Tie rod boot off?

This isn’t normal is it? Also could this be a cause of a clunk sound I hear when going over bumps? Currently under truck trying to pin point clunk sound.

 

Not normal and could be a symptom, but not the cause.

 

The problem is the ziptie that has failed to hold the boot over the end of the steering rack. Id get one of the metal clamps from toyota and install that. Steel hose clamp would probably work well too and would be a lot cheaper. Youll want to address the asap as you dont want dirt and grime getting into the steering rack and ruining the seals

 

Yes that could be your "clunk" But only because someone has been there before. No cable ties from Toyota and the end of the steering tube looks to be beat up.

 

Realistically, it's time to rebuild the rack now. Once a steering rack boot or CV joint boot comes off during road use, it has enough grit in it to cause failure.

 

I am bringing to my local 4x4 shop Monday. What should I tell them?

 

Exactly what happened and what's going on

 

Both driver and passenger tie rods look like they are leaking fluid as well, I see an oil like substance on both lower control arms. Could this be a power steering leak?

 

If the boot has been off for a while you likely sucked dirt into the rack and the seals are shot. Get it fixed pronto to avoid more damage.
** Clunk ** Sound is typically an upper or lower ball joint.

 

Ok the rack itself does not appear to be leaking but what you don't see is the joint between the rack and the tie rod it is inside the boot. There is a ball joint in there that allows the tie rod to move up and down with the suspension. If there is ware in that joint it will knock like crazy as you drive over uneven surfaces and probable you'll will feel it in the steering wheel. Toyota does not use cable ties to hold the rack boot on so someone has been in there.

 

So 4x4 shop called and told me I do have a slight leak in steering rack. They suggest I keep an eye on it for now since Toyota's are known to seal themselves? Passenger wheel bearing was bad which was causing some clunks, so I am having them replace that. Also having truck aligned to try to get rid of some steering wheel vibrations..

 

Follow up comment/concern. Where my condo is located, to get to the main highway I have to make a tight u-turn, do this a couple times a day daily on average. Could this have sped the process of wearing out my seals on the rack? I try my best not to take it full lock, but sometimes I can't help it because it is such a tight u-turn.

 

I am way too anal about my truck, every noise / clunk I hear or feel concerns me and I overthink everything. Need to learn to just realize its an old truck and will make some noises lol. I will probably end up replacing it, but if I can save myself an extra $700+ for a few months, I'm good with that. I've seen some people mention using Lucas Oil power steering leak fix, but not sure how I feel about that. And yeah, not sure about the wheel bearing thing. I've had a clunk coming from my front passenger side for some time now, I thought it was something to do with the suspension but they said my wheel bearing was bad on that side. Guess I can confirm when I bring it home later today and go over the speed bump at my complex that makes it clunk every time.

 

I wish leaks fixed themselves lol. Maybe there is some kind of additive for the power steering fluid that'll swell up the seals and buy you more time, kind of like with high mileage engine oil...but I dunno. That stuff is usually preventative anyway, once a seal is leaking I don't see how it could possibly fix itself.

 

your clunk sound could be coming from worn out front body mounts. I have that problem.

 

That's a good suggestion as well. My truck is getting aligned today too, I was thinking maybe the LCA bolts were loose, they should be torqued to spec after alignment if I'm not mistaken? Guess I'll have to report back this evening when I get my truck back to see if the clunking / steering wheel vibration is gone.

 

Yep. I have to re-torque mine every off-road trip to 130 ft. lbs.

 

Do you notice a clunk sound before you re-torque? My last alignment was in January (6k miles ago), so I guess they have had a lot of time to loosen up even with the moderate wheeling I do.

 

Yep. I get a front end clunk every time they're loose.

 

So steering wheel vibration is better but not 100%... clunk still seems to be present. I give up at this point. At least I got a new wheel bearing and alignment out of it.