TOYOTA TACOMA owner for 15 years, first problem

Hello, I just signed up and want to wish everyone safe journeys on road and also off road. I have spent many years building rigs for off road, Toyota,s, jeeps, scouts ect, I love them all, but for the best rig the Toyota nails it, dead on. My daily driver is a 2003 Tacoma, basic 2 wd truck. This truck has given me 160 thousand trouble free miles, just 2 weeks ago, I had to replace the original battery, btw, I bought it new, 15 years from a battery, remarkable. I live in snow country so the truck has a new frame done about 3 years ago. I have worked as a welder for all of my life, welded up most all of the smaller trucks with a box frame, I am simply amazed at the moco for the replacement program. I am having my first problem that I am not familiar with, the rack and pinion steering is leaking fluid. on the cylinder of the rack, there are 2 steel lines about 3/8" dia, one is pressure, the other is return, right where the line is threaded into the cylinder, which I assume is some type of fitting, well, this fitting has rusted out and fluid is leaking, so I guess my first question is, can this be fixed with out removing the whole assembly, also which is the pressure line, the one that is leaking is the line in the center of the cylinder. many thanks.

 

I don't know the solution to your problem but I'm positive a picture will say a thousand words to someone who does know!

 

yea, i agree, sorry im a dinosaur, no phone or camera, i know, its tough at times but , im too old to change, and i get yelled at by my kids all the time. im really trying to figure out how the fluid lines actually connect to the rack, one is so rusty, i cant make anything from it. is there a fitting threaded into the rack where lines connect or are the connection points part of the rack. thanks

 

Welcome to TW... I’m not a mechanic, but someone will chime in soon. Like the previous post stated, post up a photo of the troubled area!

 

Damn... I thought I was living in the electronic dark ages!!

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome!

 

thank you all for the kind words, sorry for not posting pics, i never ever had any luck with camera,s, many times i have considered a smart phone, then i really think about what would be different in my life, if i had one, since I am mostly a shop rat loner, keep to myself and my work, a phone , ehhh!! why, so I take the coin that it would cost and buy tools. recently i bought a spool gun for my mm252. then picked up another plasma cutter, this one will do close to an inch. yea, i do stuff like this, build my shop. anyways, i have been outside, contemplating my next move with the truck. rearranged the shop and shoehorned it in, this thing is a challenge, anything with a hex on is rusted away. thankfully i have an oxy/acet. torch to coax it all apart. one question if you guys dont mind, im doing this on the floor, so , i get under the truck, behind the steering, on the rack, there are 2 steel lines, the one that is in the middle of the rack is the one thats bad, the other is over by the passenger side, anyone know if the one in the center is pressure or return, thanks. kevin

 

Can you trace the lines from the pump to determine which is which? Not quite sure I know which you are referring too.

The lownpressure return should have only a hose clamp and a rubber line on a nipple. The pressure line should have a steel line and a rubber hose with crimped steel ends and tapered seat nuts where it ties into the rack.

The lines that go to the sides of the rack are pressure lines they push the internal cylinders back and forth depending on which way the input shaft is turned and not directly connected to the pump. IIRC.

Near where the steering shaft meets the rack there should be the input lines from the pump, the steel threaded one being the high pressure, the rubber hosed clamped one the return.

15 years out of a battery? Holy hell how? I've gotten over 5 out of my NorthStar and I'm floored about that. Most batteries here in Florida last 2-3 at best.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

thanks boogie for the welcome. much appreciated, and thanks key for the input. i got the whole thing apart, not too bad of a job. the problem was a leak in one of the lines that are part of the rack, itself. on this unit, there are 2 lines, each line goes into a 90 degree threaded elbow , which is threaded into the cylinder, it is this elbow that has rusted, enough to create a pinhole. not sure if its repairable from napa. i do have another issue, the return hose to the pump came out of the rack very nice, the pressure hose , well, another story. have you ever seen electrolysis, on a boat. the coupling on the flared end of the pressure hose looks like that, it was half eaton away, i had to use vice grips to remove it. i may need to replace pressure line from pump to rack. any suggestions where to buy toyota parts, also, i will need to remove the hose from the pump, does it come apart like it looks like it will , just a banjo bolt. many thanks to you guys for the support. im pushing 70 and doing all of my wrenching on the floor is hard enough, but with the help of all of you guys, your knowledge takes the "i dont know,s" away from the project. thanks kevin