4Runner Steering Rack Replacement

[MTL_4runner]

As usual I wanted to document the replacement of the steering rack to save other the trouble later on when doing it themselves. I originally thought I needed an inner tie rod end but after cutting off the boot for the steering rack it became obvious that the rack itself was moving and that the internal bushings on the steering rack were worn.

Here's the thread leading up to the diagnosis:
http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=6390.msg80750#msg80750

So to make a long story short I finally ordered a rebuilt steering rack from Garo Rack & Pinion in Florida. They had great feedback from others and they have a 2 year warranty their parts so I decided to give them a try. I looked at used steering racks but with winter in full bore up here now, I don't really want to go hunting out in the junkyard for one that's still in good shape.

Anyway, I bought a rebuilt long rack (everything including the inner tie rods for $289 USD, no core charge) and then bought the outer tie rods from them as well ($40 USD a pair) so all the steering parts will be brand spanking new or rebuilt to OEM specs. Shipping was free in the US but it cost me around $55 USD to get it to Canada via USPS.

[MTL_4runner]

Here's a few pics of the rack I received today. I would have preferred it to be unpainted since it looks a tad "cheap" that way or at least to paint it a gray color similar to the factory sand blasted aluminum finish. It's not a big deal (1-2 winters of salt and sand blasting up here and the paint will be completely gone).....besides it's all about the rack's functionality not its looks anyway. If I were to do it again I would ask for the rack to be shipped unpainted though.

I did have to fix the passenger side boot clamp because it had been put on at an angle and it looked like it might slip off during use. I would also have liked to see a metal clamp on the outer portion of the rack boots (instead a zip tie was used), but again not a big deal you can just transfer over the original metal clips quite easily.

Finally the pressure line running across the rack is a bit dinged up and bent (possibly during shipping, compare to last pic), but again I'm sure it is functionally fine. There is another line that is missing altogether (compare to last pic) but again not a big deal since my old pressure lines are still in good shape so I'll likely just transfer them all over to this rack when I install it. I would also note the auction doesn't say anything about pressure lines so you might infer that you are on your own for that part of the install. Worst case a trip to the junkyard will get you a new set of lines fairly cheap too.

Unfortunately, I can't install the rack right now because they forgot to include the outer tie rods with my rack (just as well because it is bitter cold up here at the moment). I emailed them and they are sending a pair of inner tie rods to me ASAP. One thing I will say for Garo is that their customer service is excellent so if you do run into a problem they are very quick to fix it for you!

[MTL_4runner]

They already shipped the outer tie rods via USPS Express Mail (overnight) so I'll post pics of those when I get them too.
Can't say enough about the customer service, very impressed.

*EDIT*
The new outer tie rods did finally arrive but they were not a matched so I was a little miffed about that. I'm going to send one back so I have a matched set but I'll just keep them as spares for now. They also didn't come with jam nuts so keep that in mind if you are doing this at home yourself.

[MTL_4runner]

Well, I started to replace the rack today and I must say I am deeply enviable of those living in southern climates because it is freezing cold outside (even in the garage, no heat) and it seems like I have to fight with everything being seized with rust so that doesn't help. Right now I've got everything appart except the high pressure PS line at the rack. The steering joint also wouldn't separate at the rack so I needed to unbolt the rag joint and hopefully it will be easier to separate once I get the entire rack out.

My original plan was to install brand new inner and outer tie rods in addition to the rack but it seemed easiest (since my current ones aren't bad) to just cut off the boots and unscrew the inner tie rods from the rack. That way if I do everything correctly I shouldn't need to do an alignment (at least not right away). I also found that a giant pair of channelocks will take the place of the 1 5/8" wrench to remove the inner tie rod ends.

So I then decided to cut off the boot of the new rack to remove the inner tie rods and I found out why the boot on the passenger side wouldn't stay on.....the end was badly damaged (remanufacture? accident? who knows?). Now luckily I can just unscrew the end on my current rack to make it work, but that's not a good mark for QC on a remanufactured rack.

We'll see if anything else comes up after I get it all installed.

[MTL_4runner]

Here's some photos of the progress so far.
Still stuck on PS pressure line (just above swaybar in the first pic)

[MTL_4runner]

First two are pics of the damaged rack end cap.
Second are the good rack end cap and the replaceable bearing that goes inside it.

[MTL_4runner]

Be careful not to lose these conical washers or the external PS lines won't seal on the rack.
There should only be two of them on each rack.

[MTL_4runner]

When installing the new rack, make sure the steering wheel is straight and each of the inner tie rods measures exactly 2 1/8" from the rack housing to the center of the inner tie rod staking washer. Doesn't matter which side you measure from because they should both be exactly the same. If you do this the rack will be exactly centered.

[MTL_4runner]

I finally got a nice weekend above 0 degrees to work on the 4runner and finish this job up. The steering intermediate shaft was almost impossible to get off (seriously rusted on there) and after using a series of torches and prybars, I finally had to completely destroy the old rack to remove it. I ended up disassembling the rag joint (see pic), cutting the input shaft on the steering rack (see pic), holding the intermediate shaft in a vice and using an air hammer to drive the cut portion of the splined input shaft back out. It worked, but so much for getting money back on a core. The new intermediate shaft from Toyota was much more than the core cost anyway plus I just wanted the job done so I can have my garage back so I just did whatever was needed to get the part off. Hopefully those in nicer climates won't need to resort to such mechanical cannibalism.

When you go to install the new rack, the alignment of the intermediate shaft with the splines on the input shaft should line up with one another. The split section of the intermediate shaft should line up with a dot on the splined shaft of the steering rack (see pic). The FSM says to make a mark on both and then reassemble them but that won't help if you have a brand new rack installed. The way you check that you got it right is to center the steering wheel and then measure that the inner tie rod distance to the steering rack is exactly 2 1/8" on both sides.

I'll try and take more pictures but the darn lens keeps fogging and freezing on the camera....oh the joys of winter.

[p nut]

Should've waited a few months! :D I did a full suspension replacement outside a few years ago in 10 degree weather. Not fun.

Anyway, awesome write up. Thanks!

[MTL_4runner]

Turned out the first rack I got from Garo Steering was no good. :chair: There is definitely something wrong internally with the rack. Originally I thought it might be the spool valve, but you can feel the rack binding even when just turning the rack by hand (that's not a good sign) so it may be a combination of things. I'm not impressed at the quality so far on this one, but I emailed them for a replacement. I'll report back when I have another rack from them. Major PITA shipping stuff this far so hopefuly it comes quickly.

For now I installed a rack from the junkyard until I get a replacement.

[Nuthuts96]

that's not the update in this thread i wanted to see...
sorry to hear that. can't you just get new seals and whatnot to replace on the junkyard rack? you'd only be out a weekend if you did the work, no?

[MTL_4runner]

that's not the update in this thread i wanted to see...
sorry to hear that. can't you just get new seals and whatnot to replace on the junkyard rack? you'd only be out a weekend if you did the work, no?


I'm getting close to just investing in the tools needed to rebuild these racks myself because it's just rediculous not to be able to get a decent rack at a resaonable price up here. I've torn down my old rack and I can tell you that rebuilding these is not for the faint of heart (you do need some special service tools and a press at a minimum). I'll post some pics but the spool valve assembly can be removed very easily and servicing requires just one SST. The part that is tough to service is the rack itself and the main rack housing.

The achilles heel on these steering racks seem to be concentrated on the driver's side. The reason for this seems to be because there is no sleeve bushing on that side like there is on the passenger side. Instead there is just the steering gear on one side and a metal roller on the other (not as good as a brass or even plastic bushing which goes around the entire surface of the rack). Most racks I've seen start out with excessive play between the roller and the gear which then translates into leaking seals as the wear gets worse. So it's not as simple as just replacing the seals on everything.

If I get more time and it's a little warmer out I may just try a rebuild on a steering rack for people to see. The kits are around $50 so if your rack isn't in bad shape this may be an option to getting a remaned rack.

[MTL_4runner]

Finally ordered a brand new (not remanufactured) rack from Toyota (shipped from US) to fix the problem, I'll post picks once I get it and start the install. I also ordered all the parts to do the rear wheel bearings and to fix my parking brake bellcranks (which have started to rust again). It cost a pretty penny, but hopefully I'll have the truck for a few more years to justify the cost.

Just as an FYI, there are the part numbers I ordered to do the steering rack and tie rods.

44250-35042 (1) Rack Assy, NEW (see photo, highlighted P/N is discontinued)
45046-39335 (1) RH, Outer tie rod (4runner)
45047-39215 (1) LH, Outer tie rod (4runner)
90170-20003 (2) Tie Rod Adjustment Nut, Hexagon
44416-04020 (1) Steering Fluid Return, Tube

If you have a Tacoma, you need to substitute the outer tie rods above for:
45046-39295 (1) RH, Outer tie rod (Tacoma)
45047-39175 (1) LH, Outer tie rod (Tacoma)

[Seanz0rz]

eek, i hear those racks are close to a grand! but, i kind of agree in purchasing a new one if the quality of the rebuilt racks is so poor. steering is kind of an important think, something i wouldnt want to skimp on.

[YotaFun]

Just curious, don't mean to go too much off topic,
But are many of you guys experiencing issues with your racks leaking?
I am on my second rack right now and its about ready to have to be replaced again,
I keep getting a leak right at the steering box where the column goes right in.

I have the bl but I have the space to take care of that so I am just curious if its a 3rd gen thing...

[Seanz0rz]

never a leak on mine. just a bit of slop from a beaten 12 year old rack.

[MTL_4runner]

eek, i hear those racks are close to a grand! but, i kind of agree in purchasing a new one if the quality of the rebuilt racks is so poor. steering is kind of an important think, something i wouldnt want to skimp on.


I paid $700 wholesale for the rack alone, but still big dollars for everything and shipping to Canada for just the rack was over $180 on top of the other amount. At least I was able to save on the labor a bit. ;)

If I could recommend something that would save people money later, it would be to completely skip the rebuilt racks altogether and either get a Toyota remanufactured rack (P/N 44200-35042-84, I didn't go this route because the core is too expensive to ship so it's almost as expensive as a brand new rack) or a brand new rack from Toyota (44250-35042). I'll end up eating the costs on the other used and rebuilt racks, but I'm still way ahead of what a new rack up here would go for (new rack from the dealer is $1400 + tax!!!).

[MTL_4runner]

Just curious, don't mean to go too much off topic,
But are many of you guys experiencing issues with your racks leaking?
I am on my second rack right now and its about ready to have to be replaced again,
I keep getting a leak right at the steering box where the column goes right in.

I have the bl but I have the space to take care of that so I am just curious if its a 3rd gen thing...


Problem with most of the racks I've seen up here (mine included) is too much play on the driver's side of the rack (ie the rack has play perpendicular to the normal linear motion of the steering rack and pinion). I'm hoping the next one will be put in by the new owner of my old truck at some point in the future.

[longstrangetrip]

Problem with most of the racks I've seen up here (mine included) is too much play on the driver's side of the rack (ie the rack has play perpendicular to the normal linear motion of the steering rack and pinion). I'm hoping the next one will be put in by the new owner of my old truck at some point in the future.


Hi Jamie,

I'm having similar rack issues on my '99 Taco 4x4 at the moment (it won't pass a safety check to reg it, because of excessive play on the driver's side wheel), and have been pondering whether to go the junkyard, reman or new part route. Like you, I'm up in Canada, and have been frustrated with the unavailability and high cost of the parts up here!

Can you please tell us where you got your new wholesale-priced rack from? A local shop here is quoting me about $600 for a remanufactured rack, so $700 for a new one would be pretty darn good (since, as you said, the new Toyota part is around $1400!). Also, did Canada customs charge you duty on this part, and if so, how much was it?

Did you consider ordering parts from the "toyotasteering.com" family of sites? They have a "new" rack for about $350, and they quoted me about $100 for shipping, but I wasn't sure if these were genuine Toyota parts or some dodgy aftermarket crap.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's hard to find a fellow Canadian on these sites with similar problems, and we seem to have unique procurement issues even though we basically share a landmass with the rest of north america... argh.

The junkyard part is available to me right now, and would be $120, off a car with about 170k on it... doesn't sound totally appealing, but it might do enough to pass the inspection, although I'd be worried about it developing further issues pretty soon, especially since it's from a used vehicle up here in snowland and not the warm dry south.

Does anyone else have opinions on junkyard versus remanufactured racks?

Looking forward to the updates; thanks for a good thread!

[MTL_4runner]

Hi Jamie,

I'm having similar rack issues on my '99 Taco 4x4 at the moment (it won't pass a safety check to reg it, because of excessive play on the driver's side wheel), and have been pondering whether to go the junkyard, reman or new part route. Like you, I'm up in Canada, and have been frustrated with the unavailability and high cost of the parts up here!

Can you please tell us where you got your new wholesale-priced rack from? A local shop here is quoting me about $600 for a remanufactured rack, so $700 for a new one would be pretty darn good (since, as you said, the new Toyota part is around $1400!). Also, did Canada customs charge you duty on this part, and if so, how much was it?

Did you consider ordering parts from the "toyotasteering.com" family of sites? They have a "new" rack for about $350, and they quoted me about $100 for shipping, but I wasn't sure if these were genuine Toyota parts or some dodgy aftermarket crap.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's hard to find a fellow Canadian on these sites with similar problems, and we seem to have unique procurement issues even though we basically share a landmass with the rest of north america... argh.

The junkyard part is available to me right now, and would be $120, off a car with about 170k on it... doesn't sound totally appealing, but it might do enough to pass the inspection, although I'd be worried about it developing further issues pretty soon, especially since it's from a used vehicle up here in snowland and not the warm dry south.

Does anyone else have opinions on junkyard versus remanufactured racks?

Looking forward to the updates; thanks for a good thread!


Please allow me to save you a ton of money and headache beforehand......buy a brand new rack from Toyota, period.

Don't waste any effort on used or rebuilt racks at all (toyotasteering.com is not factory parts, so NG there). Don't waste time with eBay sellers (even with perfect records) because unfortunately they can still ship you junk and labor for the install is a serious PITA to do twice. The new rack I got was $700 USD and you do need to pay sales tax on the import value when it comes, but it will still beat any Toyota dealer up here by a longshot. Duty isn't usually charged with items coming USmail (in my experience), but YMMV. Not sure how long the shipping is because I still haven't got mine yet but it was only shipped out on the 19th so I'll report back when I do get it.

They do offer a factory remanufactured rack from Toyota which is guaranteed to work like new, but the issue is that you need to ship back your old core which would cost around the same as the core charge, so I decided to skip all that nonsense and just buy a new one for $100 more. If you are buying from a local dealer, this may be an option for you. Make sure you replace all the steering parts at once including the main rack (which should come with new inner tie rods) as well the outer tie rods when you do it. Makes the job alot easier and you'll have the piece of mind knowing the entire steering system is good for another 10 years.

[MTL_4runner]

Finally got all my goodies in the mail and they only charged me $32 tax on $1400 value (parts and shipping).....not sure how that worked, but I'm certainly not going to complain. :thumbup: The new steering rack is truely a thing of beauty.

Here's the pics of all the goodies (steering, rear bearings and parking brake stuff)!

[MTL_4runner]

I finally got the new rack in and it is just butter smooth on the steering now....massive improvement!

[MTL_4runner]

Here's my redneck alignment.....very Canadian I know. :D It actually worked surprisingly well. I also didn't have any string handy or I would have used this method instead (http://www.yotatech.com/f128/driveway-alignment-write-up-163666/) for setting the toe-in. Anyway, I just centered the steering wheeel and then measured the distance between the front and rear of the sticks. If the measurements are exactly equal, then you know the wheels are parallel, but you want some degree of toe-in to keep the truck tracking properly so the measurements in the back should be slightly greater than those in the front. Typically you want toe in set to about 1/16" to 1/8" on each side so the difference in distance between the front and back sticks should be no more than 1/4" maximum total toe-in (preferably less than 1/8" total toe-in). I also looked down on the front tires to see if they had approximately equal toe-in on both sides with the sides of each fender (if both side have the same toe-in with the wheel centered, the truck should track/drive straight). This will do until I can get it in to the dealer for an alignment early next week.

[MTL_4runner]

Here's what $500 worth of headaches looks like.....

$400 Supposedly rebuilt rack to factory specs (had serious issues)
$100 Used rack from the boneyard which was only marginally better then my old rack (still too much play).

Need to ship the rebult one back to Garo and see if they will at least give me a useable rebuilt rack.

[MTL_4runner]

Just in case someone is looking for the alignment specs in the future, here's whay I have for factory specs on a 3rd gen (and should be adjusted in the order below):

Caster = 1.3° ± 0.75° (should be the same on both sides)
Camber = 0.3° ± 0.75° (typically more on driver's side due to crowning on roads, both sides should be set for positive camber)
Toe = 0.2° ± 0.2° (this is total degrees toe, not each side and the less toe the better for MPG... you never want negative toe!)

Steering axis inclination = 10.4° ± 0.75°

[Lee]

x10000000 on everything jamie said. Go 100% brand new toyota.

Also I have seen some 'factory reman'd" toyota stuff turn out to be bad in the sense that some have cross threaded bolt holes, bad rubber, wrong coupling of parts (I saw a reman'd rack with the wrong tre's)

great posts Jamie.

[4x4mike]

Nice rack. Looks better than Sean's beaten up one.

[paddlenbike]

That is good lookin'. I keep wondering when I will start to notice slop in the steering. I'm just under 100k now and my steering still feels like new. I figure all those trips to the desert will take its toll on my rack eventually.

I don't envy the road salting you have to deal with. Undercarriage rust is not something I would want to deal with. Anyways, nice work Jamie.

[MTL_4runner]

I finally got my truck back from the garage and they gave me the long awaited inspection sticker. They also set the toe-in on the rack as close as they could to 0.04 degrees total toe-in, but sometimes if you have an older truck you need more total toe-in to keep the truck driving straight (ie the truck doesn't drift when you let go of the wheel). This is mainly due to the wear and tear on wheel bearings, ball joints, tie rods, etc. In any case, they were able to set mine to the following:

Left wheel = 0.03 degrees toe-in
Right wheel = 0.04 degrees toe-in

Total toe-in = 0.07 degrees

My steering wheel isn't perfectly centered (just a hair off) so I may need to adjust it a bit more from here, but it does seem to track straight on the highway (ie no drift) so that's a good sign that I just need to adjust the tie rods so the wheel is in a different position but the toe-in is exactly the same. In a few weeks I'll also take measurements (using the hockey sticks) to see what the degrees toe-in equates to in inches difference front and back. That way if I adjust anything I can get it set back to the proper toe-in again. Very pleased with how the steering came out and it's night and day different from before.

[MTL_4runner]

As a follow up, the rack is working perfectly and the steering is night and day better. I totally recommend going the OEM route (skip the rebuilt stuff entirely). I finally took it over to the dealer to have it aligned again since the other shop didn't get the steering as perfect as I would have liked. I do have a slight vibration on the highway (around 60-70 MPH), but it's probably just a wheel out of balance or a bad brake rotor (the rotors I got were cheap so I'll use the Tundra Brembos next after I get the wheels rebalanced).


Whatever you do, don't buy anything from Garo Steering on eBay, those guys are selling grade A crapola.
Dealing with them will drain you of both time and money without fixing your problem.
:lliar: :screwy: :argue: :chair: :shake:

[garrett]

Here's the thread leading up to the diagnosis:
http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=6390.msg80750#msg80750


Is there still a thread here where you determined the rack needed to be replaced? I was told by a dealer that mine is leaking and needs to be replaced. I'm wondering if it's possible it could just need new ITRs or something...

EDIT: Just realized Jamie hasn't been online in almost a year... does anyone else have any advice? I looked at my steering rack and noticed a small split in the boot/dust cover, and it seems to be dripping occasionally from there. Does this mean I need to replace the rack?