The definitive Steering Rack Thread - with solutions - Updated 10/2020 in first post

All done. Just have to add fluid. I made a 2wd manual XJ a 4wd automatic, by myself in my driveway, faster than I did this. It was a bitch! Couple ft/lb. torque numbers for this thread:
Front d-shaft nuts to diff - 54
Tie rod ends - 51
R&P mounting bolts - 89
Aluminum wheels - 97
Hope my Asskick Fab input helps others!

 

F*#&ing PS differential axle seal is leaking. Awesome! Pretty sure 90% of my headache was due to R&R the rack & pinion via the diff removal method. I'd recommend to others to do it the other way, by removing all the small stuff in front of the R&P. Couldn't have possibly taken any longer & would've saved a lot of heartache. I feel it'd been much easier removing the oil cooler & inner tie rods than it was to remove all the other shit. Honestly, I started to do it that way but the first thing I tried to remove, the oil filter cap, broke due to it being torqued on @ least 150lb.s of torque. Since I couldn't get that out of the way I decided to go this route & I feel it was a mistake.

 

you know after doing 10 of these my self and assisting many others this way. The only reason you had problems and have problems was you tried to force the cv’s out ... a simple msg could have saved you this head ache or a PM and I would have given you my cell to call and I could have helped you. And to blindly follow step by step was partly an issue too. But to come on here and say do it a different way because you had an issue is not right, which btw the other way takes double the amount of time and way more you can screw up ..is just not right. when literally probably 100+ people have done it my way to include I taught my local dealership this method and they have done probably 50+ W no issues.

 

Tell you what maybe better advice is to get off the forum and go read the service manual next time you can follow the book and take 36hrs to remove the motor to get your ps rack out And do it that way. That should save you tons of time.

 

Whoa! In no way did I mean to piss you off. Force the CV's out? I did as was suggested. Blindly follow step by step instructions? When you do a write-up, & you number the items in numerical order, that means to do it in that order. If you had originally had remove the tie-rods from the spindles prior to trying to remove the axles from the diff, I'd of done it that way. I was going to remove the hubs & do it correctly but was advised against that (I've done that many times & never had an issue). I appreciate your write-up & haven't said anything negative towards you. I was just letting others know there's another way to do it if they don't want to go this route.
The other way takes double time? I have not done it but see no way it could take double the amount of time. Doing it the other way, the only thing you remove extra is the oil cooler but don't have to remove the axles from the diff or the diff.
Anyways, like I said, I appreciate your write-up & your advice/input.

 

Sorry you had problems man. I agree with Bruce. Axle removal is pretty straight forward. I cant count the number of times I've removed and replaced axles. Pop them out from the diff with a pry bar, pop them into the diff with either a hard shove or tap the end with a piece of wood (dont use a metal hammer!). I've never had a problem with the seal and Ive never seen a problem with the seal on any of the other trucks I've been around when they had to swap axles in the field.

Pulling the steering rack without dropping the diff does take almost double the time. I've swapped racks several times now and done it both ways. Pulling the diff is by far the easiest way to do it. Shit, I even swapped @831Tun rack IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT hahaha

Pull the diff or get ready for a long day.

 

Sorry if i came off a little harsh. I understand you followed the steps and I didn't have them exactly correct (which have been adjusted). So apologies for that.

 

No need to apologize. I’m not good, or smooth, at getting my point across and it may have came off wrong to you. I didn’t mean it to shine any bad light on any of y’all or degrade y’all in any way.

 

Need some advice on how to proceed with a blown rack. 2013 Tundra 4x4 5.7L V8. Had a 4" Readylift SST kit installed and not 2 weeks later started leaking fluid from the right boot. Took it to the local dealership and mechanic there says that if I replace the rack, it will be back in the shop for a second one because the angles of the kit is causing too much stress.

I don't know if I should remove the kit and then have the rack replaced? Or replace the steering and leave the kit in? I'm not handy so this is way outside my comfort zone and don't have unlimited cash to spend on fix after fix. It's my first experience lifting a truck and so far has left much to be desired.

 

honestly hard to say, if the kit isn't designed well with bad steering angles that's a tough call

 

Does Ready Lift have a warranty? For some reason I think they do???

 

Readylift does have a warranty on their parts; however "Readylift is not responsible for any consequential damage to the vehicle".

I'm stuck paying out of pocket for the rack. I'm not happy but I can live with it.

What I'm more worried about is whether I had a bad rack or if the kit is going to cause further damage to a new rack.

 

Hello all, I was able to pull the drivers side cv out just fine, but cant seem to get the passenger side out. Does anyone have any pointers on getting it out? I've already chipped the housing trying to "gently pry" it out.

 

Gently pry, rotate, repeat is what I did. It took a bit but it came out. Also, search online for “Tacoma slide hammer cable axle removal”. It’s where you wrap a cable around the indention on the inner joint and the other end wrapped around a heavy hammer/sledge. You use the weighted hammer to act like a slide hammer and it pops the axle out of the diff.

 

Stole from TW:

 

Honestly I'm not trying to make anyone feel dumb, but I dont understand why you guys are having problems with the CV. Ive pulled CVs many many times on my truck and on other tundras. All I do is stick a flat pry bar between the CV and the diff and pry a little and it pops right out

There is literally only one snap ring holding it in. Its about 1" diameter and about as thick as a spaghetti noodle

 

Well, if anyone is dumb enough, like me, to by a truck from the rust belt, PA, DONT DO IT. The only issues I've had were rust related. I think mine was just seized. Truck is a 2007 and only had 98k on it, been in GA the rest of it's life.

I got it with a chisel on the back side of the collar, only after cracking off a piece of the housing "gently prying".... chiseled it here, but the "slide hammer" idea seems better.



See that nasty corrosion!?

So, this little transfer line on the rack rusted:





Good luck finding that. Bought a low mileage rack, should have just changed the line. Now I'm dropping the diff, cracked the housing, maybe it can be welded, but it holds the seal...argh







So, am I now buying a diff? What do ya think?

 

I'm sry that happened to your diff man. I don't understand why that cracked, I've never seen that happen before. But this is the only thing holding the diff in and it's not rusted:



If the diff is holding oil then I would just leave it. Or maybe have it tack welded on. Or just get a new diff from the junkyard, I bet they not that expensive

 

The first time I removed mine they came out like butter. When I went to replace my PS diff seal, it was a mother to get out. Why? IDK but it was a bitch to get out the second time.

 

Asked the tech to send pics of the busted rack that came out of my '13 - it was a Jtekt? Toyota Service claimed that this was not an OEM part but aftermatket? I'm so confused.

 

Bullshit. Both my factory one and the new one I ordered directly from Toyota are Jtekt. They’re a rack and pinion company out of Texas, where Tundras are built.

 

That helps clear it up, thanks for your reply. Next up is to try to figure out if my lift is going to cause the new rack to fail. Have to find someone local that knows enough about front ends who can recognize whether a 4" lift is too extreme for my truck. I'm afraid to drive it. Don't want to break the new rack! Is it possible to identify a potential issue with pics?

 

Ironically, mine went out <50 miles after installing an OME lift that was supposed to be 2.5” but ended up lifting my truck 4.5-4.75”.
I think 4” is pushing it as far as the drive axle angles and R&P angles w/out a bracket type lift. Mine is now about 3.5” and I feel THATS pushing it as I do not care for the angle of the axles as the boot ribs are too smashed together for my liking. I can’t see them lasting long like this.

 

I just recently had my rack replaced and now I have a hissing noise from the drivers side. I have bleed the system and am not getting any air bubbles or fluid level change with moving the wheel from lock to lock. The noise goes away anytime I move the wheel. Have anyone of you ever experienced this before?

 

It's my turn to tackle this. My rack puked all the fluid into one of the outer boots as I turned into my driveway last week. 2011 4x4 with 213k miles.

@The Patriot 1776 Where in Texas are you? I'm in the DFW area and wouldn't mind an experienced set of hands to help out if you're in the area.

 

I'm about 30 minutes south of Dallas. Where are you @?

 

About 30 minutes east. Near Mesquite

 

OP, @papasmurf, I just discovered that the 4.6 has a different steering rack than the 5.7. This might be worth noting in the first post.

According to my research, the 4.6L engine uses this steering rack PN#442500C170 at MSRP of $745

 

I completed this job today. The toughest part was getting the diff back in. I had to wait a day for some friends to come help me. I thought I could do it myself but NOPE!

So far, so good. No leaks from the steering rack or CV axle seals. Hope that holds true and I’ll be off to the alignment shop in the morning. Now if only I could get my 4x4 working again...

 

Not to hijack the thread but not finding other options and you guys seem knowledgeable on here. Toyota gave me bad news my leveled 12 5.7 4x4 tundra with 124k. The rack needs to be replaced and am debating about going aftermarket due to lifetime warranty with (cardone). My question is if everyone has had so much issue with stock and the warranty only goes 12 and 12 why should i go back to oem on this one?