Leaking Rack & Pinion

I had my steering rack replaced yesterday due to a slow leak as well. It was done at a local suspension/alignment shop with an aftermarket rack for about half the price the dealership wanted.

 

Replaced my rack last year.
Trans bracket drop was the best thing to gain more room. Buy the 2 rack bolts and cut the old ones off. Buy the hoses. Mine were so thin they broke.
Steering shaft u joint on min was shot. Good time to replace it.

Best advice .Center steering wheel and tie it up before you do any thing.

Expect half your bolts to be rusted. Mine are from Salt and PBlaster was my friend. Soaking all bolts for a day prior helped the most.

Swab bar ends do not need to be removed but could make it easier if they come off easy. Mine would not.

 

Had my rack and pinion replaced with a brand new 2018 truck with only ~3K miles on it. Thought it was an AC leak issue but had slight oily residue dripping near area where AC drains out. Dealer said it could have been a human error in manufacturing and has never dealt with something this early before. Hope it isn't a list of breakdowns in the future with this truck. I enjoy using this for work.

 

Warranty is a good thing, don't sweat it.

 

Did you install the app extra PS fluid filter? If it's magnetic it doesn't need a bypass cause it can't clog right?
I was thinking of retrofitting the PS fluid cooler that the 3rd gen Tacos have. It bolts right in

 

I did install the magnetic filter on the return line just before it enters the reservoir. Not sure what you're asking regarding a clog...

 

The factory filter (screen in bottom of reservoir) can clog if the fluid gets too dirty and then your pump will aerate.

The magnefine filter I think has a magnet tube that the fluid passes thru so it should be less prone to clogging was my question...

 

Correct. I ended up replacing the reservoir too, cheap and easy to replace while everything is apart.

 

I’ve noticed some constant moisture on the bottom of my boots for the tre and my steering has been rough for a while. I’m wondering how the aftermarket racks have held up vs a Toyota rack. Doesn’t sound like a job you want to do often.

 

I have the A1 Cardone reman rack in mine. Lasted about 1.5 years before it died, but I put it through some serious shit off-road so I wasn’t mad. Had a free warranty replacement put in less than a week later.

 

Should there be any play in the intermediate shaft? I can spin mine(the shaft all the way from the steering wheel to the rack) maybe an 1/8 of a turn either way. The u joint and other connections seem to be solid. The grommet is gone at the firewall though. The rack itself seems solid on the mounts so it’s hard to tell about the bushings for me. The only things I can see for sure is barely low power steering fluid and the boots looking like there’s a leak on the inside. I’ve also had a popping since a recent alignment. I noticed a popping noise also when twisting the shaft earlier today. The only thing that hasn’t been replaced on my front end are lca bushings. They’re on the list to do also.

 

While driving down the road, can you move the steering wheel back and forth and not have the tires move? If so, intermediate shaft needs replacing. These videos are mine before I replaced it. What a difference.

https://youtu.be/6fHzQnWHLlg

https://youtu.be/vgo3c6ACkRc

 

I actually get the feeling sometimes that the wheels move left or right and i get a “catching up” feeling from the steering. Almost like it’s aligned one second and pulling the next. It’s been that way so long I’ve always chalked it up to Louisiana’s finely rutted highways. That is until i drove my father in laws 2014. It was night and day difference.

 

So while the wife is asleep and I’m up baby sitting a brisket I decided to check the intermediate shaft like your videos and I didn’t see the slack in yours at the first connection but I did get to hear my loud pop in the video. I’m leaning towards that u joint. Once my phone charges a bit I’ll try to get a better view of the u joint and try again. Then figure out YouTube and uploading links. Where did you get your shaft at? I didn’t see it on rock auto. Is it a Toyota only part?

 

Anybody use these guys? How’d it go?

https://www.cvjreman.com/sterring-racks/

 

A test is to spray the u joint with Pb blaster. I had dead spots in the steering, where the wheel would get really stiff. Pb blaster solved that. I still had the play in it, but it just confirmed it needed replacing.

I bought my steering shaft through Toyota directly. I believe there are china ones on eBay though

 

Let's see here. China + critical steering component = not for me thank you.

 

Which is why I bought a toyota one. It was only $175

 

Yep. On another note, Koyo is really Toyoda machine works and they have recently posted up alerts to fake bearings form Chi. The effort put into one example was troubling as the packaging and bearing inscriptions look identical to the Koyo original. Very troubling.

 

Is this the one you got?

$26 Magnefine 3/8" Magnetic Inline Transmission/Power Steering Filter

https://www.amazon.com/Magnefine-Ma...c+power+steering+filter,automotive,161&sr=1-1

My rack and pinion went out the other weekend so gathering parts and info.