2nd Gen Steering Wheel Slop

My 2010 Tacoma 4x4 TRD OR seems to have a lot of play in the steering wheel. When I'm driving, especially on the freeway, it feels as if my truck is "floating" because of the deadspot between 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock. If I need to make small adjustments to the direction I'm traveling I have to rotate my steering wheel all the way to one side until it engages, then all the way to turn the other way. Anybody else have this problem? I just put in a brand new steering rack, but I also have aftermarket upper and lower control arms with uniballs making the steering a bit stiffer. This seems to cause my truck to follow grooves in the road very easily and force me to wander across the road. Any ideas?

 

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I'm having this same issue. I have done the "steering wheel fix" to shorten the intermediate steering shaft but no dice. Anyone familiar with this issue? Not so much the clunking off road (mine has it too) but the looseness of the steering wheel driving even on normal roads?

 

uca, lca, and tie rods all have no play?

 

I'd first question if there's worn steering components. If everything looks good it has to be the alignment.

 

Could be the intermediate steering shaft. There's a small ujoint in there that wears over time. I've chased down and replaced every single component but still have slop myself. I replaced lca, uca, steering rack, inner/outer tie rod, sway bar endlinks, sway bar bushings, wheel bearings, cam alignment bolts to no avail.

I will be pulling off the steering shaft soon to investigate. I may even run a small weld on the telescoping part of the shaft per a few diys I have seen in the past few months and replace ujoint.

 

x2

The steering shaft u-joint is exposed and wears out. Have someone move the steering wheel back and forth and look under drivers side to see if the play is coming from the u-joint in the steering shaft.

 

Any updates on this? I replaced my lower intermediate shaft with a $60 part (not the $200 OE part) and still have the wandering feeling. Tried taking apart the steering column to see if anything can be welded but it's the telescoping steering wheel and not sure how to measure the right distance when out the truck. Is the redesigned telescoping steering shaft as susceptible to play as the older 1st Gen Tacomas where the weld mod was common? My truck is exhibiting that same problem at 300k miles and I've similarly replaced just about everything at this point.

 

My frame was bad, Replaced whole front end and still wandered after and drove it for a few months until I found the weld by pass cab mount was able to be pushed in with my fingers.

Did you check your rear shackle bushing and ubolts for being tight? Tire pressure in rear OK? That helped a lot but not enough

 

Oh man, that's not fun. What part was cracked and how did you determine that the frame was bent? I saw you're doing a frame replacement, was fixing the bend less economical than replacing?

I'll check the rear leaf shackle and U bolts. I've replaced so many things trying to track it down. Hopefully the frame isn't the issue but every alignment the cam tabs are at different positions right and left so that seems to indicate an issue with the frame. Alignment numbers are similar for both sides.

 

Frame rotted too much to be repaired.
Ill get some pics when there is some day light.

 

Heya, anyone tried https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=13695369&cc=1447055&pt=11373&jsn=10 from rockauto? It looks like the design solves some of the issues that the original design had?

 

that is the gen 1 shaft. The gen 2 version does not have the rubber isolator. My u joint was bad and I replaced it with the dorman part. seemed to be pretty solid and solved my issues. Hopefully it will last.

 

Huh, weird it's listed under the 2011 taco parts

 

Yes, it is listed as the "intermediate shaft." The part that usually fails is the "lower intermediate shaft." You will notice that rock auto lists both of them for the 2nd gen. The one you linked is the one that goes through the firewall and connects to th steering wheel, not the one that connects to the steering rack. The one you listed has the ujoint in the cab, so doesn't rot away, like the one in the engine compartment. Not saying that this one can't go bad as well, but because the u joint doesn't see the elements it is likely to last a lot longer.

 

I'm getting the infamous slop and knock that's coming from the upper one I think, the bottom one seemed fine in the u joint since there's no substancial slop in the wheel it's just clunks over bumps, all the front end components are new

 

sorry then. seems like you got the right part. No experience ot offer, as in my case the lower one failed.

 

Same here. I replaced the upper intermediate shaft with the new, updated design and no difference. FWIW: I have that Dorman shaft on my 07 FJ Cruiser and it has zero issues with steering wander. It has a 2" lift but stock tires. Wondering if the tire offset on my Tacoma is contributing to this issue.

 

I have a similar dead zone in my steering wheel on my 2012.
I've got a lot of aftermarket parts, pretty much the whole front end is different -- so hard to say if my problem is the same as others. All new bushings and joints etc in the front suspension, new tundra steering rack, new inner/outer tie rods, as well as a new lower intermediate shaft.
Pretty much the only thing I haven't replaced is the upper intermediate.

 

We should isolate the problem. For those with the steering wander, do you have the Total Chaos heim joint style UCA? Wheel offset? My thought is that we all have checked or replaced the steering components recently so it has to be something either in the steering column/shaft or possibly wheel/tire combo with the stiffer UCA.

 

Not TC ones, but LT arms with heim joint UCA pivots. Might outer tie rods are Heims as well, with brand new Moog inners. Uniball pivots for every other joint — No bushings, so it’s solid. Even my steering rack has solid aluminum bushings.
Intermediate shaft is new… my only guess is that my steering rack has some play internally or that the upper intermediate/rag joint is shot. The upper shaft doesn’t seem loose or overly worn or anything if I pull on it or grab the steering wheel & turn back and fourth with vehicle off.