I recently picked up a 1992 4runner A/T and I have begun to notice that whenever I turn the wheel fully to one side or another it sounds like something is grinding and squeaking. If I turn the wheel 3/4 or 1/2 it is no problem at all. The PO said they replaced the shocks on the vehicle and I was wondering if anyone could give me a starting out point to look into. Thanks mucho.

 

If your car is like my 4Runner, it's raised just a bit. Someone told me that they didn't extend the steering/driving range to suit the raised chassis which is what causes the sound you hear. That's what I think it is anyways.

 

steering stops. bet your caps came off, try rubbing a dab of grease on the stop bolt heads and see if it goes away. i bet it does. this is common among toyota ifs steering systems

 

It sounds like your steering stops need to be replaced. Very cheap/easy fix. Do a search on this site for "Steering Stops" and see if you think it seems like your symptoms. Every 4Runner I've had has had this symptom (I've had 4) and I never bothered to fix it. A guy on eBay sells upgraded stops for about $25.

JINKS! Nemitz above must've been typing his answer when I was too. A dab of grease on there is supposed to silence them for a while. A search will show you pictures of the part you want to grease or put new stops on.

 

Thank you so much guys, I think I am going to order a set of steering stops from Ebay. According to my symptoms, it sounds like these will be the remedy. Again, thanks for the fast replies.

 

Update: It was most definitely the steering stops, they were totally warped and sideways on the bolt. I am glad that is all I have to replace