Steering Rack leak - Rubber bushes changed to aluminum

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I was finally able to get an alignment and hit the road by 1:30pm today. However, the horn and cruise control does not work. The air bag light is also on (I'm assuming it is not operational either). The steering column makes a funny noise like something is loose and the mechanic said they didn't touch anything inside of the vehicle, just the steering rack and surrounding parts under the engine bay.

WTF??? Anyone know what could be wrong now?
 
I guess they spun the steering wheel a few times while not connected to the rack. This wound the "clock spring" wires in the steering wheel until it broke, now you have no wires connecting your airbag, horn or cruise control. they will have to pull the steering wheel to replace.
 
ouch!
 
Man, that sure sucks. Feel for you, I think I'm gonna be replacing the rack in the next couple months.
 
I guess they spun the steering wheel a few times while not connected to the rack. This wound the "clock spring" wires in the steering wheel until it broke, now you have no wires connecting your airbag, horn or cruise control. they will have to pull the steering wheel to replace.
Click to expand...

That was my first assumption! Thanks for confirming this. I am going to have to get Toyota to write this in a report and then get the other shop to pay for the damage.


Oh joy!:bounce2:
 
None of this is making me feel real good right now. Just had mine in at my indie shop for 120,000 mile service and he confirmed what I feared; my rack has a slight leak, lower control bushings are also going, stabilizer bushings cracked. Remanned racks seem to run from $350-$425 but the install has me worried. I asked "my guy" if he had done any yet and he said "Yes, and it was a bitch". He estimated 5 hours labor for all the above - $425, about the same as the rack. Ugh.

On the bright side, he said it was not yet a critical fix. These things tend to die a slow death and until I hear creaking or groaning on turns, or an obvious jerkiness when I turn, I can squeeze more miles out of the worn bits. Catastrophic failures of the rack are virtually unheard of so I may wait a few months and see how it goes.

So, on the plus side: if I replace the front diff at the same time as the rack and stabilizer bushings, he knocks off 1 1/2 hours of labor for the combo. Maybe that's why this is happening. Time for a locking front diff.

I'll see how that logic flies with the :princess:.
 
Hicaira said:
None of this is making me feel real good right now. Just had mine in at my indie shop for 120,000 mile service and he confirmed what I feared; my rack has a slight leak, lower control bushings are also going, stabilizer bushings cracked. Remanned racks seem to run from $350-$425 but the install has me worried. I asked "my guy" if he had done any yet and he said "Yes, and it was a bitch". He estimated 5 hours labor for all the above - $425, about the same as the rack. Ugh.

On the bright side, he said it was not yet a critical fix. These things tend to die a slow death and until I hear creaking or groaning on turns, or an obvious jerkiness when I turn, I can squeeze more miles out of the worn bits. Catastrophic failures of the rack are virtually unheard of so I may wait a few months and see how it goes.

So, on the plus side: if I replace the front diff at the same time as the rack and stabilizer bushings, he knocks off 1 1/2 hours of labor for the combo. Maybe that's why this is happening. Time for a locking front diff.

I'll see how that logic flies with the :princess:.
Click to expand...

Don't worry! That bad story is an isolated case and refelcts an incompetent mechanic. It's not a reflection of the vehicle. Hell, I have a hard time changing a battery! :D

These racks get replaced al the time and almost always without issue. No worries.
 
I agree, this was a screw up by the mechanic who incorrectly quoted the task at hand. In hind-site, I should have just payed the higher Toyota labor to get this done right. Unfortunately I had a long trip ahead and only 2 days to get it done, meanwhile Toyota was already booked.


Meanwhile, I have to replace the spiral cable in the steering column. Has anyone ever replaced said cable? This connects the airbag, cruise control, and horn and was found broken after the steering rack install.
 
FWIW: Christo recently told me replacing a Hundy rack was a RPITA and the worst Hundy related job. His mechanic, Joe, apparently isn't looking forward to installing removing/installing any more of them anytime soon.
 
After consulting the service manual, the spiral cable looks pretty easy to R&R, except it calls for a SST to remove the steering wheel. Has anyone performed this before? Is the tool required or can I improvise?

Thanks for any help!:)
 
UPDATE:

I just had Toyota fix the Spiral Cable and everything is ok now. After several attempts I did get the other shop that botched this whole thing to reimburse a large portion of it. Certainly not worth the headache:bang:
 
To revive this old thread: C-dog has moved on to Jeeps so I assume he's not around any longer.

But my DS steering rack bushings are shot. It would be good to know if the Tundra poly bushings will fit to minimize down time. Anyone have any thoughts about more durable rack mount bushings?
 
Shouldn't that read "C-dog has moved down to Jeeps"
 
SuperPro Bushings

Here is the list of part# for all the bushings they have for the 100.

Tein is the Authorized distributor for SuperPro. Find nearest dealer here.
superpro.webp
 
Thanks hoser!!! I knew you'd come through for me!
 
So, 1 SPF2470K kit should do it?

Has anybody tried this kit and what were the results?

Thanks,

Adam R
 
I have heard of good results on another forum and want to get a set for myself. Supposedly the '03+ rack bushings are easier to replace than the earlier years.

For return to center, you can also try checking and/or increasing more caster.
 
Folks,

I just replaced my torn Steering Rack mounting bushings with SuperPro bushings. Here's my thread:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/420872-2003-lx-steering-rack-same-lc.html#post5999490

An FYI. The part no needed for 2003 + LX and LC is SPF2987K and for 1998 to 2002 is SPF2470K. The SuperPro site lists it incorrectly for the 2003+ LX and I did some research before ordering the SPF2987K for my 2003 LX.

They fit perfectly and work great! I'm hoping they will take a lot more abuse than the OEM rubber bushings and am really happy I did not need to replace my whole rack just for the bushings. The rest of my rack is just fine.

Cheers
 
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