Steering Troubles, could this be the culprit?

Hey all. I took my 01' double cab in to the shop because the steering has been real weird lately. They rotated the tires and said it's fine. Driving it home today it felt worse.

Crawling underneath, I found this part of the steering rack that seems to be all bound up? Could this be the culprit?

 

That looks like it's just swelled up from being oil soaked. Don't think that would cause steering issues. What exactly does the steering feel like? Have you had the upper and lower ball joints checked recently?

 

Thanks for the quick reply. There are a couple symptoms with the steering right now. It's sluggish and tougher to turn than usual, and it feels almost like the wheel isn't straight. If I center the toyota logo, it either pulls slightly to the left or right. Driving it on the highway I had to make a lot of adjustments to keep the truck true down the road. Also, I feel a clicking in the steering at some points when turning, like it's not a smooth motion all the way around. The wheel still centers, so I think the power steering is still working to an extent.

I got the suspension redone last summer, with new struts and a 1in lift and level applied. Ball joints were checked then. I'm looking at the invoice from last summer now, and it doesn't specify lower or upper, but I'm assuming they checked both.

Are there any signs of ball joint issues I can check for? I'm no mechanic but I'm not scared to try and find the problem. I appreciate the help

 

What you see there is just a boot, it looks to me like when the toe-in was adjusted they didn't slide the clamps around so it's just twisted. You can loosen the clamps and adjust it, check for leaks inside it, but if @mechanicjon is correct and there's fluid in there, there shouldn't be.

My '03 has a similar problem, it handles perfectly with one flaw, let go of the wheel, it drifts right. I was told in 2018 it's a steering rack and LCA's (or just LCA bushings,) but not sure. So I replaced LCA's and ball joints, had it re-aligned, they're saying it's strut bushings(shock bushings) but "don't rule out a steering rack."

In your case look up and perform the tests against the tie rod ends and upper/lower bushings, it's pretty obvious when they're really bad (briefly, check for play at 9/3 and 12/6 on the front wheels, rock the top of the wheel on the ground and look for play in uppers ball joints or bushings.) Otherwise it may be the steering rack or maybe just the bushings, do the tests against those too. Here's how you check the lower ball joints.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bu2rQMxXV2M

 

So I should drain those boots? There does feel like there is fluid inside the left one.

This truck has a mountain of service records, I was digging through it and it appears the steering rack has been replaced 3 times, once when it was taken off lease in 03, again in 06, and again when the frame was replaced in 2016. I'm thinking the steering rack might be the problem. Luckily my uncle's brother is a part collector and has one I can take, just have to get to kansas to pick it up.

Just went out and tested ball joints with a bar, there is no play, and they looked fresh. That video is super informative, I've seen trucks with their wheels splatted out on the highway before, glad to know how to check and do preventative maintenance for that now. Lower control arms also appear to have been replaced recently. Just found a coffee stained invoice from 2018 showing they were replaced.

Thanks for your helping me pinpoint the problem. Is it normal for a first gen to tear through steering racks? Mine is up to 300k since I last updated my bio, it feels weird to have that many steering rack replacements in that amount of miles, but I don't have any knowledge on the topic

Guess it's time to set out across the prairie and pick up a steering rack. I can't complain though, free part and I get an excuse to drive my dad's FJ across the flint hills.

 

I'd be sure that's what the problem is first, and I'd investigate the boots. Odd that you've gone through so many racks.

 

I depends upon where you drive. I drive my truck on some of the worst roads in Utah and at 110,000 miles, installed my 2nd replacement Genuine Toyota steering rack. I replaced the original rack at 60,000 miles.

The first 60k included a lot of extremely rough washboard roads and I don't know how many erosion ruts. The next 50K included several hard runs through southeastern Utah "roads", including those that are west of the Green river.

 

i wonder if the drag of the boot on the inner tie rod is enough to cause the not returning to center .

Your used to the steering and would pick up on something not feeling like it should.

Good luck!

 

If there's fluid in those inner tie rod boots then the rack seals have failed and you'll need a new rack, or rebuild that one. Not supposed to be fluid in there. Common for them to leak a bit with age, but if it's "full" of fluid that's a problem

 

I've had vehicles that didn't track well (to me) that felt much better with some castor added. 'In spec' may feel ok to others and bug me or vice versa.

 

Does your steering rack say Toyota on it? Looking at the rack from the back side, It would be stamped near the center of the tube.

 

Mine says Toyoda. Don't know if that's an important difference.

I read somewhere, maybe here, that lots of remanufactured racks use older OEM racks and rebuild them. It may be possible to get a cheap remanufactured rack that also looks like OEM.

 

yeah Toyoda is the lettering that's on the OEM racks. Was the companies original name and still used on a few of the parts (also on the PS pump)

 

That boot didn't do that by it's self. It does not turn when you steer. Looks like some one did not loosen the boot clamp when they adjusted the toe. Look at your other side. A little oil in the boot is not unusual.

 

I see you mentioned that a lot of parts have been replaced. Do you know what brand parts they were replaced with? Brands like Moog and other after market parts do not have the same quality as OEM parts and tend to fail within years (1-2) of installation.

In short, just because it's been replaced, doesn't mean that I can't fail again sooner.

 

I don't see what the problem is here. Diagnosing front end issues is very very basic. All you need is a jack.
Go to Chris Fix's youtube site and watch his
"How to check out your own car's suspension system" video.
He also has a great video on how to fully rebuild a front end, and this guy can really teach.
video. If you cannot do any of this, go to some tire place that does front ends, and
tell them your problem. You might get a right diagnosis, but for gosh sake, never let them fix
your front end. Also ask for cost of alignment, but make sure the front end repair is done FIRST.
Then go to local mechanic you trust and ask them if what the tire guys said was accurate. He might
look for free, as it takes 10 minutes.
Do not tell your mechanic that this diagnosis came from the tire people, as well. Just describe symptoms and
ask if it "could be this". Then ask for a price and r and r hours.
If you do not know anyone locally who is trustworthy, call around and ask various shops how much it will cost
to get the spark plugs in your truck changed, and you have the NGK's.
Anything about $100 - $125.00 means they are rip artists. Keep track of answers for down the road.
There are righteous mechanics out there who take pride in their work, but it is a unregulated industry and
slime bags abound.