Tacoma 2005-2015 Intermediate Steering Shaft Replacement

Longfellow · Feb 18, 2023

bump for part numbers for the bolts? thanks in advance. 90105-A0086 is what I believe I need

Naveronski · Jan 8, 2024

How did y'all know that the shaft was bad and needed to be replaced?

2009Access4x4 · Sep 23, 2024

wcstory[OP] initial post: ↑

I've benefited greatly from lurking on TW so I figured I give back.

Many of us have been having problems with stiff steering on our Tacoma's. The stiffness can be temporarily alleviated by spraying lube on the joint. This only hides the symptoms of a failing universal joint. After lubing it a few times I decided it needed to be replaced before it failed. My Double Cab 4wd 2009 Tacoma has 215,000 miles and I do a lot of highway driving. I'd prefer to not have a problem at highway speeds.

The dealership charges 450-550 to replace the lower intermediate shaft. Sorry, but I'm frugal and like to save money where I can. This replacement requires no special tools or skills.

For a 2005-2015 Tacoma 4wd the Lower Steering Shaft part number is 45203-04021 .
- Available form online Toyota parts outlets for about 150-175.
- Non-OEM parts are available in the $55-$85 range on fleaBay and elsewhere

Seeing that my Tacoma is more than a bit over the hill I opted for aftermarket parts. I paid $57 with free shipping off fleaBay from a seller I have bought other parts form.

First spray the hell out of the lower mounting bolt and upper bolts on the steering sliding yoke with PB’laster or similar. Start a few days in advance if you can.

Remove the inner fender skirt to gain access to the 2 bolts on the yoke.

Remove the two 12mm bolts from the yoke

After reading the write up that EatSleepTacos did you should definitely remove the driver side wheel too for better access

Turn the steering wheel so that you can access the lower attachment 12mm bolt. I found I could access it by the axle.

Here's the hard part. Getting a flat chisel or screwdriver to the lower attachment to spread the ears. I had to have my daughter sit in the truck and turn the wheel so I could line it up to get access to loosen it up. Spray the hell out of it again.

Turn the steering wheel back to the wheels straight position. Use you jack to lift up on the passengers wheel just enough so it doesn't turn easily.

Spray penetration oil on the yolk and lower attachment again. Now use a screwdriver or flat chisel to open the yolk. You are going to drive the yolk upwards towards the cab so make sure you open the ears of the yoke enough. The problems I had were due to not being liberal enough on opening up the yoke sleeve.

Use a hammer to drive the yoke upwards till the intermediate shaft comes loose.

No you have the get the lower part off the splines. I used a 18" bar with a point inserted into the u-joint and levered off the METAL part of the front axle housing. DO NOT PRY AGAINST ANY ROTATING PART OF THE AXLE!!!

Here's the crusty old one

LIGHTLY open the ears on the lower part of the new steering shaft for an easier fit.

Take the new intermediate shaft and insert it into the yoke sleeve. Make sure the flat spot is at 12 o'clock for the bolt to go through, then remove the bolt. Place the lower bolt into the sleeve and make sure it can thread in. The lower attachment has a 360* gap in the splines for the bolt.

Make sure the wheels are still pointed straight forward. The lower part of the shaft should be just able to slip onto the splines on the steering rack. Pull the intermediate shaft down onto the splines. The bolt will be at 12 o'clock position. I put the bolt in and moved it back and forth till the bolt slipped through to the threads.

Now tap the steering sliding yoke back down so it it is almost snug against the collar of the intermediate shaft. Insert the bolts and make sure they thread in properly. Before you tighten the upper bolts tighten the lower bolt.

Turn the steering wheel again to give you access to the lower bolt. My new intermediate shaft had a 13mm head on the bolt. I used a little Locktite blue and then secured it properly.

Turn the steering back to straight and tighten. Because of how much I opened the yoke I chose not to Locktite till i give it some driving time. Next weekend I'll recheck the bolts and Loktite the uppers.

Things I would have done differently.... I jacked up the front too high to access the yoke sleeve. I would consider unbolting and opening the yoke sleeve before jacking it up if I did another. Second I'd open the yoke sleeve enough the first or second time.
Click to expand...

Are you turning the truck on to turn the steering wheel to line up the bolts so that you can reach them?

Musubi3 · Oct 1, 2024

I found this thread helpful, along with the following threads:
@EatSleepTacos
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-lair.495066/page-1729#post-17351582

@Nimble9
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lazy-mans-guide-to-the-replacing-the-intermediate-shaft.671990/

Job took me about 1.5 hours, with test drive. My steering was crooked after, so I loosened things up again and jumped a spline to correct. Everything was new so adjustment was easy. I loosened both the bottom attachment and two yolk bolts to make the adjustment.

Nothing was really stuck on. The hardest part was removing the lower attachment, which I hammered out with a pry bar.

2009Access4x4 said: ↑

Are you turning the truck on to turn the steering wheel to line up the bolts so that you can reach them?
Click to expand...

I turn the key to "ON" just to turn the steering shaft.

Unfortunately this didn't solve the issue I'm experiencing, but at least I have a new shaft with no labor cost. Plus I like learning and touching my truck's private parts.

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Tacoma 2005-2015 Intermediate Steering Shaft Replacement

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Tacoma 2005-2015 Intermediate Steering Shaft Replacement

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