Quick steering question

I need to replace my steering bellows (boot) that it torn. I know that I need to separate the inner and outer tierod to do this but as long as I mark everything carefully, do I really need to get another alignment?

 

You will be fine if you mark everything so it can be put pack exactly as it was. By "exactly" I mean that 1/6 of a turn difference can be seen at the steering wheel.
When I set toe I use the "flats" on the tie rod as an index and use a count of them between measurements. 6 flats to a complete turn.

 

Thanks and now for a follow up question.

When I pulled the old boot back, the inner tie rod ball joint was caked in mud. I haven't fully removed the boot yet but I suspect that this same iron rich dust is also all over the ram. If I clean it all out and if there are no seal leaks, should I be concerned? I'll still check the inner tierod but if the seal is leaking, can I expect to replace the rack?

 

Well, it's probably not what you want to hear but rust pitting on the rack shaft (ram) is a, if not the major cause of rack end seal failure. Of course this will depend on how bad it is. Many folks have tolerated a slow leak from the rack ends for years. Your project will most likely proceed with a "clean it up, wait and see" sort of thing.
The pass side can be cleaned pretty well on the truck but the driver side will be a different story. You will not be able to see or access the portion of the rack shaft that is "swept" by the seal. There is another issue with the driver side. The very lowest spot in the driver side is a needle bearing for the lower end of the control valve shaft. Cleaning any crud from there will require removal of the control valve and the rack shaft, this will destroy the rack end seals.
You may have seen this but it does have some pics of what's inside the rack and how to get there. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...rack-pinion-service-tools-tips-dry-wordy.html
Your 04 should have the new type rack guide so that is a plus. In the end it will be your call. I will be happy to try and answer any questions that might come up.

 

Thanks for the info. I tested everything for play before I started and the inner tierod was good though there was play in the rack bushings. There was enough to see some movement of the rack itself but not enough right now to warrant replacing the bushings.

I cleaned the drivers side ram as well as I could. Thankfully there wasn't too much gunk in there but the minor surface rust shows that some water was sitting in there.

I pulled the outer tierod, installed the new bellows and reassembled everything without issue. I then took it for a test drive and it tracked straight with no vibrations so I assume that the alignment is at or near the same as before. Should I begin to develop a leak, I'll replace the rack and bushings at the same time.