I've got a 1994 T4R, A/T 4WD.
This past summer I replaced the front suspension and rear suspension (fwiw added 2" spacers on the upper control arms and spacers in the rear) and replaced all ball joints, idler arm pitman arm, sway bar bushings, end links, basically everything. The steering felt pretty loose after an alignment so I took it to a shop and the mechanic replaced the steering gear box. It fixed the looseness but only a little bit. There is still a quite large dead spot on my steering wheel. Does anyone have any other ideas on what could be the cause?

 

Make certain ALL the air is bled out?

The gearbox has an adjustment screw on the top. It has a locknut around it to hold it in place. Have you tried adjusting the screw to reduce the freeplay? It adjusts just like the valves in a 22R engine. Loosen the locknut, turn the screw to the correct position, tighten the locknut. Easy-peasy. I've been wrong before, but I think, although very seldom, that clockwise reduces the freeplay.

Make sure the air is bled out first, though. I do hope your mechanic used ATF, not power steering fluid, right?

Good luck!
Pat☺

 

"large"? Sez-who?

The spec is 30mm. http://web.archive.org/web/201310211.../3onvehicl.pdf If you're expecting rack and pinion steering, 30mm might seem "large."

2ToyGuy's description of the adjustment is correct (as you can see in the FSM page I cited). It is easy, though, to over-tighten it.

 

While someone else turns your steering wheel back and forth about 45*, take a close look at the rag joint(steering coupler) Yours is 27 years old. May be sloppy. You can get rebuild kits or replacement but OEM Toyota would be best. I replaced mine after every other moving part and it made a significant difference. After that, rebuilding the steering box made a significant change in feel also.

 

I had a similar problem with the steering and suspension. Tightening the bolt in the joint does not solve the problem, and if it does, it does not last long. I solved the problem like this, I removed the steering shaft, with a grinder I lengthened the slot on the spline connection by 1 cm somewhere, the main thing is not to overdo it with the impeller. And he returned everything to the ass, clamping the spline bolt. This extended slot allows the steering wheel shaft to grip the pendulum shaft more tightly. I also changed the https://davesoilchange.com/power-ste...id-for-toyota/ many options for my car, after these actions the problem disappeared.