bearings, and tie rod ends. I've carefully tightened the steering box adjustment about a half turn. At first over 15K miles ago that helped but now I'm back to too much steering wheel play and too much steering wheel adjustment on straight driving as well as slow steering response. Meanwhile I've developed what sounds like some slight popping in my front end. Best I can tell, I've got to rebuild or replace my steering box.
What are you guys doing to address this that gets this truly right again and doesn't break the bank? I had to laugh when I saw that a new Toyota unit will run you near $2000.

 

[cvenom96]

I believe rockauto has rebuilt ones for ~$300+/-. Depending on how fast you need the cruiser back on the road, you could do that, keep your steering box instead of returning it for the core, and rebuild it on your own time. Keep it as a spare or swap whenever the reman one fails. That's my plan actually.

 

[Delancy]

I had to laugh when I saw that a new Toyota unit will run you near $2000.

$.00851 per mile. Doesn’t sound too bad a deal to me, but rebuilding isn’t a huge affair.

Find a core (if can’t do without) send with new sector shaft and few hundred to West Texas Off-road, and it’ll be as good as new for another 235k.

 

[cclemow]

$.00851 per mile. Doesn’t sound too bad a deal to me, but rebuilding isn’t a huge affair.

Find a core (if can’t do without) send with new sector shaft and few hundred to West Texas Off-road, and it’ll be as good as new for another 235k.

Fair point. Think I’ve got a line on another core out of a LX450. Probably have it rebuilt and switch em out.

 

[jaymar]

$.00851 per mile. Doesn’t sound too bad a deal to me, but rebuilding isn’t a huge affair.

Find a core (if can’t do without) send with new sector shaft and few hundred to West Texas Off-road, and it’ll be as good as new for another 235k.

I've seen beno send his off for rebuild, so it can't be that easy either. If the shaft is damaged (maybe even if not), make sure you/rebuilder replace with 105 shaft as opposed to 80. This will require different pitman arm--unless you already have the 105 shaft. Toyota started using them in new aftermarket 80 steering boxes sometime between 97 and 2010.

 

[Delancy]

I've seen beno send his off for rebuild, so it can't be that easy either.

Bet beno sent to West Texas Off-road.....

 

[lumbee1]

Dead space in the steering wheel is 40mm for OEM spec. Set a ruler or straight edge on the dash pointing to center of steering wheel. Mark the steering wheel with painter's tape. With the wheels pointed straight, turn the wheel side to side until you feel resistance. You can also have someone verify the wheels do not move with the steering wheels sweep.

Next I would check your radius arm bushings. For each arm, there are two on the axle and one on the frame mount. If the bushings are shot, then the axle will wiggle underneath during braking, road imperfections, and turning. When mine failed, I had unbelievably bad steering and almost lost control of the vehicle several times.

I rebuilt my steering box three times, two of the rebuilds were mistakes I made during assembly. On my third time, I was familiar with the process and able to remove the box, disassemble, rebuild, and reinstall in less than 2 hours. It's not hard at all and you can pick up the rebuild kit for cheap from Cruiser Outfitters. It might be $30 for the kit. You'll also need fluid and a flare wrench set. If the pump is leaking, you can either rebuild it or just replace with a reman for $130 to $150.

 

[LINUS]

So my 1997 with 235K miles continues to have loose steering, and I'm a bit tired of not having the thing track like I'd like. Its in OEM spec still. Been through alignment, birf rebuild, bearings, and tie rod ends. I've carefully tightened the steering box adjustment about a half turn. At first over 15K miles ago that helped but now I'm back to too much steering wheel play and too much steering wheel adjustment on straight driving as well as slow steering response. Meanwhile I've developed what sounds like some slight popping in my front end. Best I can tell, I've got to rebuild or replace my steering box.
What are you guys doing to address this that gets this truly right again and doesn't break the bank? I had to laugh when I saw that a new Toyota unit will run you near $2000.

Sorry to quote your whole post, but I’m 2 burbon/tonic w/ lemon in while BBQ’ing.

What say you rewind us to all and any suspension mods, or ‘that damn leaking puddle’ where you park?

Are you 100% it’s the box?
That the frame is still 100% minty solid?
(bought my 450 with that front tube that is the crossmember cracked the full weld to the LHS framerail) - I re-repaired a cold weld someone else did.

The HP side hose has no leaks?

The PS pump is 100% - not even leaking between the PS fluid & the crankcase oil? (did this one too, **loved** getting to the point I understood what was happening....)

 

[OGBeno]

I've seen beno send his off for rebuild, so it can't be that easy either. If the shaft is damaged (maybe even if not), make sure you/rebuilder replace with 105 shaft as opposed to 80. This will require different pitman arm--unless you already have the 105 shaft. Toyota started using them in new aftermarket 80 steering boxes sometime between 97 and 2010.

my time is more valuable then rebuilding s*** that people do day in, day out.

that said, looking back now, I’d make it even easier and just buy a new box.

My time is even more valuable now.

 

[jaymar]

my time is more valuable then rebuilding s*** that people do day in, day out.

that said, looking back now, I’d make it even easier and just buy a new box.

My time is even more valuable now.

You can still buy those puppies new?

 

[Tedward]

$1388 plus shipping.
Ordered one "beautiful piece of Aichi steel" days ago.

 

[jaymar]

$1388 plus shipping.
Ordered one "beautiful piece of Aichi steel" days ago.

And a rebuild is what? This is starting to sound halfway reasonable.

 

[cruisermatt]

Is there a part number for a new box with a 105 shaft already installed? I guess a 105 box?

 

[OGBeno]

Is there a part number for a new box with a 105 shaft already installed? I guess a 105 box?

Negative. You need to get the superseded part number for an 80 series and the corresponding pitman arm... possibly depending on application.

 

[nukegoat]

Negative. You need to get the superseded part number for an 80 series and the corresponding pitman arm... possibly depending on application.

There isn't a 105 box?

 

[OGBeno]

There isn't a 105 box?

As I stated, it’s a superseded 80 series part assy with applicable substitution of pitman arm, part number-wise.

Whether the part number is applicable to the 105 is irrelevant; the number started out as an 80 series LHD gear box and the updated part is reverse interchangeable for all previous truck iterations.

 

[nukegoat]

As I stated, it’s a superseded 80 series part assy with applicable substitution of pitman arm, part number-wise.

Whether the part number is applicable to the 105 is irrelevant; the number started out as an 80 series LHD gear box and the updated part is reverse interchangeable for all previous truck iterations.

I don't follow. If I owned a LHD 105, I wouldn't have a beefier sector shaft and pitman arm from the factory? The entire steering gear had the same pn as the 80?

 

[OGBeno]

I'll try to clarify better:

44110-60211 is the original part number for a LHD US market 80 series power steering gear box.

45411-60190 is the original part number for a LHD US market 80 series pitman arm (discontinued).

The superseded part number for the US LHD 80 series power steering gear box is 44110-60212.

When you buy this part, the old pitman arm will not fit a new gear box since the diameter of the sector shaft is greater where the pitman arm attaches, so you will need to get a different pitman arm too, which is an updated part number.

This change occurred in 5/2005 within the steering system of the 105 series. @cruiserdan --whom AFAIK-- made this correlation, just happened to be called the 105 steering upgrade because the logical part supersession occurred in the 105 platform. The part number, though is a supersession of the 80 series gear box.

You can see here the sector shaft supersedes:

And the requisite changes to the gear box part number and the pitman arm. You can also see here that the power steering gear box assy is still the 80 series part number, thus it did not change at all from the 80 series platform to the 105 series platform till well within 105 series manufacture (in fact, almost at the end of 105 series manufacture).

This confirms that the 105 series gear box is an updated/superseded 80 series part number.

The upgrade to the sector shaft (hence then the gear box and the pitman arm) was in response to complaints by 80 and 105 users mainly in Australia that they were bending/shearing sector shafts and twisting splines of sector shafts under hard use. Toyota engineers visited with Australian users and created empirical data points to be able to sell the change to the bean counters whom are always the last "yeah" or "ney" at TMC. Bean counter buy-in based on genchi genbutsu is how everything works at Toyota....

 

[jaymar]

I'll try to clarify better:

44110-60211 is the original part number for a LHD US market 80 series power steering gear box.
View attachment 2111970

45411-60190 is the original part number for a LHD US market 80 series pitman arm (discontinued).

View attachment 2111971

The superseded part number for the US LHD 80 series power steering gear box is 44110-60212.

View attachment 2111972

When you buy this part, the old pitman arm will not fit a new gear box since the diameter of the sector shaft is greater where the pitman arm attaches, so you will need to get a different pitman arm too, which is an updated part number.

This change occurred in 5/2005 within the steering system of the 105 series. It's just happened to be called the 105 steering upgrade because the logical part supersession occurred in the 105 platform. The part number, though is a supersession of the 80 series gear box.

You can see here the sector shaft supersedes:

View attachment 2111977

And the requisite changes to the gear box part number and the pitman arm. You can also see here that the power steering gear box assy is still the 80 series part number, thus it did not change at all from the 80 series platform to the 105 series platform till well within 105 series manufacture (in fact, almost at the end of 105 series manufacture). This confirms that the 105 series gear box is an updated/superseded 80 series part number.

View attachment 2111978

Sorry, but could you be a liiitle more specific?

I love this kind of excruciating detail. Seriously.

 

[cruisermatt]

Thank you, that makes that much more clear.