Funky steering/front suspension

The issues has been around since day one I bought her. 04 TRD 4x4 93000 miles. There is some free play in the steering wheel. I believe it floats to the left or right too much before you see a result. If I stand outside the truck, look at the front left wheel and move the steering wheel I do see some movement, but I'm talking the very slightest. I will also say it is very easy to turn the wheel. Little resistance.

Also if the front end were to come in contact with lets say a steep driveway apron, or a deep pothole, I can feel the impact in the steering wheel. Any one have any ideas? Honestly it is a little bit freaky driving around. I'm waiting to turn the wheel and have nothing happe.

 

Steering rack bushings are shot maybe?

 

Hmm thanks. I did a search online and that could be the answer. Sounds like it could answer the free play in the wheel, but I dont know about feeling the impact from a bump through the wheel. What do you think?

 

Yeah, bad bushings would cause you to feel bumps on the road through the steering wheel.

 

Grab a buddy.....Jack up the front/get tires off the ground.

Manually grab a front tire and wiggle it in & out. Have your buddy look at the bushings/rack and watch how it moves. If the bushings are bad, you'll notice the entire rack move. The entire rack shouldn't move.

http://www.keystonekrawlers.com/Mods/Toyota/SteerBushing/TacomaSteeringBush.htm

 

thanks fellas. Im sure that is the answer. But that job sounds like a pain in the ass. I might shop around and see what $ I would be looking at to have someone else do it. Is it not as bad as it reads? If the write up says "this bolt is very hard to access", I'm sure it is 10x worse than it sounds

 

Dude....a GIRL made that write-up.

My husband and I did the install and I did the writeup. If you have some mechanical skills & a mechanically capable friend...you can do it.

Research around, there are other writeups online.You can read & compare how each was done and make your own decisions.

But first, you need to jack up the front end and find out if that is your problem (or not)

 

Im not saying I cant do it. I work on the truck and my bikes all the time, but my knee is in a brace from a wreck at the track. So right now it sounds like a pain in the ass. Bolt on stuff I can do, but I'll admit that engine internals scare me

 

One thing to consider, particularly if you've added weight to the front, like bumper guards & skidplates or a winch, is that it will load the front suspension a bit more.

When you try to turn the wheel, the suspension can jack up or down a bit before the wheels start to turn.

This effect can make the steering feel too lose or too tight as well.

Stiffer springs & shocks will make a big difference if this is your real problem.