Steering rack or column play or clunk?

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arich

arich

Anthony. aka arich
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Question to fellow 200 owners? do you find you have any play in your steering column? Try this. Can you shut your truck off, turn on the aux. power to unlock the column and shake your wheel back and forth?
I had my wife do this and I'm getting play either in the lower u joint just above the steering rack or at the slip joint just above that. Every other joint is perfect.
I get the sensation that something is loose at speeds below 30 mph especially over uneven paved roads and dirt roads.
I think since installing all the new parts and getting a good alignment this "problem" (probably just a typical wear item) is showing its evil head. I'm hyper sensitive to rattles, vibrations etc. My wife continues to think I am out of my mind. Oh, if she only know what I just spent on the BP51s and the front end rebuild.
Is this typical of a 70,000 truck?
I think the culprit is the no.2 intermediate steering shaft below.

It might also be some play in the steering rack. I have to get someone else to help me feel the rack while moving the steering wheel.
Inner tie rods??

Thanks for you time guys.
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Yes, the doctors are all wrong. I'm not insane.
 
I have not felt this slack on this rig.
I do know what you're talking about as that was a replaced part on my Tahoe.
 
My 09 does this, but it seems to be more in the upper column... there is no play in the steering wheel, but a clunking noise can be heard and felt.
 
Thanks Brian. I was using the end on a long screw driver to Try and find the noise while my wife shook the wheel. Sounds like there just a little play in the rack or inner tie rods. The steering rack has two u-joints and a slip yolk in it, non of which are serviceable.
The feeling is very similar to a bad swaybar end link or tie rod and it's been here since day one.
I've complained to Toyota a half dozen times.
Probably just another annoying characteristic of the truck.
 
Doesn't the 200 have active steering? Maybe it's a problem in that system. More slack at speed....less slack going slow and more responsive...that's how it's supposed to work from what I have read and I've noticed this
 
Does the US LC have active steering??
 
Ok, school me on "active steering" I don't know about it.
 
Well above 30 mph my LC is perfect, below there's a little play. Perhaps this is what everyone feels.
 
Here's what it's really called -

Variable GearRatio Steering (VGRS)When driving at speed in a straight line, you don’t want the vehicle to change direction with every slight movement of the steering wheel. In town, however, when negotiating tight turns and when parking, you want the steering to be responsive. VGRS is designed to keep Land Cruiser’s steering relaxed at speed, and progressively more responsive as your speed drops.

There should not be a lot of play if any in the steering at 30mph.
 
9780LC said:
Doesn't the 200 have active steering? Maybe it's a problem in that system. More slack at speed....less slack going slow and more responsive...that's how it's supposed to work from what I have read and I've noticed this
Click to expand...

Usually when people refer to "active steering" they are referring to electric power steering (EPS). EPS is computer controlled, and is used to increase fuel economy. I believe that the 200 uses the older hydraulic steering technology.
 
I have had the same problem with a 2015 LX 570. There is excessive play in the steering. We have checked the alignment several times put new tires on and the problem continues. We are bringing it back to the dealer this week it only has 20,000 miles on it. Has anyone found a specific problem or defect that I can suggest to the dealer?
 
I dropped mine off at the dealer Friday for this problem, they said that they found the play in the #2 slip yoke and it was a common problem they see. It is being replaced under warranty.

They said this was a serviceable part on a 100 with a grease fitting but not on a 200.
 
jblatl said:
I dropped mine off at the dealer Friday for this problem, they said that they found the play in the #2 slip yoke and it was a common problem they see. It is being replaced under warranty.
They said this was a serviceable part on a 100 with a grease fitting but not on a 200.
Click to expand...

When I complained about the sloppy steering and the little movement I could feel they just said it was a characteristic of the truck. They REALLY hated me. I grease that slip yolk with a needle fitting and it fixes it for a while. PIA to get to though.
 
Any new experiences with this kind of thing?

My truck has been slowly developing a veeerrry slight clunk that could be felt in the steering wheel over bumps, but lately it has progressively worsened to the point it can now be easily felt and heard.

No play in the wheel, front suspension and linkages have been thoroughly checked, and the sound seems like it is coming from the steering column area right in front of me. Just need to figure out which component of the steering shaft is the culprit, so I'm wondering if there is one piece that is far more likely than the others.
 
Have someone found the cause of those knocks? Have the same on my '08 LC. Very annoying on paved surface.
 
Crawled around under the dash and also inspected the steering shaft inside the engine compartment. Everything in the engine compartment seems tight. The shaft under the dash seems tight too, for the most part, but if I push/pull on the shaft I can reproduce the clunk. It appears that the clunk comes from side-to-side (not radial) play in the steering column shaft.



A replacement steering column for a 2010 LC runs about $1500, but the even bigger surprise is that the part is discontinued. Good luck finding a used one, much less a new one.

The 2013 Land Cruiser has a different part number. It sure LOOKS interchangeable with the old, discontinued part, but I found no info about the new superceding the old. The steering lock solenoid is the same between 2010 and 2013, but all the other associated parts (intermediate shafts. control module) have different part numbers.

I can get the 2013 part from Amayama for $770 but that's a lot of money to gamble on the part fitting my 2010.


Anyone else, with or without a clunk, want to crawl under the dash and see if their steering column has play in this area? You only need to remove the very bottom plastic cover that has 2 screws.

Or does anyone think that the clunk in the steering column might be a symptom of a problem with one of the other parts, such as a stuck slip joint on the intermediate shaft or coupling shaft?

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