Brett's average build thread

I knew they weren't the answer, but the flair offers some coverage for the area that gets cutout. Pus the arch looks better with a larger tire. In the winter, that cut out area fills with ice, and opening the door can be sketchy in the mornings. I'll stick with the flairs I have though, and find a way to fill the gap. Prolly cut up the kids' plastic sled for a liner of sorts...

 

It just looked like you had more clearance on one side than the other in the rear.

 

The front wheels do because of alignment. Maybe that is what you were seeing. The rear is even on both sides, I had to go check.

 

I have had some play in the steering rack for several months now and really had no idea where to look.
A couple guys in the 1st gen thread pointed the way.
Thanks to @Speedytech7 for the explanation and to @TMFF for providing the links.
And Mr. @Dirty Pool for his excellent writeup.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rack-pinion-service-tools-tips-dry-wordy.312600/

http://www.yotatech.com/f2/how-replace-steering-rack-guide-pictures-215931/

Here is the cap, it is the newer style.


The rack bushing.

comes out easy with a magnet.




After inspection, looked fine I guess, I gave it a coating of grease and a blob to hold the spring in place. Went right back together, no problem. I was able to get it to tighten up just a bit more, too much and you definitely feel it in the steering wheel, It gets stiff and won't return to center after a corner. So some of the slop was removed, there is a small amount left but overall an improvement. I'm wondering if the racks don't have a small amount of play in them anyway, when I get the new one, I'll check.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgmcrVne3W0

Drove just fine afterwards, so I guess leave it for now.

 

I think I may need to do this as well. Do you have part numbers on hand?

 

Mr Brett

There should be zero play (OE Toyota) when shaking the rack shaft by hand. The guide spring pressure can be overcome with enough force. Talking loose play here.
When the plastic surface of the new style guide wears, it becomes semi elliptical. This allows the rack shaft (round) to "more freely" move up and down. When the adjuster is snugged up against a worn guide the result is usually a short lived symptomatic relief. The new guide should* cure this.
There is a plastic bushing inside the pass side rack end cap that can also wear but it's a 360 degree thing and lasts much longer.



Some observations.
Judging from your year, you have a replacement rack. Further, it is one of the knock off "new aftermarket" racks commonly referred to as "AAE, Safari" and now a host of other vendors. I believe AAE is the importer.
I base this on the style of boot clamp, the color of the guide plastic, the brass colored plating on the adjuster, the profile and machining of the adjuster and the lack of the "TOYODA" (yes, d) name cast on the rack housing just inboard from the adjuster.

I mention all that because they have had a fair amount of issues. @Squeaky Penguin comes to mind and there have been others, Box Rocket had an inner tie rod "just snap". It seems to be mostly a quality control thing as there are plenty of folks with no problems, hard tellin not knowin.

*Anyhoo, I am curious if a new OE Toyota guide is going to fit correctly in the clone rack. AAE also distributes "replacement" parts apparently for OE rack rebuilders, so I'm guessing an OE part should interchange. And put a good eyeball on those ITR's.

S Penguin may chime in with any research he may have done.

 

You sir have excellent powers of observation!
First off, your write up is excellent, I have read through it enough I feel i can tackle a rebuild if necessary.

You are correct, the rack is aftermarket. I have no idea of the brand, I had an independent shop do the replacement. It is about 2 years old and roughly 35,000 miles, give or take.

I wondered about that play and felt that it should not be there. I appreciate your input that it should not.
As far as trying to replace the guide with OEM, I think I would rather just replace with a brand new OEM rack and move on. I could easily end up chasing one repair after another being as the rack itself is prolly inferior in other ways. However, it may be interesting to tear down the aftermarket unit and see if it can be saved as a spare.

As far as what I did, I tightened the cap snug, backed it off a tad, and set the lock ring. As soon as I pulled off the end of the driveway, I could tell it was too tight as there was no return on the wheel and felt stiff. Backed the cap off a little more, and it was free and a bit of slack had been removed.

Monday I plan on going to the local dealer and ordering a new rack. Everything I replaced with aftermarket a couple years ago, has had to be replaced again with OEM in this last year. The rack is literally the last item.

 

I didn't do a whole lot of research on the subject, just listened to you and tried to learn. Most anything I add on steering racks is regurgitating your info.

I did learn, however, that this importer was selling racks with quite a few variances. That being said, given the lack of consistency, I'm not sure how much can be ascertained from pictures. I believe old Brett said his not-so-trustworthy mechanic put in a rebuilt rack, but that appears to not be the case, whether it's an AAE, I'm not sure I can say definitively. I compared mine to Timmy/Plinny's at one point in my build. They were both ordered from the same place just a few months apart, and had quite a few differences.

After playing around with a new Chinese rack, and now a rebuilt OEM unit, the one thing I can say for sure is save yourself a lot of trouble by just replacing the rack with a new OEM unit. Wish I had done so in the first place.

 

Well fine then.
I concur about the variances, I saw a bunch on other sites. It almost seems like, among other things, there was some degree of shoddy final assembly going on once in the States. Like adding ITR's/boots here to save shipping space. Just a guess.

 

I'm planing on replacing this winter with an OEM from camelback. Thanks for your input

 

Took 'em for a ride.
First time off road. They grow up so fast.

10psi


I think I'm good here, I have 2" to go before bump stop contact and I've already determined i need to close that gap with a block about 1 1/2" . II don't see any need for trimming.






They cleared well, I never scraped or rubbed tire all day. There was also a half load of firewood in the bed.

 

New rack ordered today. $718.00 lighter in the wallet. Actually, double that... considering I paid for an aftermarket one plus the labor to install it a couple years ago.
I'll do this one myself.
It is the new style, I had them check it, the TSB is clearly mentioned about the new rack guide and some other bushing in the valve area as well. Should be here later this week.

 

Is that how much Pedersen got you for? They're at least $100 less online.

 

yeah, but shipping...
They actually knocked a $130.00 off to get to that price. They list for over $800 new.
Plus warranty is taken care of locally if needed. Just trying to justify the cost..

 

But $595 with free shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Toyota-...ing-Gear-Rack-Pinion-/172382493919?rmvSB=true

If they last as long as my first OEM rack, I wouldn't worry about a warranty.

 

dick. Could have used that link like two hours ago.
So I'm supporting local business. That's all i got.

 

Did you install a diff drop kit when you installed your OME setup? Are you still liking the OME 882?

 

OP is a baller.
New tars and wheels.... new rack...
Seems like he ought to be able to afford a second gen

 

I kinda want a 2nd gen access cab to have a little more cab space, and much more aftermarket support. Pyrite mica, +2 LT, 35s.



But then I realize I already have a better truck....

 

Yes on the diff drop, and, yes the 882's are still performing fine as far as handling the weight.