Steering rack Leak

My rack is leaking from the Pinion seal.
Do i replace the rack? 157$ refurbished. or replace the seal?

 

bump!!!

 

Change the rack. Once one seal starts more will follow

 

10-4 thanks

 

Just had to do the rack in my 03, apparently leaking to point where it would have failed inspection

 

A 157 dollar rack is gunna be a very cheaply re-done unit. I know oem racks are outrageous and typically out of the question fur most people but looking for a midrange priced rack might be a bit better of a choice. Its fairly common for most super cheap racks to start leaking within one or two years. Some mid range racks will end up like that too but not nearly as common as a sub $200 rack. Just something to chew on and heck ya never know the cheapest of the cheap might last the rest the life of the truck but id hate to end up changing that stinkin thing multiple times...

 

The rack bushings are likely gone as well, it's also tough to order those seals, Toyota doesn't like things being repaired, they want replacement.

 

rebuild kits for the rack are readily available.
It's not an easy job to rebuild a rack, but I'll definitely do it myself when time comes, over a reman from someone else or a new OEM.
http://www.customtacos.com/forum/127-1995-5-2004/113620-steering-gear-rack-rebuild-how.html

 

My rack was$350 from Toyota

 

Reman?

 

Dam thanks guys good info

 

I had mine replaced at a shop and my rack was about $350 or so as well. Fairly sure it was new not reman, and not sure if it was oem or not, also seems like its a good idea to swap out the tie rods ends if they're not looking so hot while you have everything taken apart. I never thought my steering felt rough or poorly functioning, but I can definitely notice a difference in how smoothly the wheel turns with the new rack in there. Should also probably get an alignment after swapping it out as well.

 

OEM new would be prolly twice that. 350 for a new one gets you a knock off one. Or maybe a Toyota reman. Hopefully it's an OEM Reman. Hope you have better luck with it than most. Some have had decent luck with a remanned OEM rack through... uhhhh... don't memba, some company online. Might not be a bad idea to keep an eye out for one (OEM) that pops up for a good price. Worst case scenario you get a year out of it. Not knocking it, just a heads up is all, based on others experiences that have reported here. I don't turn my steering wheel unless the truck is actually moving. I hate putting that extra stress on the pump and rack. Gotta make the OEM last as long as possible.

 

Bought rack from Parts geek.com. 157$ new ball joints upper and lower , new front wheel bearings and tie rods. wish me luck.

 

That sounds like a new Chinese rack. Good luck, brother. Godspeed, lol.

 

The "157$" rack at Parts Geek looks to be for the 5 lug 2wd truck, not the 6 lug 4wd or PreRunner.

 

what is the difference?

 

Not interchangeable.

 

Yeah definitely not the same rack between 5 and 6 lug trucks. The 5 lug is a whole different animal with many different parts compaired to the 6er.

 

I just ordered a rack for my E30 BMW project from these guys. http://shop.rackdoctor.net/TACOMA-4-X-4_c392.htm

They have great reviews over on the BMW forum.