2003 Tacoma Steering Rack mount and “rack guide”

[4xFoorOffroad]

Fluid won’t take up slop in the gears, it’s just there to assist the movement under load and to lubricate. Whatever movement there is, is between the metal to metal contact in the rack. It might be helpful to remove everything down to the splined end of the pinion shaft and see if you’re getting the play without the rag joint attached although to remove any possibility that it’s play between the rag joint and the pinion shaft - although that doesn’t seem likely as the lower part of the rag joint would have to have been de-splined or really mashed in order for that to happen.

According to Dirty Pool on TW there should be no lash (I’m guessing he means perceivable lash) between the rack and pinion gears on the rack.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-steering-rack-rebuild-s.703995/page-2#post-28480143

Here’s a good view of the rack taken apart in a rebuild write up he made so you can see the inner workings of it:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rack-pinion-service-tools-tips.312600/#post-8072827

 

[Dirt Yota]

Fluid won’t take up slop in the gears, it’s just there to assist the movement under load and to lubricate. Whatever movement there is, is between the metal to metal contact in the rack. It might be helpful to remove everything down to the splined end of the pinion shaft and see if you’re getting the play without the rag joint attached although to remove any possibility that it’s play between the rag joint and the pinion shaft - although that doesn’t seem likely as the lower part of the rag joint would have to have been de-splined or really mashed in order for that to happen.

According to Dirty Pool on TW there should be no lash (I’m guessing he means perceivable lash) between the rack and pinion gears on the rack.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-steering-rack-rebuild-s.703995/page-2#post-28480143

Here’s a good view of the rack taken apart in a rebuild write up he made so you can see the inner workings of it:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rack-pinion-service-tools-tips.312600/#post-8072827

Thank you for info! A cpl peeps told me to tighten down the big ass allen bolt/lock nut dealio that it should clean up the slop.

I checked the rag joint thoroughly and that’s not it. I’ll try to find right size for that bugs ass allen bolt and give it a whirl, I’ll report back with what happens.

 

[4xFoorOffroad]

Thank you for info! A cpl peeps told me to tighten down the big ass allen bolt/lock nut dealio that it should clean up the slop.

I checked the rag joint thoroughly and that’s not it. I’ll try to find right size for that bugs ass allen bolt and give it a whirl, I’ll report back with what happens.

The rack guide I think you’re taking about - yes, in the second link it shows kind of how it’s put together and how it works to keep the pinion and the rack gears in connection with one another. Here’s a video on making an adjustment.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Hhl...tbXkgdG9vYW4gdG95b3RhIHRpbWUgcmFjayBndWlkZQ==

 

[Dirt Yota]

Just surfaced from a rabbit hole dive.

The allen bolt is 24mm, Home Depot sells a 5/8” “rod connecting nut” that’s perfect fits perfectly.

Gonna attempt it next chance I get sometime hopefully is just not set to proper torque.

Here’s a pic in case someone stumbles on this looking for info

 

[Dirt Yota]

The rack guide I think you’re taking about - yes, in the second link it shows kind of how it’s put together and how it works to keep the pinion and the rack gears in connection with one another. Here’s a video on making an adjustment.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Hhl225E8A&t=3s&pp=ygUiVGltbXkgdG9vYW4gdG95b3RhIHRpbWUgcmFjayBndWlkZQ==

Haha that was one of videos I watched. Love his stuff for mechanically challenged like myself.


I wish I would got into this shit when I was younger and wasting money/time partying and such. Although I thing drug addiction is cheaper and less stressful

 

[Dirt Yota]

Welp that didn’t fix it. Snugged up large allen a bit and it made the steering very tight but still play/slop. Had to back it off to basically where it was. It may have very ever so slightly reduced the play but still there not feeling right.

Not sure what to do now. I would assume it’s the rack but I doubt Toyota will exchange/warranty it as I removed the boots and inner toe-rods. Have ITR but destroyed clamps and I cut boots when removing.

FML

 

[4xFoorOffroad]

With all that considered, have you tried removing the rag joint and just tried to spin the splined end of the pinion? If it’s the pinion, it looks like it would be easy enough to turn by hand back and forth and still have the lash in there.

 

[Dirt Yota]

With all that considered, have you tried removing the rag joint and just tried to spin the splined end of the pinion? If it’s the pinion, it looks like it would be easy enough to turn by hand back and forth and still have the lash in there.

I’ll give it a whirl and see. When I was centering rack prior to connecting it was not noticeable, I think with the leverage of steering wheel it’s easier to turn it. I’ll see if I can get some vise grips up in there after I remove rag joint and see if it has slip or lash. Frustrating is an understatement lol

 

[4xFoorOffroad]

What’s weird is that lash has no metal to metal contact meaning you’d only be fighting frictional forces of the bearings & seals, so things which are designed to have low frictional forces. I’d imagine at worst, some duct tape or twine and duct tape over the splines and some vice grips would be able to replicate the play you’re seeing without the rag joint on it and rule out any other points of failure.

If it’s identifiably the rack and nothing else, you could perceivably explain the removal of the tie rods as trying to figure out what the problem was. If the rack is faulty, it doesn’t matter if the tie rods are on it or not but it may make more sense for the parts counter guys that way.

 

[Dirt Yota]

Ok ok, had my wife come be my extra hands eyes not my 9 yr old. Think he was turning the wheel to aggressively even though I walked through specifically what I needed. Completely my fault but gonna blame him

So found slack in the steering shaft. Thought it maybe the collapsing joint which is a common mod of tack welding for 1st gen tacos/3rd gen 4R. Which many people kept saying lol. I hadn’t done this mod yet but I still had my old rolled and parted Tacoma’s complete steering column w/ steering shaft that had a tack welded joint. Stayed up late last night as only free truck time and pulled trucks steering column/shaft out and inspected. Tiny play in joint but found more play in tilt wheel ball thingy.







Swapped out with the old trucks tacked shaft and tilt ball dealio and got it back in. Slop/play was greatly improved but still tiny bit. Re-adjust rack guide and the quick drive around block at 1am it felt really good. Needs alignment and blown mount fixed.

 

[4xFoorOffroad]

Oh man for some reason I thought we had talked about that over on TW where I have another name and you had done that already lol. Turned out it was someone else. Did you put a thin piece of plastic in that yellow plastic joint too? Glad that’s all it was.

 

[Dirt Yota]

Oh man for some reason I thought we had talked about that over on TW where I have another name and you had done that already lol. Turned out it was someone else. Did you put a thin piece of plastic in that yellow plastic joint too? Glad that’s all it was.

Ha it may have been me but I said I did it on old truck and didn’t think that was it . The ball was real area of play. I tried cutting a plastic shim and put it between the two halves but it was too tight. Swapped the balls from current with old trucks and was way better. Also the main nut below steering wheel on top of shaft had small amount of play, gave it a ugga dugga and snugged that up too.