SanDiegoRider
New member
Mine does this too. We just bought this truck and the guy we bought it from said the power steering rack bushings needed to be replaced. It is a 1998 4Runner SR5 with 203k miles on it and I've been looking at videos on how to replace the steering rack bushings but now I'm thinking it might need a new power steering rack. Would be kind of stupid to replace the bushings if the rack is worn out too. Does a steering rack come with new bushings?
I get a clunking noise when going over bumps and the steering wheel shakes a little bit at speeds over 60mph and it is more noticeable when going around slight left turns and less so when going around slight right turns (maybe it was the opposite, I haven't driven the truck on the freeway much since we bought it). We have replaced the struts and shocks and the sway bar end links as all of those were original. We also replaced all 4 tires. The previous owner had larger off-road tires on it... why I don't know, I guess it looked cool. It is a 2WD vehicle and we don't plan on taking it off-road so we went with 265/75R15 tires. The ball joints look okay and after doing all the other work the truck drives much better but there is still this clunking noise and slight vibration in the steering wheel at freeway speeds.
We bought the vehicle for our son, his first car, so I want it to be safe and reliable. The guy we bought it from was the original owner and since it is a SoCal vehicle there is absolutely zero rust on it anywhere and no accident history either. Engine and transmission are in good shape and we replaced the timing belt.
If it is the rack should I only get Toyota parts or are there decent aftermarket steering racks? Toyota racks are going for about $570 online vs $170 for aftermarket.
