85ghettorunner

Sorry for the random thread title.

My question is about a steering part on my 85 runner(and im sure many other years). There is a round tube(about 12-16 inches long) that connects the steering arm on the hub to the steering box.

My steering feels VERY bad and i have to move the steering wheel while braking to avoid going off the road. The tuck follows grooves in the road as well.

We found that the "rod" mentioned above has LOTS of play in it at both ends. Either end will move aprox. 1/2 inch before moving the actual wheel/tire. How do i fix this and is it safe to drive on untill i can fix it?(this is my work truck i need every day)

I noticed there are huge flathead screw tips(best way to describe it) on either end of the rod... What does tightening those do?

Thanks sooo much for any help/advice.

Yoda

Those do tighten up the ends.

It is also rebuildable (the guts of both ends are replaced) NAPA has parts

85ghettorunner

great, thanks for the quick reply.

So obviously the internals are worn. Should i tighten up the ends untill i can replace them, or will that increase the chance of them BREAKING?

What do i ask for at napa?(ie:what are the parts called?)

thanks again

Yoda

NAPA # 269-1093 You need 2 (one at each end)

It shows about $50 list (most stores sell at discount from list)

Beck Arnley # 1014757 does both ends (only need 1 kit) shows $86 list

Might also check with our Toyota dealer friends (25% discount) on the vendors pages to see how much they get. My NAPA warehouse had them when I needed them.

Yes, you can tighten them up til you get them replaced

85ghettorunner

again, thank you sooooo much for the replies!!! HUGE HELP

85ghettorunner

ahhh. one more question...


Is there any tool you recomend to tighten those ends? I got the front one with a large screw driver and plyers to turn the screw driver... The rear is more difficult and the screwdriver is slipping in the slot(because the slot is so much larger than the screw driver) Is there a rentatool that works well, or any tool i can "make" work..

thanks again for your patience

85ghettorunner

suggestions please?