05+ V6 Tacoma Steering Rack Bushing replacement

Any consensus on energy suspension vs white line bushings?

 

I like whiteline better

 

Hey all,

I recently did a bunch of front suspension work and while the alignment shop I took it to was able to get it dialed in with cam eliminators, they said it was tricky because my steering rack bushings are on their way out. They brought me into the shop and there was a good amount of play (not that I have a great point of reference), but they were still able to align to spec.

My truck is a 2015 w 90k miles. It's only had 33s for the last 5k, 32s for the 30k before that, and was bone stock previously. Regardless of what caused the wear, am I at risk of damaging the rack if I continue to drive with a little play? I usually wrench on my own truck but am considering paying a shop to put new bushings in after my experience getting bushings out of the original LCAs and leaf hangers.

 

I can't imagine doing any damage to the rack w/ minimal play in the bushings. Just gonna feel sloppy. I replaced my entire rack and lines. 3 hour job. I've seen some people fight w/ those bushings more than I think it's worth it. Granted, I had a little fluid leaking out the one side so I knew those seals were on their last legs too. But, I wasn't interested in spending another few hours burning out bushings and pressing in new ones. Same reason I chose to simply replace my LCAs vs trying to replace the bushings. ymmv.

 

Excellent thread here fellas. Jus bought an ‘05 Prerunner TRD and I feel the wander in the steering. I’m about to start this job and 90% of my research if from this thread.

 

With 90k and no leaks in the rack yet, what’s the consensus on replacing it vs new bushings? What kind of life are people seeing on the racks?

 

I wouldn't do either, personally. I went almost 200k before mine leaked out the passenger cv. Couldn't tell one bit of difference w/ the new rack bushings. But maybe if someone is hitting it hard off road, that'd be more noticeable. Dunno. I still believe buying a new oem rack and swapping is worth the extra money over the hassle of trying to fight w/ new bushings.

 

If you get energy suspension bushings your rack will slide(see video) no matter how tight you torque down the bolts causing your steering wheel to go off center. Poly bushings don't give much as opposed to rubber bushings. I remedied the problem by welding in tabs on the outside of the bushings on the crossmember to keep the rack centered. Works great.

https://youtube.com/shorts/cVDlhLhoYoE?feature=share

 

I wish I could say Ill be doing this job myself, but I will be having dealer install an OEM one for me.

 

They’re on national backorder. So no, you won’t. Unless you wait a long time for an OEM one

 

Hopefully, the shipper was correct in telling me that the part is in and it will be going out tomorrow.

 

Can you share a link where you bought it? I need one too and couldn’t find OEM anywhere. Not even my local dealer could order one

 

Need some advice. Should I go with eddelmann or gates brand on the pressure line and return hose for the power steering? It’s like a 30 buck difference. No clue on the quality, but there’s only one other brand offered and it’s some chinesium trash that’s super cheap.

 

installed bushings 1-2yr ago.
Made the mistake of zapping the nut off and not the bolt. Reinstalled and tightened. It was quiet.

but after a while it starts to make a racket in some way or another
And I find it does not feel so tight

FSM says the nut is dimpled keyed or something
But a Toyota tech buddy told me it’s simply serrated to bite, replaceable (cheap) and the serrations strip and dull losing their locking effect if you make the mistake of loosening the nut like I did

has anyone gone through this and had a fix?
I’m going to take a peek to see if it looks like the bushing has squished over time

and try fitting a long ratchet to re tighten things more by hand feel, while counter holding it. Though that usually only quiets it down for a couple months.
Did place an order for new nuts from the dealer

 

Is anyone else receiving these shallow bushing sleeves?

I ordered this Energy Suspension bushing kit a few months back and my sleeves are exactly like this. I went ahead and installed them, not realizing that the kit I received did not match what everyone else was receiving. Now, I’m still having steering issues and I’m thinking these bushing sleeves may be the cause.

 

Getting ready to tackle this myself. A few questions. I have a 2015 4wd.
1. Can't I just lock the wheel before I begin, or do I need to physically lock the wheel down with a strap?
2. Can I get the bolt out if I cut a little off (I think I read in here 1/4"?) without needing a new bolt and without taking a bunch of stuff apart?
3. Without disassembling the rack at all, can I do this in place?

 

The instructions on their site show the longer sleeves. I'll have to take a look at the ones I got tonight.
https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/installation_instructions/energy_suspension/17609_reva.pdf

 

I believe I cut the bolt, but that was a few years ago.
It can be a challenge getting the sleeves out on the original set. Most likely have to pull it out.

Hopefully you have the Whiteline bushing kit. The Energy suspensions version always worked it's way loose. Whiteline has better fitment. I ended up swapping to those.
Pro-Tip, you need to back out the steering shaft bolt completely to separate from the rack. I thought it was corroded together and tried the air hammer on it before realizing there is a recess in the shaft to prevent it separating if loose.

 

Nope, I bought energy suspension bushings.

 

I know it's an old post but, mine are the normal length flanges.