Rack and Pinion

Have 165,000 on my '04 Taco and the rack and pinion is starting to go. It's recently been leaking fluid and has some play. I'm likely going to have to purchase a whole new assembly, and was wondering what's a good replacement brand? I see manufacturers like AC Delco, Cardone, FEQ, Maval, BBB Industries, etc. Any advice or reviews on who provides the best product? So long as I'm getting a well made, quality part, price is not a big concern.

Thanks!

 

OEM

 

OEM and while you're at it, swap out the factory bushings with Energy Suspension Poly bushings.

 

OE is hands down the best but most costly. All remans from all the companies are hit and miss regardless of current popularity.

All aftermarket "new" racks are Chinese knock offs and have substantial quality control and initial quality issues. Premature wear, inner tie rods just snapping out of the blue are some of the issues with these. These fellows (sold under many names) range in price from $225-$500 and are all the same.

Something to keep in mind with the price spread, goes like this.
Just the parts to repair "play" and re-seal an 04 rack run around $100 wholesale. Assuming the rack shaft, 1 needle/2 ball bearings and control valve/pinion gear are good/not corroded. That does not include inner tie rod ends or boots. It takes a skilled wrench with the right tools/equipment about an hour to do. There is really not much to them.

 

Glad you're chiming in and telling folks to avoid the cheap Chinese crap parts as well. I started feeling like I was an undercover Toyota parts pusher hired to spam this forum.

 

If you don't go OEM go w/ BBB. Very low come back rate and high quality. Avoid cardone at all costs. I'd pay $1000 for OE before I paid $200 for cardone. I think you'd be good w/ BBB though if the price is that much different..

 

Do yourself a favor and save future headaches by going genuine Toyota. If you have the time and you are handy, rebuild your current rack or source another original used rack and rebuild that one to minimize down time.

 

New here and new to working on cars. Shop quoted 900 to replace the rack with a Cardone incl fluid, alignment, labor. Good shop - no problem with them. I asked about using OEM and got "whoa, I'd have to call a dealership to get pricing". So, I've found I can order and get shipped to me the OEM unit for just under 600 and figured I'd do it myself. Looked briefly at the fsm and determined I'll have to get back to that when I have more time to concentrate. I also saw sst all over the place but haven't had time to look up what the sst's are specifically to see if readily available or not. However, I have no access to a lift or even enclosed space in which to do this (would be in the driveway). I have some tools and can buy others if needed and know righty tighty lefty loosey. Is this something I'd be crazy to take on or totally doable? Are there write ups (with pics preferably) for this kinda stuff somewhere here? My search skills seem to be lacking.

 

Boom! @Timmah! strikes again. Watch this & decide if you want to tackle the job yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZoRP5ogrK0

 

I think I could monkey see monkey do that. What an excellent video. Honestly I had already watched the first few minutes previously but so many videos on YouTube say something like "now we're going disconnect the lines ..." and then the camera comes back on when it's finished. When I saw it was an hour I just moved on. I'm sure you've heard it a million times @Timmah! but most excellent video! And thanks @TeeYoda

 

Hey Lynn, your complaint about YouTube videos is the same complaint my buddy Sean and I have with lots of YouTube video tutorials. They don't show the necessary detail and leave important things out. How did you get that part out? What tools did you use? Etc. With our videos, we didn't want to leave people guessing and we wanted to give the broadest audience a chance at success. So, we gear our videos to the absolute beginner knowing regular mechanics and experienced DIYers can just fast forward and use the parts of the video they need. One complaint we've heard several times is our videos are too long but my response is always the same. We're not forcing you to watch the whole thing. You can fast forward and jump around to see the areas you need more clarification on so you can be successful with the job.

There's a YouTuber, I won't bother mentioning his channel, that gave me crap about our Supercharger Install video. He said nobody wants to watch an 80 minute video and we should cut it down to around 30 minutes. My response was, if somebody wants to be walked through the install, they will definitely watch the whole video and appreciate the detail we offer. That Supercharger video has been out for 8 months, has 28,000 views, 500 thumbs up and 15 thumbs down. I think I can say people are watching the video and appreciate the detail we offer.

Good luck with the steering rack swap.

 

I think watching your videos @Timmah! has helped me keep my old pickup. lol

 

@Timmah! youtube videos are the best - not only for contents but also for the tips on some tricky parts . Takes out the guessing. My only complaint @Timmah! is: why for the love of the Lord did you buy another V6 4Runner, not a good old I4 Tacoma. I know a lot of stuff is shared, but I really wish you work on 2.7 4x4 Tacoma with manual transmission, exactly like the one I have .

 

What I'd really like is a 1st Gen 4runner, preferably an 85 and unmolested. I have found a lady in my area that owns one that's completely stock and wants to sell it but she first has to locate the pink slip that could be in any number of moving boxes in her garage. I'm hoping she sells it to me for a realistic price and not the ridiculous asking prices I've been seeing online.

 

If I were you, I’d give her money now! Lock it up. Those trucks are getting real hard to find. Deal with the title later, worse case is it’s lost, she can get another one. Lock it up !

 

So I've watched the @Timmah! Video about 14 more times, got the new rack in from Camelback (as well as lbjs and 5100s I'll do at the same time) and bought ratcheting wrenches, torque wrench, puller set, impact wrench, impact sockets, jack, jack stands, flare wrench, etc.. Etc... (this diy shit can get expensive but if Amazon had a frequent flyer program I'd be Platinum). All based on what I feel to be a reputable shop (lots of good internet reviews) saying it will need to be done soon as I've been out of the country for the last three months.

Drove it yesterday and the steering feels fine. No drips underneath from leaking fluids and inspection underneath didn't reveal what I would say looks like any "active" leaks. All I can see is some discoloration on the lower half of the boots (see pics). I'll be "in there" (sorta) doing new shocks and lbjs and might as well do it if it needs doing. Does this discoloration mean it needs to be done? And if so, would this old rack be worth something to anyone?

 

I noticed the same thing when I was doing my rack guide replacement (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...k-or-rysium-build.457350/page-4#post-15417477). I think it was there since the day I remember, so it can't be fluid film as I never used it before 2017. But no leaks, not even a single drip or dew. My power steering fluid level is the same for the last 20 years (I probably need to replace it one day). So I'd like to believe that this is just some crap from the road. Or maybe the rubber boot changing it's chemistry when exposed to the grease from the inside. There is nothing else I can think of.

 

Hmmmm. No ff on mine for sure. Now I'm wondering if I need to do it. Firm believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

I am about to pull mine out and have it rebuilt. Is there anything that might differ on a 2wd 1999 Tacoma?

 

I don't know about differences in the years, but in the 03 fsm the gear is different between the 2wd and 4wd.