Steering Column slop fix! Zip tie mod killer!!!

To preface this write-up, I have been trying to chase this clunk in my steering column for 6 months give or take. It was mainly happening at slow speeds over bumps and turns. I have completely replaced the front end suspension (new Elka coilovers, JBA UCA's, MOOG LCA's), so the fact that my truck still drove with a clunk in the steering wheel was bugging me, to say the least.

It was getting so bad, that I was able to grab my steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position and shake it back and forth (up/down) a good 1/8" or so. Not good!

I thought I had struck gold with the zip tie mod (those forums can be found on here with a quick search). I cranked in the largest zip tie I could find, and the only thing that did was, of course, had me feeling every single little piece of feedback from the road. Expecting a quick fix did not work.

The more and more I looked around at the steering column and the slip yoke (#9) that connects the intermediate shaft (#7) to the lower shaft (#8), which then connects to the steering rack (not pictured). I decided that's where the slop was coming from, as it is the only hard connection in the shaft!



The next step was to remove the bolts securing that slip yoke (#9)in place, only two 12 or 13mm bolts. Once I did that, I needed to pry the slip yoke open. used a small pry tool and slipped it open enough so some PB blaster and a torch to heat everything up to break loose.



Once the slip yoke was opened up a bit, you have to get back into the cab of the truck and start hammering on the intermediate shaft (#7), which can be accessed from under the steering wheel after removing the dark grey cover. Circled in red is where I was able to turn the wheel and get enough room to use a 3lb mallet and beat the sucker down.



I had placed a mark of silver sharpie where the tip of the intermediate shaft (#7) was before any work. by the end of my hammering I got it to move down a solid 1/8". (The 1/8" of slop I had in the steering wheel!!!!)


*you can barely see the silver sharpie and the tip of the intermediate shaft sticking past it

That 1/8" of slack I was able to hammer out has completely tightened my steering wheel, and has my truck driving as it should! Since then I have pulled the zip tie out and, of course, the road feedback is gone, and driving is enjoyable again!!!!

I hope this helps anyone in this position of the zip tie mod not fixing anything!
Open to any and all questions and criticism!
I'm sure someone has done this before me, but damn I couldn't find any info on it so I hope this write-up helps!!

 

This has been driving me nuts. Thanks for the write up!

 

Nice! will try this soon, the slop is getting on my nerve especially on lanes where there's tracks left from heavy trucks...

 

My pleasure! Hope it helps!!

 

This is why I love this forum. Well done sir & thanks for sharing.

 

It had been pestering me for so long! and the lack of info for any real fix, besides spending over $500 on new shafts, was even worse!

 

Did it yesterday, another happy customer!

 

So your telling me that Toyota fucked up on the initial install by an 1\8 on an inch and there has been all this crap because of it. Man I hate toyota sometimes!

 

So this was a FREE mod? All you did was open up the slip joint a bit, and reseat the intermediate shaft with a BFH? You my good sir are awesome!!

 

Coming back for later use

 

So from what I can see the shafts have splines, and when you hammered the shaft/splines further back into the coupler the slop was gone. It below zero and dark here so I am not about to go look at mine right now.

And with those splined shafts, that is not a slip coupler but a spline coupler. So when you hammered on it you drove the top splined shaft tighter into the coupler taking any play in the up/down movement out. I would have lubed up that rather rusty top splined shaft first. but its not my job.

 

Bro!
Fire is your friend


No way I would go outside

 

Before I do this myself, wanted to make sure - once the bolts are loose, you have to move the steering wheel a bit to find a good spot for the hammer....any danger in messing up steering wheel alignment when doing this?

 

So the OEM fix the wire tie fix is just a shim in that plastic bushing. So how does the hammer fix address that?

 

It appears to press the splice between the two shafts further down onto themselves giving more spline contact area on the splice piece which appears to take away the slop. Will have to try this as the zip ty mod only lasts about a year or so till needing redone.

 

I appears what your really doing with the hammer is what you posted, and I posted earlier. That takes care of the Up / Down slop but the bushing left to right slop or play is still there.

 

So there is still slop when going over certain stuff?

 

Logically this doesn't make any sense. The slip yoke (#9) clamps the shafts- whether they're engaged 20 or 23mm (making up numbers). The shaft diameters are constant, the female spline ID is constant...
I'd love an explanation why this would work!

 

Ditto unless hammering the two splined shafts closer together makes it so hard to turn the steering wheel that nothing seems loose!

 

Yeah. The only thing that comes to my mind is if the shafts had a slight "V" in them at the U-joint. Doing this then straightens it out,