Hey guys, for maybe the past 6 months to a year I've had like 1/2 - 1 inch of freeplay in my steering wheel. I got under the car and turned the shaft with my hand and the wheel turned with it. I turned it right by where the shaft bolts on to the steering rack. So I take it this means the rack is worn. Is there any chance that this is fixable or do you think I need to replace it? Thanks a lot!

Andrew

 

It could be the steering rack bushings. If they are worn, there will be some play in the rack, causing it to shift from side to side when you turn the wheel. This will cause your steering wheel to be turned a bit, but the wheels are still tracking straight.

You can find the bushings on ebay or wheeler's offroad for a lot cheaper.

 

Yeah, you need to take a look while someone else turns the wheel to see if the the bushings are shot.

 

+1..get under the truck on the ground and have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth..while you watch the rack to frame mounts movement,also put your hand on the housing and try and feel for any internal knocking,might have inner tie rod going as well........If the rack is not leaking fluid,or gets hard/soft at times when going around a corner while driving=rack does not need replacement.

Its also rare,but also inspect the U-joint that connects the rack to the steering coloum,there is a rubber spacer in there that can deteriorate with age causing freeplay,but generally this will happen on 20+year toyota's with 300k+ miles.

 

I just replaced the bushings last year and I can turn the shaft by hand easily. In other words the freeplay I feel in the wheel is exactly the same in the shaft. The whole rack isn't moving, just the shaft.