Few wheeling trips out on it.. I've only had it for like 4 months

I went OEM rack.Local dealer made me pay 527 out the door. They had it the next day.

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The 1st time:
A1Cardone
Where did you go to buy your replacement Rack and Pinion?
Rock Auto
How long had you been using it?
40,000 miles/ 3 years
Have you had any issues?
Puking p/s fluid at the input shaft. Feels a little funky to drive. Makes squeaky noises. Input shaft wobbling.
What is your overall impression?
It sucked.
Would you buy it again?
NO WAY!
Who in their right mind wants to install one of these more than once?

The 2nd time:
Toyota
Where did you go to buy your replacement Rack and Pinion?
EB Toyota
How long have you been using it?
24,000 miles/ almost 3 years
Have you had any issues?
Nope
What is your overall impression?
Could have been packed better for shipping but that's my only complaint. So far.
Would you buy it again?
Am hoping it won't need replacing at least until I hit over 500,000 miles....

LOL

In case anyone is interested, I just completely rebuilt a rack with all OEM parts. I updated the rack guide to the newer version as well. Here's the part list and what I paid. I ordered from 2 different locations because Amayama was out of stock for one of the tie rod ends and I accidentally ordered the old version of the rack guide the first time. Shipping from Amayama was a lot, but I had other items in the order too so it should be cheaper for just the rack parts.

Part #_______Part Description_________________Price___Quantity__Tota l __Purchased From
45046-39335_Outer tie rod end, right____________$53.98___1______$53.98__Camelback Toyota
45047-39215_Outer tie rod end, left_____________$50.40___1______$50.40__Amayama
04445-35160_Seal and gasket rebuild kit_________$55.44___1 ______$55.44__Amayama
45535-35030_Rack end boots__________________$11.62___2______$23.24__Ama yama
45503-39075_Inner tie rod end_________________$90.24___2______$180.48__Amaya ma
45504-35031_Rack guide, new version___________$50.81___1______$50.81__Camelbac k Toyota
90501-26074_Rack guide spring_________________$1.19____1______$1.19 __Amayama
45524-37010_Rack guide spring cap, new version__$14.71___1______$14.71__Amayama
90179-48003_Rack guide spring cap nut___________$2.37___1______$2.37__Amayama
Parts Total $432.62
Camelback Handling $3.00
Amayama Shipping $109.01
Grand Total $544.63

you rebuilt your rack? no offense

in case anyone wants to know. I paid $524 to the door for a OEM rack and pinion

just picked up an OEM from camelback... it was a nice experience.

I decided to let it be shipped to me, it said free ship.. i figure why not I'm local, and it's out of the way... I knew it wouldn't be covered but figured I'd just fork up the funds needed...

got a call today, say'n it don't qualify, haha, so they wanted to know me being close in the valley (35 min drive) if I wanted to pick it up... I figure shipping will be gas... driving my wifes 97 4runner, I spent $8 in gas i figure...

btw, it was 590 from camel back... every other dealership was going to charge 755 + tax...

now time to install... good thing I didn't put in my new poly rack bushings earlier.

Yep

How difficult was rebuilding the rack? I wonder how this compares to just buying a reman unit from Cardone. They usually do a more indepth QC testing than the average user can pull off with garage tools.

The rebuild wasn't all that difficult, but it definitely required some special tools. I had to make a few in order to do it properly.

I went to Harbor Freight and bought the largest adjustable wrench they had and a few ratchet adapters. I drilled a hole in the handle near the head and welded in an adapter for a 1/2" ratchet and cut off the rest of the handle. I also ground down the jaws to fit around the inner tie rods. This tool was used with a torque wrench to get everything tightened to spec.






The next tool was a modified 1" nut. I drilled out the center to 1" to remove the threads and make it fit around the valve assembly pinion gear. Then I cut an octagon in the bottom to remove the retainer at the bottom of the valve assembly. I welded the nut to a 24mm socket so I could use a ratchet to operate the tool and torque it properly.







With these tools the rebuild wasn't all that bad. It helped me understand the system better and figure out why they leak in the first place.

I didn't want to use a reman because I've heard about them not holding up, especially with larger tire sizes. Local dealer was quoting in the $700s for a factory reman, which is apparently what they sell. From what I was told, all the units sold by the dealer are remanufactured units done by whatever company Toyota uses. I figured I could rebuild it myself with the OEM parts for cheaper. But the parts (seal kit mostly) in the US are crazy expensive, so I bought them from Amayama for a huge discount.

Keep us posted as how well and long this works.

If a brand new rack is $500 in change. And a rebuilt cost you more then $500. What's the purpose of rebuilding it ? I understand it's awesome to rebuild it your self. But I'm the end. Why not just get brand new one

At the time I was being quoted in the $700s to buy a replacement rack and from what I was told at the dealership the "brand new" racks aren't brand new, they're factory remanufactured. I didn't know what it would cost to rebuild it until I went through the process.

I'm not saying rebuilding is the way to go. If you can find a rack from the dealership that costs less than the total of what the rebuild parts are it would definitely be quicker and less frustrating to go that route. But if someone wants to try a rebuild and has time, now you have the part numbers and price list. I had the rack from my Tacoma laying around so I was able to rebuild it without having down time on the 4Runner.

Do the racks from Toyota come with outer tie rod ends? The rebuild price for mine includes them.

The dealership here quoted in the 700's too, when I bought mine at EB for 5-somethings. I like the idea of tearing into one and getting a better picture of how they work/why they leak and good job on crafting some tools. The new 'yota racks do not come with new outer tie-rod ends, only inner. I may tear my old nasty Cardone rack apart to see the what's what someday, good on you to give it a go. I'm glad to be able to buy a new one for around that (when you count tool making, though that's a one-time expense), but have got to respect and admire your solution.


And contrary to what somebody mentioned about A1Cardone...when I emailed about their cruddy rack they told me via email how they go about 'rebuilding' them. It's not impressive.

Yes. My rack was $524 shipped with inner tie rods. Outer tie rods were $40ish.