DH6twinotter

Hey all,
Ever since I bought my 4Runner, I have had some problems with my steering (I think). When going around curves above 45mph, my steering wheel wants to fight me. It does it some below 45mph, but not much. Sharper the curve, the more if fights. I have had it aligned, tires rotated, and balanced. Supposedly, the shop I took it to is the best in the area (at least that's what everybody tell me). Not sure if it is a characteristic of 4runners, but it seems like every little bump makes my steering wheel wobble. Also, there is a slight vibration in the steering wheel. Would a bad steering stabilizer cause this?

Not sure if this is related, but whenever I turn the steering wheel all the way in either direction there is a loud clanking noise coming from somewhere around the front suspension. I think it's the little swing arms (sorry not sure on technical terms) that are connected to the steering hitting the frame. Is it suppose to do that?

Well, that's it. Any help would be appreciated.
Have fun.
DH6twinotter

jx94148

I can answer the second part of your question. When you turn the wheel all the way in either direction the steering stops are rubbing on the lower A Arm.



A little white lithium grease where the yellow arrow is pointing will quiet them down for a little while. The picture shows the forward one on the right side, there are 4 total. They came from the factory with little plastic caps that wear out or brake pretty easily, you can get new caps but they won't last long. Grease is the cheapest and easiest way to keep them quiet but it has to be done about once a month or so as the grease gets worn or washed away.

On your first question i'd start with making sure you have plenty of power steering fluid. What you describe is not typical.

UKMyers

Would a totally toasted Steering stabilzer cause what he's describing?

jx94148

That's a good question. My understanding of steering stabilizers is that they act as shock absorbers to keep the stuff from jerking around if you hit something with one wheel. Mine is original with over 200K miles on it and is probably toast. I don't heve the problems as described here. Maybe i'm just lucky and mine is still working fine. I really don't know.

sherri_girl

How big are your tires and what kind are they?

Do you have the stock steering stabilizer?

Did the shop who aligned your runner check the:
*wheel bearings
*idler arm and bushings?

DH6twinotter

Hey,
The tires are Futura 2000s. P235/75R15. :cry: They were on there when I bought the truck, so it's not my fault. Hoping to upgrade to some 31x10.5 soon. Woohoo!

I think the steering stabilizer is stock. Is there any way of knowing for sure? I'll pull of my skid plate tomorrow and have a peek at it.

Not sure if the alignment shop checked the bearings, idler arms, or bushings.

Well, thanks for you all's help. Any more would be great!
Have fun.
DH6twinotter

DH6twinotter

Hey! I pulled off the skid plate. As far as I can tell, the steering stabilizer is stock. When fully extended, I noticed a bit of wet stuff on it. It wasn't a whole lot so maybe it's normal. Wish I could post some pics, but my dad's got the digicam up in PA.

I checked out the steering stops. There is some rubber left on them but it appears worn through to the metal. I think I'll get some new ones.

I have a some sort of fluid that was all over on some of the passenger side suspension parts. It was right below the power steering pump and AC compressor. It looked about the same color as oil, but I don't see how oil can get way over there. What does freon look like? Maybe it's from my AC because it quite working last summer. :cry:

BTW, wind really shakes my Runner around too, like when large trucks pass me. Is that normal?

Well, thanks again.
DH6twinotter.

UKMyers

I've noticed that as well. There is now a write up in the tech section on how to replace the steering stabilizer!

Robinhood150

The noise is probably what Matt said. You can either lube the steering stops or just live with it.

Assuming your ties are properly balanced then you might want to check your idler arm for your vibrating steering wheel. Checkout this thread: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...&threadid=4361

An aftermarket steering stabilizer will help with the wind pushing you around. It'll also help with bump steer. Do a search for this, I'm too lazy.

I have a lot of oil on my passenger side too. The power steering pump is known for leaking after a while. Whether this is what's happening for you, I don't know, but I just keep an eye on all my fluids. Check your power steering fluid level to make sure it's not getting low.

I can't tell you whether your heavy steering is normal or not. My steering is heavier than other cars I've driven.

Steve

EDIT: Oh, freon is a gas at atmospheric pressure, so you won't see it leaking.

DH6twinotter

Thanks again you all. My power steering pump is only about 13k old. Maybe one of the tubes is leaking. I dunno.

I think a steering stabilizer is going to be coming soon. As soon as I get the $$.

When the wheel fights me, it's only happens about every 20 tire rotations when going up acceleration ramps and the like. The steering wheel will move about an inch or so and then is fine for about another 20 tire rotations. Would a bad idler arm do this?

What is an idler arm? Is that the parts that swing back and forth and the driver's side is connected to the steering column and the passengers side just swivels on a bolt connected to the frame?

Sorry about my lack of knowledge on the terminology stuff. Still learning.
Well, have fun.
DH6twinotter

Robinhood150

Hmm...that certainly doesn't sound right. I don' t know what to tell ya. Do you ever hear your belts slipping? Maybe your power steering belt is slipping? I don' t know, just throwing stuff out there.

Look at your steering linkages on the passenger side. You'll see an arm that is connected to the linkages and swings from left to right (so yeah, it's the part that swivels on a bolt connected to the frame). All that does is locate the ends of the links and the bushing eventually wears out. The 4x4wire link will tell you how to test it. It doesn't sound like it's the steering problem though.

good luck

Steve

91Runner

DH6 on my 4Runner I noticed about 4 or 5 months ago a bunch of oil looking liquid all over the place under my truck, but it was on the driver side. It looked just like motor oil, but every time I would check my oil to see if it was leaking, it would be fine, wasn't losing any oil. So then one morning I noticed my power steering fluid was a little low, so I topped it off, and decided to keep an eye on it. It turns out that my truck was leaking power steering fluid out of the power steering gearbox. So I took it to my local mechanic where I get all the work done that I don't want to try myself; and they replaced it, I didn't want to spend ~$700 on a new one, so I had them put in a refurbished one, and it works perfectly. It hasn't leaked any PS Fluid since, and after I cleaned all the oil off, it hasn't come back. So you may want to have that checked out.

-Braden

sherri_girl

Shows pic of idler arm.


http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/idler/

There is also an idler arm brace(rec for all lifted trucks), you might want to add one on if you lift your runner.



Also, the wider you go on tires, they will tend to do some wandering-it's a just something that goes with the territory. I would go with a dual steering stabilizer.
Stabilizer

IFS idler arm truss

DH6twinotter

Thanks again you all. A steering stabilizer is something I am definitely going to get. Hopefully by February.

I did the little test on the idler arm (thanks for explaining that to me) and it doesn't seem to move up or down. Am I suppose to have the engine running or not when I do that little check? If the idler arm does move up and down, how much would it be?


I don't think it's my steering box. It's on the opposite side of the car. It's pretty clean on that side.

Does the AC compressor have any kind of oil or anything like that in it that could be leaking?

I pressure washed the underside the other day, so I will see how much will accumulate over the next few days.

Anyhow, have fun all.
DH6twinotter

rpeAMP

BTW- On a side note, when lubing those steering stops, remember there are 4 of them, two on each side.

Cebby

Steering Stops? Is that what you're talking about? I only saw one per side (down low). Where's the other one?

kxpaul

A poor steering shock will create a death rattle. At times the steering wheel will shack back and fourth, and kick back while turning at low and high speeds.( mostly depending on road surface, rougher raods will increase to shack and duration )
Lube all four steering stops with a good grease and replace the shock. ( oem or after market will work )

good luck, kxapul

rpeAMP

Yeah there are 4 steering stops, two on each side, one in front of the wheel and one in the back of it. To get to all of them you must turn the wheel all the way to the right, get one on each side, then turn the wheel all the way to the left, and get the remaining two on either side.

Think of it logically, when at full steering lock left, the driver's wheel must stop at the rear steering stop, while the passenger wheel is limited by the one in front. When turning right, the driver's wheel is limited by the stop in the front, while the passenger's wheel is limited by the stop in the rear.

Korrupted

Check your tie-rod ends, make sure you can't move them excessively with your hands. Here are a few write ups-
Steering stabilizer- http://bb.wildyoats.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=335

Steering components- http://bb.wildyoats.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=757