mrNatural

i have a 2003 Pre-Runner. the problem i'm having is this clunking noise somewhere in my steering. i've had the ball joint recall done and replaced the stock R&P bushings with poly bushings.

along with the clunking i also have excessive play in the steering. when driving at speed the truck wanders when going straight. if i'm driving on a rough paved surface the tires seem to have trouble staying in contact with the road. going around curves on a rough street is kind of wierd feeling because of this. too fast and it's seems like i could easily loose control. i guess this could be a shock problem, because i have 97K on the originals.

but back to the sloppy steering. so far i've traced the clunk sound to somewhere near the steering wheel end of the linkage. if i hold the shaft under the dash in my hand and wiggle the steering wheel (from side to side, like when turning) there seems to be about 1/8 inch of play between the two parts. there is no up and down slop.

i looked at an exploded view of the mechanical parts enclosed in the covers directly behind the steering wheel. the only parts i see that could fail are some bearings and a universal joint. i haven't been able to get a good look at what's in there though, because i can't figure out how to remove those 2 plastic covers.

this all started at about 63K miles, coincidentally right after the ball joint recall fix. this truck is driven 98% on roads/freeway. when i do take it on a dirt road, the clunking is really noticeable.

any thoughts?

cackalak han

Nothing really to add. My old 98 4Runner had the same issues. When going over a washboard dirt roads, it felt like I had no control of the vehicle. If I hit a little pot hole on the road, it would be all over the place. I had the same clunk as you. I was pretty sure that it was the steering rack that needed the replacement, but never got a chance to do anything about it, as it was totaled. I hope you figure it out.

mrNatural

boy, i must ask some really hard questions.

Vermejo

Sounds like your steering rack is the problem. You could try a steering rack bushing kit, Daystar offers one. If the play does not go away you may be looking at a new rack. Take the front wheels off and go through all the movements of steering, full lock etc. Wiggle and pull on all parts related to feel for anything with play or extra noise. Go from there and good luck. The IFS parts die young.

obscurotron

There are a couple of likely culprits, but based on your description, I had the exact same problem with my 04 Tacoma 4x4.

If you remove the steering shaft, you'll see that the upper shaft (to which the steering wheel attaches) slides into the lower shaft (which attaches to the ujoint at the firewall). At the lower end of the upper shaft are two white plastic bushings. They are pressed into the upper shaft (looks like they milled a groove into the upper shaft, then inserted the bushings prior to factory assembly.) These bushings are supposed to take up the slack between the upper and lower shafts, but it appears that over time they can wear and be deformed (steel vs. plastic, you do the math), allowing for 'slop' between the two halves of the shaft.

The fix is pretty simple, but I can only explain it for a tilt-wheel truck, since that's what I have.

Disconnect battery negative cable and wait a while for the airbag circuit to lose power.

Remove the clamshells behind the steering wheel.

If you have tilt, remove the 4 springs. Vice grips will help with the 2 big heavy ones.

Remove the 2 6mm blind bolts (hex drive).

Loosen the upper clamp bolt on the #2 ujoint (this is the ujoint on the floor by the firewall.

You *should* be able to remove the whole shaft now, just pull it out.

Option 1: Run a couple of small tack welds where the upper and lower shafts meet, then reverse the steps above and have fun.

Option 2: Drill through both shafts and insert a roll pin. Use a dremel to trim down the roll pin flush with the shaft, then reverse the steps above and have fun.

Option 3: If the lower shaft absolutely will not budge out of the ujoint, you're screwed for option 1 or 2. PM me and I'll explain a 3rd really redneck/shadetree fix.

Note that a roll pin or a weld will have a tendency to compromise the ability of the shaft to collapse on itself in the event of a front end impact. Most folks figure that the forces in a front end or offset front end impact will easily shear the roll pin or the welds, but I don't have any mechanical engineering expertise to back that up. So use these options at your own risk. They could kill you or someone else.

Ironmike4x4

Mine is doing the same thing and from doing numerous I-shafts for GM cars and trucks I know exactly what it's like. You can either live with it or buy a replacement intermediate shaft. I like obscurotron's ideas, especially the tack welds.

Yot@_bruce

Reviving this nearly 7 year old thread instead of starting a new one. Just did this repair on my '03 with tilt wheel. There is a very detailed wire-up on TTORA regarding this procedure. I am simply following up as a very happy owner having just completed this repair.

Prior to doing this, as others have reported, going down gravel roads or hitting a pothole in a road did not inspire confidence with my truck. The truck is just daily driven to work on the street, never taken off road and has never been in any sort of accident. I could hear a loud clunking coming from inside the cab and also feel it in the steering wheel itself! This was very annoying and disappointing because otherwise the truck is great, and I got tired of not being 100% in control of my truck.

I have owned several toyota 4x4s from the 80's (currently a 1988 4Runner) that have all taken a severe beating and I never had anything like this happen with any of those old trucks. After reading the success of many others on other forums, I decided to go for it, having no experience taking a steering assembly apart on any vehicle. I did the 30 second diagnosis, holding the bottom shaft (where it goes through the firewall) while moving the wheel back and forth. Sure enough, that's where my problem was.

All in all, start to finish, this took me less than an hour to complete (I have a welder at my house, so if you don't, you'll need to take it somewhere to have it tack welded, adding a little bit more down time). Very simple job, and what a difference! The clunk is completely gone, and I now have a newfound confidence while going down the highway or driving anywhere really. The truck tracks much better hitting a pothole or on gravel/ washout roads. Just posting this on Yotatech for future reference to members lacking 100% confidence in their Tacoma/4Runner steering.