Steering column final fix

The steering rattle and clunk has met its final match on my truck. I did the zip tie trick and that lasted a few months. I threw another zip tie in there and it lasted a little while again. Sick of that I went to the stealership to buy the TSB intermediate shaft. I got a song and dance and finally they brought one out for me. After a good long look at it neither the parts guy myself or their "best mechanic" could figure out what the difference between the old shaft and the new one was. At almost $300 I decided to just fix mine. Keep in mind that I am fully aware of the fact that I have rendered the rag joint useless.

1. Pull the steering shaft out of the truck.
This only requires you to remove 3 bolts and be smart enough to index the shaft and not spin the steering wheel. (Clock spring will break if you spin the wheel) If you cant figure out how to gently spread the collars and get the shaft out just stop now. You probably shouldn't be messing with any critical systems.

2. Push the plastic bullshit out from between the shaft and the little u joint yolk.

Clean the greas out from between the shaft and yolk.

3. Weld the fucking thing!

Weld both sides front and back.

Yes, this renders the rag joint useless. Yes, there will be a little more road feedback through the column. I never did like how mushy the steering in my truck felt due to the super soft rag joint anyway though. Total cost....... free99! Total time...... 45 min remember to drink beer AFTER doing this, a test drive will still get you a DUI.

 

"Weld the fucking thing" LOL So is the rag joint rattling around what makes it feel loose? I've never messed around with steering columns and I'm unfamiliar with how the rag joint physically works. I understand it dampens the road feeling.

 

interesting...my zip tie has held up so far, luckily

 

The rubber rag joint flexes as it is intended to absorb vibration and shock. When the plastic bushing between the shaft and the U joint yolk wears out it allows the shaft to clunk around inside the yolk. In an ideal world you should be able to buy that little bushing but then you still have the mushy rag joint. Theoretically you could just cut out the Toyota rag joint and make a new shaft with a polyurethane rag joint. After driving the truck like this i have decided that its just fine without it.

 

I see. Thanks for explanation. I had my original replaced under the TSB, but it still rattles a bit.

 

Zip tie? Can you post a DIY link that shows where you put it? I thought I remember seeing one before, Thanks

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/88077-steering-column-fix.html

 

The ziptie seem like a band-aid and this looks like a better fix

 

Great thanks!

 

One suggestion: add lock nuts and even a dab of lock-tite. You don't want those bolts coming loose while driving down the road. I used to make intermediate steering shafts for Timken back a number of years ago when they were in the steering column business.

 

If you have been struggling with a clunk, shake, or vibration felt in your steering wheel that is most pronounced at slow speeds on rough roads and trails, then this fix may work for your truck. I bought my 2014 back in November of 2013, and within 300 miles I felt a clunk in the steering wheel driving on the icy roads in my neighborhood. It was much more pronounced in the spring when I took the truck off road, so I did a lot of searching on the web and first tried the zip tie mod. In the 12,000 miles since, I have tried zip ties in varying thicknesses, numbers, and positions; the elimination of the rubber disk in the rag joint by rebuilding my upper intermediate shaft with bolts, spacers, washers, and nuts;adjusting the tilt and telescoping of the wheel away from the extreme points/stops; the TSB intermediate shaft; adjusting the steering rack guide screw; lower tire pressure; replacing the sway bar bushings; and even the building my own custom rubber damper for the shaft using hose clamps and the rubber from bicycle grips. None of these ideas has produced the kind of result I discovered when I did the fix documented below. I got the idea from a 4Runner thread that seemed to recommend making the opposite adjustment (pushing the yoke and shaft up), which I tried and determined it only made the problem worse. Shoving zip ties/other stuff in there or welding/taking the rag joint out, in my opinion, creates a conductor for vibrations to travel up between the rack and the wheel.

But to first understand why this particular fix works, you need to know that the either the soft rubber bushings that hold the steering rack to the frame and/or frame and body flex are allowing the steering shaft to be pushed towards the steering wheel by 1/4” or more on bumps. Just look at the grease spot below the bushing on your rag joint to see evidence of this. The only thing taking up the slack and preventing you from feeling this is the rubber disk of the rag joint (also called steering coupler). Replacing the steering rack bushings on a brand new truck seems a little ridiculous and is a rather extensive project, so this fix seems like the next best thing. I am also concerned that replacing the steering rack bushings with harder ones would subject the rack to harsher impacts and more wear, so I’ll stick with this for now. I would, however, be interested in hearing from anyone who replaced the rack bushings on a low-mileage Tacoma to learn how it improved their steering.

Next, it is my belief that the driver feels the clunk when rubber in the rag joint compresses enough that the steering shaft has nowhere else to go and then moves laterally. The fix I have discovered unloads the rag joint and gives it more room to absorb impacts. I think the shaft pushes up towards the driver more than it pulls back down, so setting it a few mm more against the direction it moves gives it more space before it bottoms out. In some rough off road driving, I would estimate it has taken out 90% of the clunk and vibration on climbs and level ground and 70% of the same on descents, when the front of the truck and steering rack have more weight on them. I have been told by folks at two dealerships and even an independent Toyota service center that all of these trucks clunk. I have read similar remarks on other posts on Tacoma World and elsewhere. I hope this helps some of you relieve your clunk and reduce it to more livable levels of vibration. To do this, you may need a helper to assist you in holding the rag joint down under the dash while you tighten the upper bolt on the yoke under the hood/over the wheel. You are essentially shortening the shaft slightly as you move the upper shaft closer to the lower shaft in the yoke, and the best results may be seen with a brand new TSB shaft with a tight bushing, but I have not tried that yet. Please let me know how this turns out for you and how much it improves your steering.

 

You have to wonder why Toyota spent all that money to install them in the first place. OH maybe to reduce driver fatigue.

 

Any one else do this? I was thinking about doing an epoxy instead of welding.

 

anyone try this?

 

rzimm001, how is your custom shaft working out? I built one last spring that looks very similar to yours--rotated the shaft 90 degrees and used spacers. It amplified the feedback I was getting from the road and did nothing to do away with the clunk. I was just curious how yours is working out because it is my belief that the rag joint is necessary to absorb some of the road shock, but that it is inadequate to mitigate the kind of road shock we are getting when the soft steering rack bushings allow the steering shaft to be pushed back towards the wheel so severely.

 

It eliminated the column vibration and I have not experienced any binding. I'm glad I did it but the mod is not without its drawbacks. There is a little more road feedback felt through the wheel. Pick your poison I guess. If your tempted to weld your column, this is easier and doesn't require a welder

 

Oh and I have the energy suspension steering rack bushings.

 

I'm about to. I'm so damn sick of the clunk.

 

Thanks for doing the legwork and finding this fix. I have a 14 also and its clunked since day 1. I didnt take it to the dealer because its was minor enough I was sure they would say unable to duplicate...So yesterday after seeing this I want to the truck and made the adjustment, took 5 min roughly. the clunk is gone and now I can install the lift and wheels