Steering Rack Bushings Worn Out?

So today I went out for a little light wheeling and while doing a 3 point turn I lost all power steering. A little inspection after the fact revealed that the play in the steering rack was enough that it crunched the lines on the drivers side into whatever is infront of it. This also caused the hose to get jammed into the U-Joint and tear that to shreds as well. So obviously these need replacing, but is it also time to replace the bushings on the steering rack? I don't want to be replacing em without fixing the route cause.

Additionally, how do I even get the lines off the rack? The angle is ridiculous!

--gb

 

Thanks, this will come in handy for when I make the swap. But this doesn't really answer my questions.

 

Worn rack bushings shouldn't cause all that damage. If a rack bushing is GONE completely, then yeah.....it'll give you enough play - HOWEVER - you should've been able to notice this prior to you going offroad.
Sounds like you have something else wrong......
Change the bushings so it'll help you troubleshoot the root of the problem.

(Thanks MT!)

If you visit this site, you'll see Toyota Factory Service manuals.
Scroll down to get what you need.

 

Thanks for the input guys, gonna start with changing the bushing and see where that leaves me. Will take some photos in the morning when I check it out.

Janster: I'm pretty certain that the bushings are what caused the problem. They steering rack has enough play that the rack not only slides but also rotates front to back.

jberry813: Yes I crunched the hardlines and one of the soft links got pushed into the U joint and got pretty shredded. What's an SST?

 

Currently under my truck. Are the hard lines attached to the rack on the drivers side meant to have any play in them?

 

That was the first thing I had to replace on my '04. I was experiencing front end wander & steering slop; replaced them with aftermarket bushings: fixed. I do get a little more rattle now from the steering column, though. I think mine failed due to the pounding I give my truck on forest roads & off-road.

 

This day just went ridiculous... It took me way longer to get the steering rack clear to replace the bushings. The spot to remove the bolts from the hardlines is just too cramped to gegt any leverage on, and when I was using a vice clamp I almost rounded the bolt. Figured I'd put in the new bushings and take it to my mechanic, go to the parts store and they don't carry the bushings. So I can't get aftermarket bushings here, gonna have to pick em up from Toyota and then go to my mechanic. Free tow from my BCAA.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

OF COURSE. It makes perfect sense that Toyota wouldn't sell a part that wears out. I'll pickup the kit from wheelers if I can't find it locally. I really want to use my truck

 

Total chaos makes the bushing kit too. Only $25

 

IIRC, advanced auto sells energy suspension stuff...should be able to order the bushings for you and have them in a day or two.

 

easy

 

Figured I'd drop an update here:

So I managed to get the bushings and replace them. WHAT A DIFFERENCE, even without power steering in the 2 minutes I drove it I was blown away. I had only owned the truck for a couple weeks and this was the first time I've driven one with a lift and big tires. Figured that was just how it handled. Anyways, Based on where the broken power steering lines were I couldn't get to them. So I drove the truck to my mechanic a few miles away. He tells me that nobody sells just the part that's broken and Toyota sells the whole set of lines for $670. FUCKING OUTRAGED, he says he is going to call a bunch of wreckers before he lets Toyota bend me over. He does end up finding the part for $50. But it turns out what I have that's broken is just a little extension from the steering rack to the power steering line that apparently came from the lift kit. And is therefore not a standard part, so now he's trying to track that down and could potentially have to get it made. Because does Procomp sell it? Not a chance.

Truck owned for 14 days, out of service for 6 days and counting...

 

Go to a place that makes hydraulic lines and get them to make one for you.

Much cheaper and easier than trying to hunt down those parts.

Aftermarket hydraulic lines for tractors and big rigs are far superior to what comes on a Toyota