Power Steering Boot replacement / Tie-rod end removal for a 2002 Tacoma
06/25/2003
Joseph (Jowie on the forums) shows you how to replace the power steering boots on his truck,
which includeds showing you how to remove the tie-rod ends.
A while ago while wrenching on something under my truck I noticed
a small hole in one of my power steering boots. Called up the dealer
to find out how much it would cost to replace and the reply I got
was that the boot was a non-serviceable part, and the only way to
get a new one would be with a new steering rack. Costing upwards of $800!
I found this to be absolutely insane! Non-serviceable part my ass.
I decided to check elsewhere. Finally sent an email to the
WATTORA list
and got a reply from Rob
with an alternative. Get the replacement boots from
NWOR. The
boots are made of a softer but thicker material, which I believe will
stand up better off-road from punctures. Follow along as I show you how
it was done...
Tools:
- 2 10in crescent wrenches
- 22mm socket
- Ratchet
- Torque wrench
- Needle nose pliers
- Wire cutters
- Puller of some sort
Parts and sources:
- EMPI Rack & Pinion Bellows Kit. P/N 88-1573-5. Sourced from NWOR,
their part number is N80080. Price in catalog number 24 is $23.95.
- Cotter Pins. Available at your local hardware store for less then 50 cents.
- New Tie-rod ends if you need to replace them. This would be the perfect
time since you will be removing them anyways.
Step by step:
- Turn the steering wheel away from the side you are going to work on.
- Spray some penetrating lubricant on the castle nut. You will probably want to do this the night before.
- Measure the length of threads showing on the tie rod end.
- Loosen the tie rod nut. I used two crescent wrenches because I didn't have any open end wrenches that were big enough.
- Remove the cotter pin using the needle nose pliers.
- Loosen the castle nut with the 22mm socket.
- Install the puller, and pop the tie-rod end loose. Make sure the end of the puller bolt is as close to the center of the tie-rod threaded part as possible.
The puller I got barely fit with the disc brake shield in they way, and the threads of the tie-rod got deformed to the point where I couldn't take the nut off afterwards.
It also bent one of the "legs" on the castle nut out a bit. Dremel took care of the threads, and a BFH took care of the nut. You could use a pickle fork, but that will probably destroy the boot on
the tie-rod end. If you are going to replace the tie-rod end anyways, that would be a non-issue. My truck is a 2002 and the
tie-rods are fine, so I will be reusing them and do not want to destroy the boots. You could also probably use a BFH to pound the
end of the tie-rod out of the steering knuckle, just be sure to use a wood board to protect the threads if you plan on reusing the
tie-rod end.
- Remove the tie-rod end by unscrewing it. Set aside if reusing, or toss in the trash if replacing.
- Remove the outboard boot clamp. As you can see, it can be done with your fingers.
- Remove the inboard boot clamp using needle nose or as pictured here, wire cutters.
- Slide the old boot off the power steering rack.
- Slide on the new boot, and secure with the supplied tie wraps. I questioned the use of these as being strong enough. For the inboard end of the boot,
it should be plenty to keep the boot on. The old boot could be spun around by hand with the clamp on. The inboard end of the new boot cannot with the
tie wrap. The outboard end however, can be spun around with just the one tie wrap, so I added another. I still don't trust the outboard end with
the tie wraps, so I will be replacing them with a regular screw type hose clamp in the future. I was hard pressed to find one for the inboard end
though. The screw type ones that would be a big enough diameter were usually too wide. But again, the tie wrap for the inboard end seems fine.
- Screw the tie rod end back on. Measure and make sure the length of the threads showing is the same as the measurement you made
before disassembly. If you get it exact, you probably won't need to get an alignment. I just lifted my truck and needed to get
an alignment anyways. When I got the truck back, the toe was still within allowable limits using this technique.
- Attach tie-rod end to the steering knuckle. Torque castle nut to 53ft-lb(as stated in my Haynes manual).
- Install new cotter pin. I suppose you could reuse the old one if you were careful enough removing it, but at less then 50 cents
for a pack of 5 new ones, its cheap.
- Tighten the nut securing the tie-rod end adjustment. Just get it good and tight, can't get a torque wrench on their anyways. I did it after
securing the tie-rod end to the steering knuckle cause you don't have the end flopping around. This is also when I ensured the tie wraps were
tight, and clipped off the ends.
- You're done!
- New boot vs. old one, and the puncture in my old boot.
If you have any questions 
(Jowie)
on the Yotatech Forum.
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