Well it happened to me, steering rack went

[WiscoProud]

Started to notice some little oil drops on my garage floor, but didn't think much of it. Then I found a small puddle and decided to investigate. Lo and behold, the passenger side of the steering rack was covered in gunk and dripping. I guess after 160k its not completely unexpected.

I had the shop by my office do the work, for $1000. Had the option of using a A1 Cardone (cheapest), AC Delco (mid-price), or OEM (expensive). Since the OEM was also rebuilt, I went with the AC Delco. I also have a 2 year, 24k mile warranty on it, so that made the decision easier. I had another shop tell me that the A1 Cardone units aren't very good anymore since they started outsourcing to China, can anyone verify that?

Lastly, last weekend I noticed my coolant reservoir was bone dry. Considering I just had a flush and the radiator hoses replaced, this was concerning. I was down a gallon of coolant. The leak was traced to an adaptor port on the back on the engine. I was shown a schematic of the part, but I don't remember what the purpose was. Fingers crossed that was the problem.

Interestingly, both this time and when my hose cracked, the engine didn't overheat. The first time I heard the coolant bubbling and a slightly higher temp, when it was close to bone dry. The second time, there was no change, I just happened to notice the reservoir. I guess that's a testament to our trucks. Even low on a precious commodity, and they still run like a champ.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I would have gone OEM, it lasted 160k. If you have to replace the AC one in 24k then the labor will offset the cost of OEM once.

The OEM temp gauge is notoriously vague in the midrange. Can be a good idea to get a scanguage type reader to get the exact temp.

 

[WiscoProud]

The only OEM ones they could get (confirmed by two shops) were OEM rebuilds, not new. I would have preferred to get new OEM, but having a warranty of offsets my risk.

 

[06 flstfise]

Who did you use to do the work? In Milwaukee as well and tend to do most of my own but like to have a couple of options if it is a time sensitive issue. Thanks

 

[DirtDawg]

Well new OEM is still available through any Toyota parts outlet. I just got mine from @beno. So I'm not sure why they told you that.

I put an AC rack on my old 4Runner and a week later I rolled back into the shop with one side literally gushing out ATF. They warrantied/returned it and then I went with OEM. As far as I know, the current owner is still running on it.

 

[SWUtah]

I just had my LX470 done at 145k miles it was leaking very minor. Had to be replaced to pass safety inspection. Guess the Government wants your steering to work when you're driving down the road??? I had a new Lexus steering rack installed one year warranty parts and labor for $2200 Plus free loaner car and all the cookies and drinks I wanted. For some reason Lexus steering rack is more expensive than the Toyota I guess it has to do with the VGRS that my beast has

 

[Muddy Bean]

You can't really know if you're overheating by the sweep gauge. So you may indeed have been getting the engine hot and not knowing it just because the gauge didn't max out doesn't mean it wasn't running too hot. As trunk said you'd need a scan gauge to tell the whole truth. As for the steering rack, plenty of threads on here about going with oem. Even oem rebuilds are a better option that aftermarket if you read the threads on failed aftermarket racks. This site is full of a huge amount of historical data on these trucks, and I'm surprised how many people make the same mistakes over and over and ask the same questions over and over. The search tool is our best friend. Crossing my fingers that your new rack lasts another 160k. That would be cool beans.

 

[YotaV8]

a hose clamp and steering stop leak fixed mine :0