Steering rack failing?

Getting a clunk when turning right and braking or releasing the brake while turning right. Front end is essentially new within the last 15k miles. All bushings including the steering rack and shocks are new. Wheels off the ground, left front tire is solid, right front tire has a little clunking play side to side, but solid up and down. Visual inspection with inner tie rod boot removed shows no play in the inner or outer tie rods, but the steering rack shaft clunking in and out. Is the rack shot? I'ts the original with 255k or so miles on it. I've done a complete fluid flush on it once and keep it topped off. I doubt it, but is there any kind of adjustment for this play on the right side of the steering rack? Thanks in advance.

 

I just had a lot of front end work done and mine is doing the same thing. I took it back to the shop and they couldn't figure it out, so they said. Curious to find out if anyone knows anything to check

 

Lots of things to check. Tie rod ends, sway bar end links and frame bushings. Steering rack bushings. Upper and lower ball joints. Strut mounts and bushings. Upper and lower control arm bushings. Wheel bearings etc. All of mine seem to be fine on inspection, I can actually see the piston arm that comes out of the Steering rack clunking in and out when I rock the wheel side to side. Curious if that means it's toast.

 

Sure sounds like it to me. I'd check your sway bar links too, but I'm betting on the rack too.

 

I guess my other question is, if the rack is failing, has anyone had similar symptoms prior to the fail? what did the fail look like? Just gradual decline, but continued function? total loss of power steering? The clunk, while it bothers me, I can live with if that's all it is. I'll replace it eventually.

 

You might pull the boots back and take a peek while someone else turns the wheel. Maybe something between the inner and outer came loose.

 

I had the boot pulled back during inspection. Appears the right side has a clunk internally when the passenger wheel is rocked left to right. you can see the shaft clunking in and out slightly with movement. Inner and outer all look good with no play in them. Appears to be inside the rack..

 

FWIW, the failing transmission cross member has the same symptoms...

https://www.tundras.com/threads/inspect-your-transmission-crossmember.74691/

 

Thanks, I'll check that as well. Just curious if anyone else had observed the same clunking in the rack prior to failure and what the failure ended up looking like.

 

Mine was leaking and I used some of the Bars stop leak. The 2 part kind. Put in a quarter of the bottle and it stopped leaking pretty quickly and it seems the noise is not near as oft but it is still present. Had sway bar bush, inner tie rod ends and ball joints replaced

 

Had the same thing happen to me today. I was pulling into a driveway and the steering made a clunking noise and the steering got very stiff when turning the wheel to the right. I was a full lock or close to it and steering was hard to turn both ways after that, it then popped again and everything went back to normal. This happen at very low speeds while parking, truck is 2wd on the original steering rack 210K only outer tie rods have been replaced. I haven't jacked it up yet to check, just did a visual inspection and nothing is leaking, my inner tie rod boots are torn at the bottom. The fluid is probably original, I haven’t changed it.

I checked the trans crossmember to make sure all the screws were there, since iv read that can be a clunking issue. Im thinking its the steering rack might be on its final days or can it be just the inner tie rods being old or a rock got in there?

 

Super long term follow up here, clunking and poor steering performance solved by replacing the mounting bushings and the lower ball joints. Nothing seem to be wrong with the rack at all. Steers like new.

 

Which mounting bushings? In the OP, you mentioned the rack bushings were newly replaced. Did you redo them as well as the LBJs?

 

My then newish mounting bushings were completely shot by the time I replaced my LBJs. They were energy suspension black ones I believe.

 

If I ever get around to doing mine, I honestly think I'm going w/OEM rubber. I think with a lifted truck, it's probably a bit too much torsion for a poly bushing to survive for much more than a couple years

 

@KNABORES:
in conclusion, which was more likely causing the symptons that got your attention?
St Rack bushings or LBJs?
Just want to make a mental note on the issue.

Thx for posting thr thread
tried to edit.
Not sure where the 'strike-thru-text' button is....

 

Edit: should have read the entire thread first

Mine didnt fail but I did a preemptive replacement since most everything else on the front end was new. Never had a clunk but was amazed how much tighter the new steering rack is. Inner TRE's may have been a factor? Didnt inspect them to see how they connnect to the rack

Kinda glad I didn't just buy a rebuild kit and replace the seals. Still may do that on my old one and examine the inside.

2nd edit: was probably just the bushings on mine as well. I mean it isnt like that worm gear has constant wear like a shock, u-joint etc. if it is worn it would most likely be near the most used area in the middle

 

If referring to my post [#16], please enlighten me, since I may have missed his essential meaning after reading entire thread and b4 my post...thx.

 

I was referring to the OP's post.

specifically the part about the play in the steering wheel. It had nothing to do with wear on the internal worm gear. When I replaced mine, I noticed how much tighter my steering was and I attributed that to the worm gear, which was surprising cause you wouldn't think it would wear that much
Well he replaced his bushings and that took care of the play so I'm almost positive when I replaced my steering rack and put new bushings on it was the bushings that eliminated the play in the steering

I really doubt you could feel play from the LBJ's being worn
There are different tests for LBJ's but if you've got over 120-140K or so I would replace them.

But There are better experts in this forum than myself

 

OH.
Yeah, reason I ask is b/c i just replaced LBJs and Rack bushings [all Toyota] and some other frt suspension...
My 06 AC SR5 w/174k feels like a very minor 'thud-like' sound when at stop, in drive and when brake pedal releases; its extremely minor and may have more to do w/brakes, but the steer rack is orig w/out any obvious issues [other than 174k mi's]. The new rack bushings probly stopped any movements other than rack-screw/piston travel?
Havent studied the Rack drawings w/cross section illustration of internals- hoping not to need to.

I tend to be hyper-sensitive to drive sounds and behaviors, especially since I did lose a Drvr wheel LBJ in a 01 Taco; survived that mainly because failure came at end of 40 mi frwy drive and at less than 5mph, during a rt turn in business street. Also no damage otherwise and truck gave me another 15k mi's b4 I sold it in Aug. Only symptom there was a slightly more stiff steering and slow to return to ctr position of steering wheel. I wrote it off as being a "dying steering rack..i'll get to it in acouple weeks"...

 

Judging from what I've read on this forum so far, I think most failures on the steering rack are either the bushings, which is not the rack at all, or they start to leak. in retrospect I would've simply put some

$15 AT205 ATP Automotive AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks, 8 Ounce Bottle

AT205 in mine in the PS fluid for the seeping/slow leak and changed the bushings and been good to go

 

Lower. Ball. Joints.

 

Yeah I should be more careful in my replies

just to clarify, I was not talking about the clunk. I was talking about the play in the steering

that's good to know about the LBJ's, but I'll be replacing mine much much sooner than 300,000 miles like I did last time. I was living on the edge

 

Just for clarity- Are you refering to outer TRE bushing to "REAR LBJ" bushing as pictured below on right side?

 

Referring to the 3 steering rack bushing points and both LBJs.

 

I think racks get a bad rap. Bushings and fluids are bigger problems. No one changes the fluid properly. The varnish fucks everything. Belt and tencion is cheap. Flush the fluids. Sea foam trans cleaner busts the clogs.

$15 at-205 re-seal stops leaks, 8 ounce bottle

at-205 refreshes the seals. there is a way. There is a pessure valve in the pump that varnishes. 200k fluids block that flow. New fluids will clean it. LBJ etc is a seperate issue, clean your steering lines.

 

inspiring words about ps fluid @10 blue trucks, thanks.
Ive been watching my Rack closely since replacing most of the Frt susp'n., but Im headed for a ps flush and add

$15 AT205 ATP Automotive AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks, 8 Ounce Bottle

AT205. Wouldnt surprise me if its still on OEM ps fluid.
I think I recall reading a thread here that even if you wanted to replace a rack, Toyotas are currently unavailable.

 

Good luck with that. I pumped a bunch of new fluid , a bunch of seafoam trans tune, and some

$15 at-205 re-seal stops leaks, 8 ounce bottle

at-205. I cant say it will work for everyone. but I think first gen fluids are mostly original and neglected. I could have removed and cleaned the pump, but it seemed to be too much work. Mechanics wanted tons of cash, to replace parts. I flushed , it steers normal now. b ut it wasn't fast. I think mostly the pump valves clog, but its just a theory. good luck.

 

I'm glad I bought a new third-party rack instead of a third-party where you had to return your core. Now I'm just going to get a rebuild kit (seals and o-rings) and I have full confidence mine will be good as new when I need it and just slap it on with new bushings

 

Interesting thread!

I am having the same issue as the OP. Clunk from the front end while hitting bumps at low speed while turning. Side-to-side play in the both front wheels with truck in the air. When I remove the steering rack bellows and have a helper grab the tire to rock it back and forth I can visually see no play in tie rod ends, but can see the ~1" shiny metal shaft that comes out of the steering rack clunk up and down or side to side within the steering rack body.

Steering rack bushings do not move at all when having a helper turn the wheel side-to-side with tires on the ground.

Steering feels fine to me, but the clunk and play in the front wheels have me worried! Is this a "rack going bad" and I need to replace the whole rack? I hope not. Is it a dangerous failure like OP asked about?

There seems to be a lot of confusion around this issue, I suppose because there are so many things in the front end that can cause a clunk like that. But if I'm understanding right, OP and I are both experiencing this specific issue of the steering rack shaft clunking around within the rack. Not the steering shaft that goes up the the steering wheel, but the shaft that connects to the inner TREs.

I did research the "steering rack guide" which allows one to adjust play in the rack shaft by tightening or loosening an adjustment on the drivers side. For me, this took up a little slop in the steering feel, but did not fix the clunk/play. See photos:

Here's the adjustment, with marks showing the small amount I tightened:


Here's what it looked like opened up. When grabbing the tire and shaking you could see that shiny shaft in the center move up/down and side/side:


And here are the four parts that make up the rack guide adjustment:



So, OP, there's your adjustment, although it's on the L side, not the R side, it should affect the whole setup.

However, I'm having the same issue as OP and adjusting that 24 year old rack guide did not fix it! I called Ourisman, and they say the part is discontinued. They actually said, "no chance of replacing it unless the Tundra forum guys have figured out a part number that works - if there is one they'll find it!!" Lol!

So some of OPs questions remain:

• Is the rack shot, or is there a part # for a new Rack Guide to try replacing?
• Is it a dangerous failure, or OK to just tolerate the clunk and wheel play?
• If rack needs replacement, anyone have success with a yota reman?

Thanks everybody.