front end and steering wheel shake
 

I have a 98 4runner with 285s and donahoe coils on the front. Even after new brakes and pads i have a pretty violent steering wheel shake under braking which gets worse with increased pressure/speed (but no pedal pulsation). I just replaced steering rack bushings and tie rods are tight. From rocking the steering back and forth there is a slight hesitation and then the steering will turn the wheel and make a slight knock. also if you hold the wheel lightly when it is shaking really bad the wheel has a loose feeling where it will knock back and forth. I dont know where to look next, new steering rack, wheel bearings?

Sounds like you didn't tighten the bolts to spec for the rack and pinion or you have the wrong bushings. This could allow it to move around while braking and would cause a slight delay in steering. Did it do this before you replaced the bushings?
A warped rotor will make the wheel shake when braking.
Rack and pinion steering might be going out, does it leak or have a torn boot.

bolts are torqued to specs, I put in the energy suspension 8-10101R Kit. yes it did do this before, I thought that was the problem because before i replaced them you could watch the steering rack stretch the stock bushings while you turned the wheel. no visible damage or leaks on the steering rack and if it was a warped rotor wouldn't you get feedback though the pedal? which isn't happening.

When I had a warped rotor I felt it mostly in the steering/wobble of the truck.
The knock is not normal, nor is the delay in steering. Maybe the rack is going bad that is expensive to replace just to test though.

I would lift up the front end and see if you can get it to make noise without weight on the wheels.
I would also check to see if there is any play in the wheels (wheel bearings, ball joints, arms)

I only had 2 knocking things in 200k miles when I had on my 97 4runner.
One was the front sway bar bushings were shot and the bar was hitting the frame.
The other was the jack came loose under the driver rear seat.

Something is loose somewhere though and that is never good.

checked it out with a mechanic I know...guess i need a new steering rack. If you rock the tire back and forth while the front is jacked up the tie rods push in and out of the steering rack, not good. at least i know what it is now

Inner tie rod sockets are replacable in most racks. If it isn't leaking and only has a worn inner socker or two just replace the socket(s).
I don't know this rack in particular but I'm pretty sure its servicable.

thanks, it isn't leaking at all. I will definitely look into that.

anybody know part numbers or other helpful info?

pretty easy to find:
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/productd...ype=81&PTSet=A

You coulc still have warped rotors without feeling it in the pedal. Could be a combination of the two.

If you take your front wheels off and turn the rotors by hand you can feel for a tight spot where the rotor is more difficult to turn than others. If that is very noticable turn the rotors if they are nice and thick. You can't get a warp out of a rotor that is near the minimum machining spec.
Thin rotors will warp easier too.

I would rebuild the front while you are at it. Your ball joints are going to be going out. nows the time to just get it done and over with. If you have a decent set of tools and pullies, you should be able to get it done in a day.

But good parts also

front end was rebuilt recently all new balljoints. tie rods and sway bar are tight too. I already figured out the rotors were warped there was just a little something extra going on which ended up being the steering rack. i turned them awhile ago, too thin now. Any suggestions on what rotors to get? i dont want to drop a ton of money but would like some decent stoppers. thanks for the link!...i have to send my donahoes in to get rebuilt too, gonna be an expensive couple of weeks

I use Brembo rotors. Reliable and inexpensive. Not cheap.

have you had the tires balanced, if so I would have them checked again?