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.ph...80750#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! I did a full suspension replacement outside a few years ago in 10 degree weather. Not fun.

Anyway, awesome write up. Thanks!