I believe you. The reason for my asking is that AMAZON shows a picture of 13210, that could never fit, so I was concerned. I ordered from another source that had the right picture. Thank you for the info.
Steering Rack Bushing Replacement
- Thread starter camino70
- Start date
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Any recommendations on getting the bolts loose on the other end that hold the rubber ring in place. Tried my impact wrench with a universal but no luck.
Steering rack bushing job complete! Let my impact wrench crank on the bolts for a while until they let loose. On the bushing end, I was at my whits end but did get the two lower bushing halves in. Next were the metal tube centers which I "pulled/pressed" in with the help of a 14MM x 160mm bolt. Then used the came concept to press the top bushings in. On the back one, needed to raise the engine 1/4" so I could get enough clearance for the bushing, washer and nut...still very tight. Was just about to disconnect the steering but fortunately did not have to.
I've probably posted this somewhere else along the thread but I'm back into trying to get my steering tight.
Long story short , I've got a new , reman OEM rack. I replaced outter tie rods and hardware as well. The rack still has so much slop in it and Im constantly correcting the steering .
Am I really about to press out brand new Toyota rubber bushings to install some aftermarket ploy crap ? Could anything else cause the left to right slop In the rack?
Long story short , I've got a new , reman OEM rack. I replaced outter tie rods and hardware as well. The rack still has so much slop in it and Im constantly correcting the steering .
Am I really about to press out brand new Toyota rubber bushings to install some aftermarket ploy crap ? Could anything else cause the left to right slop In the rack?
awesomeissquid
SILVER Star
What is your alignment set to? I think there is an adjustment that can be made to make everything track better, but I havnt done enough research on this to say for sure. Maybe someone else can chime in.
I've brought it to a speciality truck alignment shop and then just keep saying , well your rack is loose so we can't align it properly .they got me driving straight but it wanders with any road imprecations.
I wouldn’t blame those new bushings just yet.
Couple of questions. Did you do the rack yourself or have that shop do it? What do mean by slop? Is it like “play” as in you turn the steering wheel and it doesn’t correspondingly turn the rack? Does the wheel turn on its own causing the vehicle to wander whenever you hit a bump?
With a new Toyota rack, things “should” be pretty well taken care of if everything is installed properly. So I would say if you are feeling significant steering issues then to retrace your/someone else’s steps with the installation of the rack.
Check the bolts holding down the rack. Are they tight? Those bolts are not that hard to put in with the washers on the wrong side… This may have happened to me which caused very strange road behavior, kind of like you are describing. The rack will work but in my scenario, and little rolling bump I would get crazy “bump steer”. I tried to chase this down with multiple alignments. Some of the alignment shops told me the same thing.
If you post a photo of those bolts we can help determine if they are right or not
Washers should be on the bushing side to lock it in
Last edited:
Appreciate the thoughts on this.
Install:
Reman OEM rack installed by Toyota. I have had decent luck with them in the past and if they do make mistakes they tend to fess up.
Symptoms:
Video below. I will take a better video soon. The wheel doesn't really snap back to center like it should either, for example I go around a gentle curve and let off the wheel and it kind of stays where it is. The roads around here are very wavy so I feel like I am steering a boat and constantly making little corrections.
>> I don't really get the sudden bump/slop steer over bumps like you described. Really just more of a wandering steering feel
>> I am also guilty of a bit of a higher than normal rake in the ass end, but this problem has been going on since before the heavy coils were installed. With weight in the rig it has the same symptom.
Inspection:
I have been wondering about possible install mistakes. I have taken it back to Toyota twice now and they claim everything is all torqued down...but thanks for mentioning the possible washer issue.
>> I did just go outside and look and the washer is on the topside where it should be
>> What about bushing orientation, is there a certain way that needs to be pressed in?
Video:
>> I'll have to get someone to give me a hand getting a better video showing the entire rack. I really want to sort this out as it's one of the few complaints I have left about this rig. All other front end components are tight and / or recently replaced.
I would not blame your bushings, yet.
I don’t think so about the bushings, if I remember right.
How many alignments shops have you been to? Has there been any change at all after alignments?
With this same rack, I had a Big O tire center alignment tech show me the alignment sheet and say they couldn’t get it better. Took it to a different big o and they were able to make the adjustment. Apparently with these 100 series sometimes alignments can be tricky?
What is your current alignment readout?
Maybe you post yours, I’ll post mine and we’ll see how they Shake out.
I know right.. I'd hate to blame these fresh toyota bushings and I really can't justify tearing them out for aftermarket.
It drives straight if the road is straight. I'll have to go into my receipt and find the alignment printout and then I'll post. The alignment shop seems reputable and they specialize in heavy equipment. They align me but say it's pointless because the rack is all over the place. I've also brought it back to toyota few times who says everything is fine just fine =]
When in park, wheels on the ground, I can wiggle the steering wheel with no effect on the tires. That the slop of the rack just moving around. Doing 60-70 down the highway this slop is sketchy. It doesn't pull hard, it just has that inch or so of nothing. I'm about to resort to a band-aid fix throw a giant worm clamp or two around it all and cinch this sucker down. But I shouldn't have to be doing that.
Mike - I'm sure that you may have already tried this but thought I'd mention. Found my issues with the car parked in the driveway and with the engine running, having someone turn (rock) the steering wheel back and forth slightly about an inch in either direction while I watched from underneath. Found some slop that way. Then with the wheels jacked up, found a little slop in the pax side wheel bearing. It doesn't take much.
Good luck.
Gotcha , between my gravel / snow covered driveway and lack of jack stands I can't do test number 2. Testing with wheels on ground revealed all the slop seen in previous video.
Are you suggesting my wheel bearing could be a possible suspect. They have past my last few shake down test when the rig is on the lift at Toyota or alignment shop. It all seems to point back to the soft rack bushings .
I just double checked torque and took a quick video.
Is it safe to say this is not normal ? And that its most likely the main culprit to my sloppy steering feel ?
All new hardware , new bushing , new tie rods and dealer installed
photos.app.goo.gl
Is it safe to say this is not normal ? And that its most likely the main culprit to my sloppy steering feel ?
All new hardware , new bushing , new tie rods and dealer installed
New video by Mike
photos.app.goo.gl
Soft rack bushings can be seen when rocking the steering wheel with wheels on the ground. If the rack actually moves...not a great deal but just a little, it will cause the steering to wander. I ended up with replacing the rack bushings and most other things in the front end...control arms, etc.
Yep. I just posted another video. It's pretty clear to me the bushings are the culprit here but I can't justify destroying new Toyota bushings for some aftermarket BS...
There is always some play but that looks suspicious. Be interesting to see what is going on at the other end where the band bushing goes around the rack. Might be some movement going on there too.I just double checked torque and took a quick video.
Is it safe to say this is not normal ? And that its most likely the main culprit to my sloppy steering feel ?
All new hardware , new bushing , new tie rods and dealer installed
New video by Mike
You mean this D style bushing? The rack is just sliding right around in these suckers .
Makes one wonder what the dealer did when they "replaced" the bushings. That "D" bushing squeezes tight around the rack tube.
Yeah it appears to be installed as it should be, not sure how they could have screwed it up. My inspection isn't turning up any obvious faults either. Maybe this is considered normal
2001LC
SILVER Star
I've installed rubber mounting bushing. They are the same ones the re-builders use. In-fact I get them from re-builders of Rack & Pinions. Bottom line they are softer than OEM. Ploy are too hard IMHO. Factory OEM are just right.
Watching the above video, rack moment seem okay for a reman, as it is normal to have side to side movement. But always a difficult call in what is to soft. OEM new has a little less. But here what tires and what surface of ground are you on. Which effect how much force to turn wheel to tire contact.
Wondering:
I can say. If rake (front lower than rear), that is good to reduce wondering on HWY. But if T-bar tension to lite, it could be and a small part of issue.
Ball joint going bad or bad, yields wondering.
TRE inner or outer going bad or bad, yields wondering.
Wheel bearing loose, yields wondering.
To little caste and we wonder. 100% Stock rig, I like 2.75 caster. Over 3 it spooky going in to turns, as it comes off center. under 2.5 it wonders to much.
Tire pressure to low.
So bottom line for wondering: Look at the systems as a whole. All needs to be at factory speck, to yield factory ride.
Steering wheel lag returning to center:
I had one so bad steering wheel hung turned for 1/2 miles or so after turn. And from about 45 degrees off center. It was funny how bad. New rack bushing corrected. In it I use poly as I recall.
Can be from excess rake/caster I suppose. In that it fights to get off and on back on center.
Ball joints, are another here to look at. Lower & upper.
It could be a case of a bad rack. Re-builders wipe these out!
Again the system needs to be looked at as a whole. Where any one or more parts effects all. This includes tires and wheel spacer.
BTW I don't use Rubber bushing as much these days, as aftermarket from re-builders just a little soft. I lean more toward ploy. But they are a little hard, on the hands feel on steering wheel and all components as they transfer shock. TRE & lower ball joint go out faster, as do racks.
Very best is new OEM rack. Cost of non VRGS (LX 03-07) is ~$250 over reman. New OEM is the way to go. Not only best quality. But we get new OEM inner TRE, boots, seal and OEM mounting bushing. That's a $300 or $400 value alone over junk parts used in reman. I've looked at Toyota ****-84 remans, not impressed, other than very nicely boxed up.
I hope something I said helps.
Good luck.
Watching the above video, rack moment seem okay for a reman, as it is normal to have side to side movement. But always a difficult call in what is to soft. OEM new has a little less. But here what tires and what surface of ground are you on. Which effect how much force to turn wheel to tire contact.
Wondering:
I can say. If rake (front lower than rear), that is good to reduce wondering on HWY. But if T-bar tension to lite, it could be and a small part of issue.
Ball joint going bad or bad, yields wondering.
TRE inner or outer going bad or bad, yields wondering.
Wheel bearing loose, yields wondering.
To little caste and we wonder. 100% Stock rig, I like 2.75 caster. Over 3 it spooky going in to turns, as it comes off center. under 2.5 it wonders to much.
Tire pressure to low.
So bottom line for wondering: Look at the systems as a whole. All needs to be at factory speck, to yield factory ride.
Steering wheel lag returning to center:
I had one so bad steering wheel hung turned for 1/2 miles or so after turn. And from about 45 degrees off center. It was funny how bad. New rack bushing corrected. In it I use poly as I recall.
Can be from excess rake/caster I suppose. In that it fights to get off and on back on center.
Ball joints, are another here to look at. Lower & upper.
It could be a case of a bad rack. Re-builders wipe these out!
Again the system needs to be looked at as a whole. Where any one or more parts effects all. This includes tires and wheel spacer.
BTW I don't use Rubber bushing as much these days, as aftermarket from re-builders just a little soft. I lean more toward ploy. But they are a little hard, on the hands feel on steering wheel and all components as they transfer shock. TRE & lower ball joint go out faster, as do racks.
Very best is new OEM rack. Cost of non VRGS (LX 03-07) is ~$250 over reman. New OEM is the way to go. Not only best quality. But we get new OEM inner TRE, boots, seal and OEM mounting bushing. That's a $300 or $400 value alone over junk parts used in reman. I've looked at Toyota ****-84 remans, not impressed, other than very nicely boxed up.
I hope something I said helps.
Good luck.
