My 85 4runner steering shaft is shot, really lose feels like it's going to break and is rubbing my shock hoop and driving me crazy...My problem is no one wants to work on the steering shaft, all 6 driveline shops told me no so what the hell am I going to do? I guess I could try to find the parts and fix it myself or by a used one - but a 25 year old shaft doesn't sound like good idea. any thoughts

 

Are you sure it's the shaft that's worn out? Not the drag link, or the box itself? I thought the shaft was simply that, a shaft, with no real parts to wear out.

 

Yes, what is worn out? See if you can bend the shock hoop away from the shaft or grind it a little so it does not rub. If the slip section is loose fitting, you might try adding an extension spacer to allow the sections to push together farther, that is what I did on my '85 shaft. It was pulled out a little too far with the 3" body lift and with the steering box moved forward a few inches:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...#RecircBallExt

 

Well the whole shaft moves and feels really sloppy...I have no body lift on my runner and the rag joint (or whatever it's called, where the shaft connects to the steering box) looks like it's worn out and moves over an inch side to side so now it is rubbing on the aftermarket shock hoop. I have a aftermarket drag link for a 4-6 lift and it's tight and greased but how can a guy tell if it's the steering box? I here the shaft hitting the shock hoop when I go over bumps and all the time when I'm flexing in 4 wheel drive....I thought it was my birfeild until I notice the lose shaft. How much play is normal in the shaft?

 

Grab a used rag joint at a junk yard, they are all pretty much identical from 1984-2000+.
Should be almost no play in the shaft.

 

Thank you sir....I thought it looked a little scary, It just sucks that not one driveline shop would look at it...I mean this is a safety concern here and they all said we can't work on any steering parts because of lawsuits and what not.
Anyways (rant rant) I found one on ksl.com a local classified listing he told me he had one that was tight for 20.00 I think I'm going to try this first.