Play in steering

Hey I have an 04 Tacoma 4x4 and I notice that theres a little bit of play in the steering. The bushings and tie rods all seem tight and ball joints are tight, what am I missing?

 

And this is also my 3rd tacoma 4x4 and 7th yota truck and Ive never had a problem with play in the steering...

 

What bushings are you referring to?

Did you inspect the rack bushings?

Jack the front end up off the ground and have someone turn the wheel. Watch the rack itself. If the entire rack moves even slightly, your rack bushings are shot.

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

 

Yea that was the first thing I checked...

 

Did you check the balljoints on the steering knuckle?

How about the Upper & lower control arm bushings/joints?

 

I have the same problem on mine, It is an 04 also but 2WD, I was told it is the steering/pinion rack. The busings and rods are OK. Teh steering rack does not move at all.

 

i have the same problem. ive actually replaced the rack bushings and inner tie rod ends but when i move the wheel back and forth it looks like its still the inner tie rod ends. im thinking its the rack itself is just worn out.

 

definitely inspect the rack bushings closely.............get someone to turn the steering wheel while you crawl under and have a look. mine were shot to hell when i bought my 04 last year........fixed under warranty(finally...after 4 trips to the stealer), but i still have my energy suspension bushings im gonna put in soon....get rid of the cheap rubber bushings.

you can tell very quickly if the bushings are shot......the whole damn rack will move side to side when the steering wheel is turned either way.......mine moved 2 inches both ways.

 

I know there hasn't been much activity on this thread in a while, but in case someone comes across it in a search, I have the same steering play/rattle problem described above and found a thread on another site that sounds like they identified the problem and the (inexpensive/easy) solution. It's a fairly long thread, but keep reading, lots of good info there:

http://www.tacomaterritory.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11145

It's apparently a common problem, and all you do is take out the upper steering shaft assembly (only takes a few minutes), do a quick tack weld (or install a roll pin), put it back together, and problem solved.

 

Replace the Rack bushings with the Total chaos or Energy bushings. I have a feeling that will fix your issue. I replaced mine and the steering was so much tighter