Power Steering mystery - now a drive shaft mystery...

actually no.............far from it

no pressure i rack to effect centering

acts like a grocery cart wheels want to self steer ................go willy nilly

if U were to take out the rackthen flat tow the front wheels would not track straight

 

Update - the vibration came from the shop I had it at put the drive shaft 180 degrees from correct. Cost me $180. Had to fight the original shop for my $180 back. Seems my nail polish from 1/ 1/2 years ago was correct. If they had set it back to my nail polish all would be good.

How is is that me as back yard mechanic was better than a "professional". Very frustrating....

 

Simple enough fix at least! Morons.

 

Now do you believe us that your steering issue is the intermediate shaft and not the pump like those morons told you?

 

The older I get the more I realize there's hardly any professionals holding professional occupations.

 

After seeing this picture I can tell you your intermediate steering joint is the culprit. There's corrosion in there making it bind. I had the same issue on my 2009 when I bought it last year. There was a weird hard dead spot, which is not ideal for the windy, twisty back roads I drive on. I sprayed some penetrant on it and worked the steering for a little bit. Afterwards I coated it with Fluid Film and has been fine ever since. I try and re-coat it every 6 months or so, usually lines up with my oil change. Although my truck isn't as rusty so yours will more than likely need replacement.

 

driveshaft 180 out would not explain or eliminate the ‘ dead ‘ zone U described orig post

it would substaniate the vibrations

 

2 different issues. Vibrations taken care of - although I got ripped on that one.

Working on the dead zones. Going out for axle grease to slap on the shaft. Going to replace it when I get home. Just trying to figure out of the pump is getting replaced as well.

 

If you're looking for a quick / temporary fix for the steering shaft, use penetrating oil. Grease won't get into the joint.

 

Plan is to spray the bejeebers out of it with WD-40 then lube it up with some axle grease. Maybe the grease will ooze into the joints.

 

Sounds like a plan. Tell us how it works.

If it is the intermediate shaft and you replace it, I'd recommend coating the new one with Fluid Film to protect it. That's what I did with mine.

 

It's been about a week now. We are in NC now.

I sprayed the joint with WD-40 and that seemed to help a bit. Then I lubed it up properly with axle grease and that made everything better. No dead spots at all. Will still replace the intermediate joint but will do that when I get back.

 

So I go looking to buy an intermediate shaft and there seems to be a big discrepancy in the price. For example on Amazon I can get a unknown name (to me) for $60:

$50 Lower Intermediate Steering Shaft Column Assembly Fit for 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma 4WD & 2005-2015 PreRunner 2WD or 4WD Replace 4520304021 45203-04021

https://www.amazon.com/Intermediate...=1&keywords=45203-04021&qid=1605822179&sr=8-2

or an OEM part for $200:

$200 45203-04021

https://www.amazon.com/TOYOTA-Toyot...1&keywords=45203-04021&qid=1605822356&sr=8-19

RockAuto doesn't seem to stock this piece and the $60 versions are sold by brands I don't recognize.

You guys have any preferences or should I suck it up and buy OEM?

 

I used to drive the Wholesale Parts Delivery truck at the Toyota dealership I work at. I got to visit lots of shops and talk to lots of people who knew their stuff. Once (at a shop I trust) they ordered an OEM steering shaft - which I delivered. I found out when I got there that the reason they ordered it was to compare it to the no name steering shaft they got from a local parts store. I got to see the parts side by side. The aftermarket shaft was a total joke. It looked like a 3/4 scale version of the real thing. Oh, and it didn't fit for crap. Needless to say they took the Toyota part. Any questions?

 

Back home in PA and the inspection was up so ran it through (we have yearly emissions and mechanical). Told them to take a look at the intermediate shaft and they noticed no issues. They're thinking power steering pump.

For now going to do nothing until the steering issue comes back.

 

Cant we just change the universal joint and go with a grease nipple in one of the end caps ? Let me guess ...That makes too much sense and you gotta buy the complete shaft with the un-greasable universal joint
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-lower-steering-shaft-rebuild-diy.543377/
I Never had to change out a steering shaft on a Tacoma yet , but mine looks worse than the OP,s