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DIY: Steering Shaft Seal

Discussion in '1st Gen Tundras (2000-2006)' started by bajaphile, Jun 29, 2019.

  1. Jun 29, 2019 at 7:06 PM
    #1
    bajaphile

    bajaphile [OP] New Member

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    Doing a first "how to" on this forum. The steering shaft seal is a pretty straightforward remove and replace to really make a difference in reducing engine noise getting into the cab. When I first drove my Tundra I thought it had a minor exhaust leak. After checking with a shop vac and smoke machine, I realized there was no leak. Doing some searches, I found a few threads on this steering shaft seal. A lot of people stated that they had been tracking down an exhaust leak at the manifolds for years only to find out it was just this seal which had fallen apart.

    Parts required: Steering shaft seal PN 45292-35090

    1) Park truck with wheels going straight ahead and steering wheel centered. Pull out key and lock your steering wheel so it doesn't turn when doing the maintenance. Throw your new seal in the freezer.

    2) Pull back carpet around the area behind the brake pedal where the steering shaft intercepts the firewall.

    3) Remove felt cover, held by Velcro around the steering shaft at firewall.

    4) Remove 3 10mm head bolts that hold metallic cover on around the steering shaft. What you'll see is the bronze bushing (seal) you'll be replacing: (Notice the rubber around the shaft is rotted and missing).

    20190629_114637.jpg

    5) Underneath the vehicle, all you'll need to do is remove the steering shaft coupler that attaches the steering shaft to the rack and pinion. This only requires removing two 12mm bolts.

    20190629_184053.jpg

    6) Once you've removed those, it's a good idea to mark the steering coupler so you know which way to put it back on.

    20190629_121037.jpg

    7) Now it's time to take the coupling off. You should be able to hit the coupler up off the rack and pinion with a brass drift, dowel or punch. The idea here is to slide it up the steering shaft. You may need to lube the splines a bit. My dad's truck here has some rust issues and it took a few good whacks to get it to move.

    20190629_121113.jpg

    8) Once the coulpler is up enough, you can pull it off the rack and pinion splines, then back down towards you and off completely. If you have to, you can hit it down with a dowel from the top of the engine. There is plenty of room to do so.

    20190629_124720.jpg

    9) From inside the vehicle, you can simply tap out the old seal down towards the engine/firewall. I've done this 2x now and it was very simple. No puller required. Old vs New seal:
    20190629_125102.jpg

    10) Using dielectric/silicone grease, or whatever grease you find suitable for rubber contact, you can grease up your steering shaft so the new seal can slide up and then eventually slide against for the next 100k miles.

    11) Pull the seal out of the freezer and add some grease to it. You can slide it up with your hands from the bottom and push it up into the firewall hole. It should stay there while you grab a longer wooden dowel and tap it into place.

    12) Put steering coupler back on, tighten the 12mm bolts, put together the inside covers and enjoy a new sounding truck! The difference in sound is remarkable! Very highly recommended. By the way, you can inspect your seal by looking up from beneath the truck with a flashlight. Easy to check, easy to replace and well worth the 1-2hrs of work, if that!
     
    Bob, BEATO, FrenchToasty and 26 others like this.
  2. Jun 29, 2019 at 8:34 PM
    #2
    Pudge

    Pudge Super Secret Elite Member #7

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    Nice write up :thumbsup:
     
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  3. Jun 30, 2019 at 5:21 AM
    #3
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    Sweet instructional. Probably stops the winter cold drafts, as well.
     
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  4. Jun 30, 2019 at 5:44 AM
    #4
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    If I may, here is a schematic for your sweet repair to give us a big picture look.

    upload_2019-6-30_8-44-27.jpg
     
  5. Jun 30, 2019 at 6:27 AM
    #5
    bajaphile

    bajaphile [OP] New Member

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    Yep! That is the one. Thanks for adding.
     
  6. Jul 1, 2019 at 7:18 AM
    #6
    00TundraZ

    00TundraZ New Member

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    Great write-up! Concise, simple instructions, and great pictures.

    Thank you for taking the extra time to do this!
     
  7. Sep 9, 2019 at 6:38 PM
    #7
    Jeepmann

    Jeepmann New Member

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    Very Helpful thanks
     
    bajaphile[OP] likes this.
  8. Mar 22, 2020 at 1:37 PM
    #8
    Alltimehigh

    Alltimehigh New Member

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    Doing this today and cant make the old seal budge by trying to tap it out from the top. Any tips?

    Ill try to oil it up somehow in the meantime.

    Edit. Done. Not tough at all. Great writeup!
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2020
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  9. May 14, 2020 at 6:27 AM
    #9
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol Brake Czar

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    Decided to check mine this morning. I'm pretty sure my exhaust manifolds need to be replaced but I bet this isn't doing me any favors either.



    0514200915a~2.jpg
     
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  10. May 14, 2020 at 8:47 AM
    #10
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    Latex Acrylic Caulk in a squeeze tube with Gorilla Arm Technique from under truck. Fixed!
     
  11. May 17, 2020 at 6:24 PM
    #11
    Blueranger501

    Blueranger501 New Member

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    I though my manifolds needed replacing. Got headers and noise was still there.

    Then I discovered the steering seal, whoops! At least I got headers out of it...
     
    bmf4069 and FirstGenVol like this.
  12. May 19, 2020 at 4:10 PM
    #12
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol Brake Czar

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    For anyone that does this job, you'll need a punch or dowel that's around 20-24" long in order to tap in the new seal.
     
  13. May 19, 2020 at 4:30 PM
    #13
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    Cab will be much quieter now. Less breezy on windy days in the winter, too. How much was the seal?
     
  14. May 19, 2020 at 4:40 PM
    #14
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol Brake Czar

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    I didn't drive it yet, but I did start and move the truck. I could already tell a difference.

    The part was only $13.00 or so. I combined it with the parts for the CV upgrade so I didn't get crushed with shipping on one part. Cool Springs Toyota is always around $8-10 to ship small items.
     
  15. Jun 12, 2020 at 12:17 PM
    #15
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol Brake Czar

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    @Pinay can we make this a sticky and un-sticky my PCV valve thread? This one is a lot more sticky worthy. I think a lot more people have this problem and don't realize it.
     
  16. Jun 12, 2020 at 12:22 PM
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    Hooptytrix

    Hooptytrix Squeaky Chicken

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    This is why I the forum stays open in my browser, you never know what you will learn
     
  17. Jun 14, 2020 at 5:19 PM
    #17
    mscribellito

    mscribellito New Member

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    I replaced mine. What a world of difference. No more TICK TICK TICK.
     
  18. Jun 19, 2020 at 3:08 PM
    #18
    Basstoyota

    Basstoyota New Member

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    I just tried this. I ended up not being able to free the shaft splines out of the holder. Now my steering wheel is crooked from reefing on it too hard :(.
     
  19. Jun 19, 2020 at 3:10 PM
    #19
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    What are you going to do now?
     
  20. Jun 19, 2020 at 3:12 PM
    #20
    bmf4069

    bmf4069 Yup, that's car parts in a dishwasher

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    Take it back apart and center the wheel. Then put it back together.
     
    Basstoyota[QUOTED] likes this.
  21. Jun 19, 2020 at 3:21 PM
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    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol Brake Czar

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    You're gonna want to soak those splines in something overnight. Whatever you have on hand. Giver a good spray.
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2020
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  22. Jun 19, 2020 at 3:28 PM
    #22
    Basstoyota

    Basstoyota New Member

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    I used some pb but only let it sit for 20 mins or so. I will try to recenter the wheel. But also, now my vsc lights are on which just makes me wonder what could have caused that? Hmm
     
  23. Jun 19, 2020 at 3:34 PM
    #23
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol Brake Czar

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    I'd disconnect the battery and see if it goes off. That's odd. But you should be able to realign it tomorrow unless you hit it so hard you bent it. I doubt you did.
     
  24. Jun 19, 2020 at 10:19 PM
    #24
    Tekem

    Tekem New Member

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    Battery disconnect wont fix that steering angle sensor code. If centering the steering doesnt fix, you will need to use a paper clip and jumper the obdII at specific points for your truck.

    If its a 2002, tc and cg, turn the ignition switch to the on position, and press the brake pedal down 8 times within 5 seconds. Then turn the key to the off position and remove the jumper.

    If it still doesn't go away, you will need to run thru a list of precheck steps to clear the code as you have to demonstrate to the ECU the sensors are working...

    I can send you a link to the precheck or you can Google it for tundra/sequoia gen 1
     
  25. Jun 20, 2020 at 6:07 AM
    #25
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    Awesome info! Post up the link here for future reference. Better yet screen grab so we can see it without clicking.
     
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  26. Jun 20, 2020 at 6:19 AM
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    Tekem

    Tekem New Member

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  27. Jun 20, 2020 at 7:33 AM
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    Basstoyota

    Basstoyota New Member

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    Fixed. I hate rust. I was able to get it slid up enough to straighten the wheel. Vsc lights are staying off. Could not get the shaft to slide down and off to get the new seal on but oh well! Thanks for the help
     
  28. Jun 20, 2020 at 7:41 AM
    #28
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    Squeeze some caulk up into the old seal from under the truck. If your seal still has rubber lips and hasn’t completely disintegrated the caulk will hold and seal the gap. Silicone or Acrylic squeeze tube with Gorilla Arm Technique. Clean well before caulking.
     
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  29. Jun 27, 2020 at 9:03 PM
    #29
    Surf_spear_Mex

    Surf_spear_Mex New Member

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    Ordered my part, can't wait to get the new one on. Was hearing a ticking noise for the last few weeks (just bought it) figured I had an exhaust leak. I'll report back with results. Thank you for taking the time to write this up OP.
     
  30. Aug 30, 2020 at 7:12 AM
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    FLJ23

    FLJ23 New Member

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    Nice write up? Would this also cause play in steering wheel?
    I’ve replaced tie rods, sway bar bushings, end links. My rack bushings Are good and tight but still feels loose at steering wheel.
     
    Beatrice6028 likes this.

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