THANKS!

 

if I am looking at that right yes fill and drain, but not for the same thing. one is for transfer one is for transmission. At least for manual trans. Not sure if the autos share the fluid between the two or not.

the one for the steering shaft is called a COUPLING ASSY, FLEXIBLE 45230-35020 1983.08-1988.08 LN5#, RN5#, 7#

there is another part number that's not available 45230-35040 1983.08-1985.08 LN65, RN6#

notice the different frame codes.

 

So if this Coupling is bad can it be causing me to have a "bump" feeling in my steering, hard to explain it feels like i have to get the steering wheel to turn over a hill then to turn back i have to get it so to speak back over the hill

 

That coupling is also known as the rag joint. Rubber in the middle absorbs road vibration, then there are two studs that move in slots and when you turn the wheel really hard, the stud hits the side of the slot. If rubber it worn out, you have nothing in between the two slot edges:


Might check that rubber piece and see if it is torn. If so, should be able to get a replacement one from a junkyard. Toyota used the same design from '84-'95 and even similar on the '96 and later Tacomas and 4Runners.

 

4Crawler- is that aluminum piece to replace the rag joint? Where did you get that or did you make it?

 

That is a spacer for the steering shaft for use with a body lift:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...eringExtension

Does not replace the rag joint, rather extends it:


You might want to shorten your steering shaft a little bit:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...irculatingBall

Looks like yours is extended a little too far, pushing the rag joint into a potato chip shape instead of flat.

 

For the picture about the fill holes, I believe both are fill holes. The fill hole on top is for the TC, the one on the side is for the transmission.

 

lol that pic was taken from the bottom not the top.

 

so like i said if its worn out and i can move it around side to side and up and down with my hand will it cause be to have wierd steering issues? like getting really hard then easy instead of it just being smooth turning

 

Thanks 4crawler. Have you ever heard of anybody replacing the rag joint with some type of metal or other stuff. Mine is very close to my headers and when it melts i want to replace it with something else

 

Well, one option is to just bolt the two ends of the shaft together, pop out the studs and run bolts though. Not ideal as you lose the flexibility of the rag joint, but has been done. Have thought of making a replacement from UHMW poly, like a disc about 3/8"-1/2" thick to replace the rubber, but have not designed or made anything yet. I run headers on my '85 and have no issues with the rag joint melting.

Or get a shaft from an '83 or earlier pickup, they have a sliding spline joint instead of the rag joint.

 

well i swapped a chevy 350 into mine and the headers are about a 3/8 inch away from my joint. I like the idea of the splined shaft but dont know how much mods would be required

 

I think the shaft is a pretty much direct swap. Not 100% sure, but the splines on the steering boxes should be similar and the length similar. Or put a metal heat shield between the header and the steering box. That will do a lot to cut down the heat, or wrap that section of header in some header insulation.

 

Your right. I was thinking to myself, how did he fit a camera up in there. But the picure is from the bottom and not the top.

 

those two plugs are for the transmission. the transfer case fill/drain plugs are on the transfercase itself, farther back.

 

Thanks 4crawler. I will look into that.

 

I have the same question about the steering coupler / rag joint.

If it is worn out, will it cause hard steering? I have in and out play in my steering column and it appears to be coming from the coupling. When it is compressed the steering is stiffer than normal and it will not recenter after a turn. When it's not compressed, steering wheel pulled up towards me while driving, steering is normal and re-centers like it should after a turn. Could a worn out rag joint cause the in and out play as well as the hard steering?

 

Don't think it'll cause hard steering. It can lead to a lot of slop, like turning the steering wheel 1/2 turn either direction before the wheels turn. Easy to see if that is the cause of the play, have someone sit in the cab and slowly turn the steering wheel back and forth to the point the wheels start to turn and watch where the motion is and is not. That is if the shaft above the rag joint turns back and forth yet the shaft below the rag joint is still, there is your answer. Now if the rag joint is intact and you stretch or compress it into a potato chip shape, that can cause tight then easy steering as you turn the wheel. That stretched piece of runner adds tension to the shaft and loads up the u-joints and you feel the lumpiness in the u-joints due to the tension in the rubber. Might be a bearing up farther on the shaft is binding up when you move the steering wheel/shaft up and down.

 

Thanks for the info. I took some pictures of mine the other day and it's clear to see the amount of in and out travel my intermediate shaft has. The dust cover rubbed on the intermediate shaft the amount that it travels.

The pictures make the coupler look round, but it's really more potato chip shaped when looking at the other side.





Would this amount of play be caused by a bearing? It's so frustrating how perfect it is when it's "up", but how stiff the steering is when it's down on the column.

 

Probably need to isolate the steering shaft and see where the tightness is coming from. How? Unbolt at the rag joint and see if the steering is still stiff. If yes, then un-clamp the shaft at the firewall and re-test:


If it is still stiff, then it is something between the firewall and the steering wheel. Remove the trim covering the steering column and see if you can isolate the problem. You can also lengthen or shorten the shaft at the above clamp by shoving the splines up farther into the clamp or pulling them out farther. By shortening the shaft, you may be able to achieve the same effect as you feel by pulling it up.