Squeaky Penguin's (Trip Reports) Build Thread

Nice, I am glad that worked out for you. Yours is still working better than my flex one, I can't figure out why.

 

That seems to be the way it always works.

Next time we wheel let's switch again and see what my perfectly tuned flex does on your rig. Knowing our luck it would probably screw everything up. But anyways, might as well keep using that old firestik. It wasn't doing shit for me, which is why I gave it to you. Seemed to be working fine on your setup.


Also, tonight I realized I picked up one of the weather frequencies really well here in town. Kinda cool to get that.

 

Clean CB install. I have yet to tune mine but I know when I do it will be a PITA.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HGvYDl716Q

 

Nice dude.

Did you and BDN drive up to FoCo together and compare fuel consumption?

 

I'll be curious about your thoughts on how well you can hear it with road noise and possibly music playing.

 

No, didn't end up doing that. Would've been interesting though.

It gets pretty loud. Was listening to the weather one today over music and road noise. I only really use the CB though when wheeling, wereas there's no road noise and I'm not usually listening to music.

 

For the most part I am too. But there are times where I'm caravanning with others and there's no cell reception.

Just curious.

 

Just ordered a Rack Doctor steering rack based on advice from Jace.

It'll be fun replacing a nearly new steering rack and getting another alignment

 

So,

Spent today taking out the AAE rack, swapping the poly bushings into the new rack, and installing the new rack. A few minor unexpected delays as per usual, but overall it went pretty smooth. Did a half-ass tape meausre toe adjustment, and the steering wheel is dead on and it's tracking straight, but still going to get an alignment this week. First impression is that it steers with considerably less effort than my old AAE rack, and, as far as I can remember, my 225K OEM rack.


Thoughs on AAE:

Overall I don't know what to say. Mine clearly had a defect, that, as far as I know, no one else has had. So that could just be bad luck. But things that aren't:

- Timmy, Adam, and myself, have all had issues with the inner tie rod ends.
- There seems to be no consistnecy among the same product:
- Mine rack appears to have brass guides, unlike Timmy's
- Mine has an AAE stamp in the bottom of that rack, Timmy's doesn't:




Suttle differences like this lead me to believe they're not delivering a consitent product. What that means? Well, your guess is as good as mine, but who know's what you'll end up getting.


And I'll conclude with this: At this point though I still strongly suggest that no one buy an AAE/Safari steering rack.

 

cool man, i haven't had any issues yet. the owner of rack doctor seemed really cool, treat him with respect and be upfront with him and he'll return the favor. Bob has a Rack doctor rack installed now too

 

When you say "brass guides" exactly what are you referring to.

 

I apologize for my lack of knowledge, just going off what I've learned and what others have told me. I know you're the expert on this. Anyways, these racks were suppose to come with brass guides which was part of the hype on them. These parts on mine are brass:









And for further reference. Here's what mine looks like when I got it:




And Timmy's

 

No apology is needed or warranted.
I have no hands on experience with these these racks but I am curious as to what's going on with them. There has been talk about a "brass bushing" in place of "plastic" on the OEM rack. Any mention of the "guide" being brass is new to me.
An OEM rack contains only one bushing and one guide, both are inside the rack and can not be seen from the outside.
Your first and second pic shows what Toyota describes as the "end stopper" on the passenger side of the rack. It contains a plastic bushing and it is/was my understanding that the AAE rack used brass instead, for just the bushing. I am thinking you may be mistaking an external coating or plating process (for corrosion resistance) on the "stopper" for the actual bushing inside it.
Here is an OEM machined steel "stopper" and the plastic bushing (left) that fits inside it. I have always thought the AAE rack used brass for this bushing and that was the only real or imagined improvement over OEM.


Your third pic is the preload adjuster for the rack "guide" found under it. Again, the color of the plating on the adjuster would have nothing to do with the composition or durability of the guide itself.
Below is the late style OEM adjuster and guide (right) viewed from the side. The guide has a plastic friction surface (far right). Did yours have brass instead of plastic?


Just trying to figure out all the facts, thanks.

 

See above.

 

I'll take a look at it tonight after work. Would like to help solve this confusion myself.

It's not too hard to get the guide itself out is it? I would also like to return the thing in a condition suitable to get my money back.

 

Simple, loosen the lock ring an unscrew the adjuster. Think of it as a giant drain plug. You may need a magnet to pull the guide out after the adjuster is removed. It might fall out if you tip the hole down. They are not a tight fit at all.
You will need a tool of sorts to fit the giant hex socket. On an OEM rack a 7/8" rod coupler works well. I used a putty knife stuck across an opposite pair of the hex "points" and twisted that with pliers. There may be some sealer causing some drag, other than that it would unscrew with your fingers. Mark the adjuster/housing and count the turns if you want to put it back as it was.

In your third pic it looks like there may be some "anti-tamper" or "witness" paint on the control valve bolts. Check for anything similar on the adjuster.
I wouldn't want you to void your warranty over this. What ever you use for a tool, maybe put some tape on it so as not to scar up the adjuster or just whittle 6 flats on a broom handle, the thing should not be tight.
Your call and thanks for the effort.

 

OK, so for the good of TW I investigated further.

Rack guide is clearly not brass, but is also clearly not plastic. It's metal of some sort, and looks quite a bit different than yours Dirty Pool. The friction surface, as you call it, does not extend down from the rest of it:







It's covered in grease, which I didn't want to remove.


And then check this out. Had a hard time holding the rack, moving the beam around, and holding the camera, but check this out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9CL_tCsbU0&feature=youtu.be

 

Hell of a saga there. So you are back on the road and coming up to Montana this weekend then, right?

 

Trying to get Friday off work, but we're down a person and I don't think it's going to happen