Steering Rack Replacement -oh boy

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Acrad said:
If you haven’t looked this is a 33 page TSB PDF of Steering Rack removal above what is in the FSM.
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@Acrad to the rescue as usual.
HVLA said:
Those instructions actually make it seem like it isnt that tough.
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Yup. Guess I’m bench pressing a front diff on my garage floor over Christmas break.

Lets do this shirt.
 
I guess I'll be doing a front diff fluid change while I'm at it. Can you guys double check my parts list for the diff fluid change (usually have Desert Toy Shop do these for me)

Fluid (can I use this for front, rear and TC? - Amsoil Severe duty Diff oil
Crush washer (Front fill and drain) - Toyota 1215710010
Replacement fill plug (14mm From IS250) 90341-24016 - Does this work for drain and fill?
Transfer pump

@Rednexus Is this that the plug you mentioned here that would be a next best option for replacing the drain plug on the front diff? . Any other options aside form Kaon for aftermarket? I couldn't find anything in the US. I'd like to get the Kaon plug kit @Acrad mentioned but they're sold out and I might be too cheap to pay $40 shipping for a bolt anyway.

Would this work? Would love to replace without shipping from AU
 
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The IS250 fill plug should work for both a drain and fill plug. That being said, the drain plug is usually tight, while the fill plugs comes out no problem. With you being in an arid climate, you can probably just replace the drain plug and retain the OEM fill plug. If you are going to get into the habit of changing your own diff/transmission fluids, I'd highly recommend getting one of these, as it makes it a very easy job.

Regarding fluids - I'm a proponent of Mobil Delvac 1 75W90 in the T-case and diffs. It's a full synthetic fluid without limited slip additives (Amsoil includes those and none of the diffs in a GX require them) and it's often used in HD trucks for very long service intervals. It's been in my T-case now for several years. Oh, it's barely more than half the cost of Amsoil too.

EDIT: You'll need to be super-careful to not break your clock spring when you R&R the rack. I'd suggest pulling off the steering wheel/clock spring before you start the job (which takes 10 min on a 470), putting in the rack and getting everything centered, and then re-installing/re-centering the clock spring and wheel. If you end up a couple teeth off on the steering shaft to rack connection you'll break the spring when you turn the steering wheel to full lock. That's how I broke mine :). You'll probably need a zero-point calibration afterwards too.
 
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Not sure on the thread/pitch. The IS250 plug is quite robust - I put one in my buddy's Tundra as well. I usually remove it with my M18 mid-torque impact (the plug has a 14 mm hex head on it), even with putting anti-seize on it it's still tough to get out.
 
If you can't go the KAON.. that plug that Rednexus suggested appears to be used on 22+ Tundra and even a GS450h. I'd feel comfortable with it too.
 
Threads are the same, it should work for both. I have a spare sitting around that will go in the fill plug at some point.
 
got my parts ordered. Went oem on everything. Added hoses and motor mounts.

Spent about an hour crawling around under her yesterday inspecting. Hoses might be a bit challenging but once I drop the diff It seems like everything will be pretty easy to get to.

The only thing Im a bit worried about is disconnecting the rack from the intermediate shaft and making sure the new one goes in on the right tooth.

@Rednexus , you said you had trouble with this. Got any sage advice for me? How do I perfectly center the new rack before reattaching? Should I run lock to lock (gently) as soon as I hook it up but before filling the system? Planning on adding a lot of measurements and bungie cording the crap out of the steering wheel to keep it centered. I assume I’ll feel that spring tension before I break it but not sure that will be apparent if I do it before I pop the outers back into the spindles.
 
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Here is what I would suggest (based on memory as I did this job almost 4 years ago :)). Note that the clockspring is pretty fragile -it's a tiny ribbon cable. So it's hard to feel any resistance from the steering wheel before breaking it.

1. Remove the steering wheel before you start the job. I'm not sure it's possible to break the clockspring with the steering wheel removed, but you could also remove the clockspring too just to be sure.
2. When you have the new rack totally in (attached to the steering shaft and the inner tie rods in, but before you re-install the inner tie rod boots/bellows), center the rack so each inner tie rod end sticks out the same amount past the steering rack. You can use a ruler or tape measure for this.
3. Now you can re-install the wheel. But, before you do that, you'll need to re-center the clockspring (after re-installing the clockspring if you removed it). They have 5 turns total (at least on a 470). So, turn it to one side all the way with your finger, then spin it back 2.5 rotations. Then, re-install the wheel in the straight-up location. The wheel should be centered with the clockspring and the rack.
4. Re-install outer tie rod ends and set toe to the best of your ability (I did it with strings tied between two jackstands - see here - and adjusted toe in until the tires were the same distance from the jackstands on the front and rear on both sides), and then go get a professional alignment.
 
WTITW said:
got my parts ordered. Went oem on everything. Added hoses and motor mounts.

Spent about an hour crawling around under her skirt yesterday inspecting. Hoses might be a bit challenging but once I drop the diff It seems like everything will be pretty easy to get to.

The only thing Im a bit worried about is disconnecting the rack from the intermediate shaft and making sure the new one goes in on the right tooth.

@Rednexus , you said you had trouble with this. Got any sage advice for me? How do I perfectly center the new rack before reattaching? Should I run lock to lock (gently) as soon as I hook it up but before filling the system? Planning on adding a lot of measurements and bungie cording the crap out of the steering wheel to keep it centered. I assume I’ll feel that spring tension before I break it but not sure that will be apparent if I do it before I pop the outers back into the spindles.
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Don't worry so much about the steering wheel being centered, but ensure the wheels are straight. The steering wheel can come off and be re-centered. It's easy, so long as you have a pulley-puller, which are pretty cheap. That what I did after doing the steering on the Hundy. A crooked steering wheel will drive me nuts.
 
r2m said:
Don't worry so much about the steering wheel being centered, but ensure the wheels are straight. The steering wheel can come off and be re-centered. It's easy, so long as you have a pulley-puller, which are pretty cheap. That what I did after doing the steering on the Hundy. A crooked steering wheel will drive me nuts.
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Getting the wheel more than a few degrees out of alignment with the steering rack will snap the ribbon cable within clockspring when the wheel is turned to full lock, and a new one from Lexus is $600.

But you can remove the wheel without a puller. I zip off the 19 mm nut with an impact driver, then re-install it with just a couple threads. A few yanks by hand and it pops right off.
 
@Rednexus Sounds like pulling the wheel is the safest option. Is there any lock in the wheel to steering shaft linkage or will it essentially spin continuously if you remove the clock spring? I guess Im wondering if I still need to be careful not to move the steering shaft too much even after the clock spring is out?
 
WTITW said:
@Rednexus Sounds like pulling the wheel is the safest option. Is there any lock in the wheel to steering shaft linkage or will it essentially spin continuously if you remove the clock spring? I guess Im wondering if I still need to be careful not to move the steering shaft too much even after the clock spring is out?
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You'll probably want to be able to rotate the steering shaft some so you can access the pinch bolts that hold it onto the rack. At some point turning the shaft might also engage the steering wheel lock (although I don't recall that being an issue when I did the job).

So, maybe you could adjust the order listed above to not pull the wheel/clockspring until you have the steering shaft disconnected from the rack. Then, avoid turning to too much as you have indicated, re-install the steering, shaft, center the rack, re-center the clockspring, and re-center the wheel. But, don't be afraid to adjust the suggested method :).

You'll also need a new zero point calibration after your alignment since the steering angle sensor will be way off.
 
Rednexus said:
Getting the wheel more than a few degrees out of alignment with the steering rack will snap the ribbon cable within clockspring when the wheel is turned to full lock, and a new one from Lexus is $600.

But you can remove the wheel without a puller. I zip off the 19 mm nut with an impact driver, then re-install it with just a couple threads. A few yanks by hand and it pops right off.
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Thanks for amending my post, as I've never pulled a GX steering wheel before, only the Hundy and years (decades) ago, other early vehicles.
Good point about the clock spring, wasn't aware of that. If you have to adjust your steering wheel more than 5° or so, your front wheels may not be straight,
One more minor point, I'd suggest pulling and adjusting the steering wheel after you get your front end aligned. If you adjust the steering wheel before a new alignment, it may throw off your steering wheel a little.
 
We’re all in now! Daddy‘s presents came early.

One interesting note, the rack came with new outers already attached. That’s a nice bonus. It was definitely not shown in the diagram under the same part number on the website.

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Well I'm already kind of stuck. Diff drain plug won't budge. I've hit it with breaker bar, impact, penetrating oil, heat (lots) and even. a chisel around the outside. All the chisel is doing is taking shavings off. I'm going to let penetrating oil soak for another hour or two, but what do you guys think I should do if I can't drain it? Pull the CV's and drop it out heavier and messy? Then I could take it somewhere to get a nut welded on.
 
I ran into the same issue on my buddy's Tundra when we baselined it. I had him buy a 10 mm Allen socket and I welded it into the diff plug with the HF welder I had at that time. It came right out as the heat from welding is very effective at loosening things. I then installed the IS250 plug back into the diff for him.

You could drop the diff and take it somewhere to have a sacrificial 10 mm Allen socket welded into it. It's just 30 seconds of welding or so. Or, use this as an excuse to get at cheap welder :). The HF Titanium Flux 125 I used to have is only $150 right now at HF (with gloves and a helmet you'd be out a bit over $200). Mine only lasted a couple of years but I got my money out of it through being able to tackle small welding jobs like that.

One final option would be attempting to heat the plug with a propane or MAP torch, but I'd suggest that after you have the diff out and it's on the bench. Otherwise, it's awful easy to catch pieces of the rig on fire. Much more so than the welder which has targeted/short duration heat.
 
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