Sloppy play in steering wheel...GONE

I have a 03 trd, 85xxx miles. I have been chasing this problem for years and years trying to figure it out. It was never enough to be worried about, but just enought to piss me off. Finally a good friend of mine to me to "get on TW and lurk around for a while you will find something im sure. Atleast something that will point you in the right direction." So I did, and somewhere it said to try this.. It looks difficult at first and i was worried but really isnt no problem. and It cured the problem! So basically, Thanks TW for helping me find this issue and fixing it.

 

It's in the sticky thread on here. Under the DIY and How-To thread.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...y-how-thread-compiled-list-helpful-links.html

 

welcome to the club....That irritated me soo bad! Now its all fixed

 

X2

 

I also did this mod, but a different way. You can remove the clamshell and 3 bolts later have the steering wheel off. A lot less trim to remove. Also, I used a spring pin to remove my slop, as I can't weld

 

so what year trucks have this issue? or is it all first gens?

 

I did it the same way, not cause i cant weld. But because my theory is if the tack breaks in an impact it will still not be able to collapse because the tack will be too big to slide into the other piece.. Make sense?

 

I need to do this

 

Can you elaborate a little more on how you removed the unit without dismantling so much? I've read the writups but sounds like you got a better less extensive way.

 

Its this simple... Remove knee panel, remove clam shells around column, disconnect all plugs under clam shells, remove two upper tilt springs (these can be a bitch, but they aren't TOO bad) remove two allen bolts at the pivot point for the tilt, remove bolt at the clamp near firewall. I think there is another screw that has to deal with the wire connector braket. Remove column. Dont worry about bench marking it down by the pedal, it can only go in one way. Its a spline connection and one spline is bigger than the rest. It took me an hour at most. Best mod ive done to date. ABSOLUTELY NO SLOP ANYMORE...

 

You don't even need to mess with the lower trim panel at all.
Read or reread post 42 then post 1 in the TTORA thread (forget the rest) it really is a 15-20 minute job to get the column on your bench.
Post 42 here Shimming the tilt ball is also worthwhile. If you have any questions let me know, I wrote "post 42".

 

revival of a old thread but I finally did this and now wish I had done this sooner, feels like a new truck.

 

This is on my list to do. Did you weld it yourself?

 

no had a friend do it, I just took it apart and went to his house and it took him all of less than two minutes to weld it.

 

nice thing is that it only cost me a few beers

 

Interesting mod. Though isnt that slip joint present in order to allow the steering column to collapse in the event of an impact that would force the steering rack towards the cab, preventing the steering column from impaling the driver? Just sayin.

 

Yeah that's why it's supposed to be just a small tack weld. So it can still collapse if needed.

 

quite literally the entire engine has to come through the firewall as the rack is behind the cross-member. it also sits low enough that it would rock back against the bottom of the firewall not pushing the bar up. the steering wheel goes to the firewall then almost vertically straight down to the rack, unlike other trucks that have a steering box

 

^^^^very good point!!

Along with the small spot weld to easily break theory there is also the brass pin method, that would certainly break before the column went through your chest...

I agree with the Frizz though, it would really take a perfect situation to send the steering assembly into the driver and at that point id bet the collision would be so catastrophic that the slip joint pry wouldnt help much anyways...

 

The design is to prevent the driver from blunt force injuries when slammed forward. Also absorbs energy to lesson the injuries caused from drivers forward motion. If something pushes the column that far into the cab, the drivers already pushing against it and things could or they're going to get deadly.