Inner tie rod or bad steering rack??

[Down by the Water]

Taking an informal poll. Do we think this is a bad inner tie rod or bad steering rack?

My first thought was tie rod, but when I pushed the boot back some fluid came out. Pretty sure that's not normal. Outer tie rod end seems solid. There's no fluid leaking from the rack, just what came out when I unclipped the boot.

No other symptoms, though steering might be a tiny bit harder. Hard to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZSrQXyCmw8&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZhnJDCCtDM&feature=youtu.

 

[sleepydad]

Taking an informal poll. Do we think this is a bad inner tie rod or bad steering rack?

My first thought was tie rod, but when I pushed the boot back some fluid came out. Pretty sure that's not normal. Outer tie rod end seems solid. There's no fluid leaking from the rack, just what came out when I unclipped the boot.

No other symptoms, though steering might be a tiny bit harder. Hard to say.

bad rack or bad inner tie rod end? 00 - YouTube

bad rack or bad inner tie rod end? 01 - YouTube.

I think each time I have taken a factory boot off there is some type of grease they use during assembly that oozes out.

if you look at the FSM in the REASSEMBLY section for the rack they talk about

COAT PARTS INDICATED BY ARROWS WITH POWER STEERING FLUID OR MOLYBDENUM DISULFIDE LITHIUM BASE GREASE

so I would not be surprised if there was grease used during reassembly.

if I'm able to get the gist from your vid? if there is a clunky play? I can't believe that truck does not show death wobble at high speed?

you need to find what is bad, it could be upper or lower ball joints or bushings? I honestly don't think it's in the rack at all.

if your tie rod(s) or rac is bad in my experience your steering will have play and a "clunk clunk" back and forth. you will not be able to keep it going straight down the road without constantly adjusting the steering wheel. ++ it will start to leak like the exxon valdez as well.

 

[texadelphia]

Does the color of the fluid match what's in the power steering reservoir? My guess is that your rack is just starting to leak. The grease on the inner tie rod isn't thin like that. Could just be residual from a previous assembly. If you compress the boot more does any drip out?

Hard to tell from the motion if anything is wrong. If both tires are off the ground your rack will move a bit when you push and pull on it. If it was a distinct clunking feeling I would suspect inner tie rod.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

 

[Devbot]

As said there is a TINY amount of play normally, you should really be listening for a clunk or feeling for anything excessive. A slightly shimmy/wobble at highway speeds is another good indication.
Another way to check if an inner tie rod is bad, what you can do is disconnect the outer ends and simply lift them up, and if the inners are good they should stay up. If one slowly falls back down if pretty well worn, and if it flops back down with no resistance then it's time to change it. At the same time you shouldn't have to force them upwards, they should be a little stiff but otherwise move smoothly.
Regardless I would just swap out your inners before getting a new rack altogether. Watch Timmy's video as the inners are VERY hard to get a normal wrench on, and they put a link to one that works best for the job. The situation is better explained in the video but it's definitely something you want to be prepared for if you decide to tackle the job as a regular spanner won't do.

 

[Down by the Water]

Does the color of the fluid match what's in the power steering reservoir?

Yes


If you compress the boot more does any drip out?

No

And, there are no active leaks that I can see. I cleaned it up pretty good yesterday. Drove it today to the beach and no leaks.

I do not have any problems steering or hear any clunking sounds. It just feels a little loose to me, not dangerously so. The ball joints (upper and lower) and outer control arms are good, wheel bearings are good. The steering stabilizer end links are end of life but hanging in there. Stabilizer bar bushings in surprisingly good condition. Rack in there solid.

Suffice to say, there's a lot of deferred maintenance with this vehicle. Trying to set a game plan.

 

[HiLife]

It hard to see in your vid to see what's staying still and what's moving, cause the cam is slightly moving around too.
Does the driverside tire move too in oposite reation to the push and pull of the passengerside?
Is the rack housing itself staying still when pushing and pulling on the tire?

The drop method is a good way in gauging integrity of the inner tierod joint.
I wouldnt consider replacing the rack if there is no major leaks going on unless you got money to spare. Slight oozing is fine, unless it's so bad that there are spots left on the ground where the 4r was parked over night.

3 places that would allow movement in that area is the inner tierod, rack bushings and the rack guide bushing itself. Check also on those till you find your issue.

 

[Bad Luck]

Does the color of the fluid match what's in the power steering reservoir?

Yes

One or both of the seals in the rack by the inner tie rod is leaking power steering fluid. While you can rebuild them it's a lot of work and time to do it properly. I would recommend replacing your steering rack with an OEM one. An OEM steering rack will come with new inner tie rod ends, but not the lock nuts.

 

[fourfive]

I think each time I have taken a factory boot off there is some type of grease they use during assembly that oozes out.

if you look at the FSM in the REASSEMBLY section for the rack they talk about

COAT PARTS INDICATED BY ARROWS WITH POWER STEERING FLUID OR MOLYBDENUM DISULFIDE LITHIUM BASE GREASE

so I would not be surprised if there was grease used during reassembly.

This is good to know. When I replaced my itre years ago I noticed a dark moly type grease in the itre boot. Didn't know if this was normal or not because my only other point of reference was when I changed the itre on my friends 3rd gen that didn't have any grease or fluid in the boot.

if your tie rod(s) or rac is bad in my experience your steering will have play and a "clunk clunk" back and forth. you will not be able to keep it going straight down the road without constantly adjusting the steering wheel. ++ it will start to leak like the exxon valdez as well.

One or both of the seals in the rack by the inner tie rod is leaking power steering fluid. While you can rebuild them it's a lot of work and time to do it properly. I would recommend replacing your steering rack with an OEM one. An OEM steering rack will come with new inner tie rod ends, but not the lock nuts.

Is a leak the only real indicator that the steering rack is bad?

 

[3bears]

for me, it was hard to tell in video but my first thought was an outter tie rod end. the second video did make it look like it could be the inner.
however you will get some movement and I ask if someone was watching or holding the steering wheel at the time.

I currently need the inner on the pass side. Mine is real obvious, but I can get some very slight movement out of the driver side, but when I do I see the steering wheel move ever so slightly....so im only doing the pass side right now.
I also have a very slight leak. When time comes ( more leaking) I will do an entire rack.....if I still own it. ( looking for a 99 or 2000 )

 

[Bad Luck]

Is a leak the only real indicator that the steering rack is bad?

There's a lot of symptoms for a bad steering rack, but the steering fluid in the boot is the easiest one to spot. You can also have play internal to the steering rack which is difficult to tell without the inner tie rod boots being off to determine if it's the inner tie rod or the gears in the rack. You can also have a lack of power steering but the power steering pump is operating correctly. That one is much more rare. I had one steering rack that I replaced at work that had power steering assist turning left but wouldn't assist turning right. The bypass/flow valve was messed up. Also extremely rare.

 

[sleepydad]

There's a lot of symptoms for a bad steering rack, but the steering fluid in the boot is the easiest one to spot. You can also have play internal to the steering rack which is difficult to tell without the inner tie rod boots being off to determine if it's the inner tie rod or the gears in the rack. You can also have a lack of power steering but the power steering pump is operating correctly. That one is much more rare. I had one steering rack that I replaced at work that had power steering assist turning left but wouldn't assist turning right. The bypass/flow valve was messed up. Also extremely rare.

I'm going to add a little here

#1 the rack is leaking - seals are worn out so... it's generally cheaper to just replace the rack with a rebuild because re-building them is time consuming.

#2 the rack or pump is physically worn out or damaged.

#3 one of the connecting tie rods inner/outer joints is worn/damaged and needs to be replaced.

it turns out any of these things people just say "rack is bad, replace it" the reality that labor today is just expensive and it's easier to just replace, send old to rebuild.

 

[Bad Luck]

I'm going to add a little here

#1 the rack is leaking - seals are worn out so... it's generally cheaper to just replace the rack with a rebuild because re-building them is time consuming.

#2 the rack or pump is physically worn out or damaged.

#3 one of the connecting tie rods inner/outer joints is worn/damaged and needs to be replaced.

it turns out any of these things people just say "rack is bad, replace it" the reality that labor today is just expensive and it's easier to just replace, send old to rebuild.

Good added info. That's very true about replacing being cheaper than rebuilding due to labor costs. The only time I've replaced inner tie rods were recalls on camaros and caprice cop cars. I'm also a firm believer in replacing the steering rack with OEM. I've seen countless threads on here about people replacing with aftermarket only to have problems very quickly. OEM made it to the mileage you're at now so it's proven quality.

 

[Down by the Water]

New video, the answer is "yes"

Answer to the question is, yes. The inner tie-rod is bad, the rack is going bad. For now, I have no real symptoms other than the truck wanders a slight bit and some uneven wear on my passenger side front tire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAnzZgpsED4&feature=youtu.be

 

[texadelphia]

Answer to the question is, yes. The inner tie-rod is bad, the rack is going bad. For now, I have no real symptoms other than the truck wanders a slight bit and some uneven wear on my passenger side front tire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAnzZgpsED4&feature=youtu.be

Looks like you got it figured out. If you get a new rack it comes with new inner tie rods so factor that into your calculus when deciding if you're just going to do the tie rod knowing that a new rack is inevitable.

 

[Down by the Water]

OEM, rebuilt, new?

Anyone have any thoughts on getting a new or rebuilt rack? Good brands? I understand and agree that an original Toyota rack would be optimal. Unfortunately, it is out of the question, just way to expensive.

I'm also seeing some used racks for sale on ebay. Would love to keep it all Toyota parts. That seems like a fool's game though.

My 4Runner is my daily so I can't have it sit for a month while I have my rack rebuilt or I would do that.

 

[texadelphia]

Anyone have any thoughts on getting a new or rebuilt rack? Good brands? I understand and agree that an original Toyota rack would be optimal. Unfortunately, it is out of the question, just way to expensive.

I'm also seeing some used racks for sale on ebay. Would love to keep it all Toyota parts. That seems like a fool's game though.

My 4Runner is my daily so I can't have it sit for a month while I have my rack rebuilt or I would do that.

I got a new one for $500+shipping from a dealership site in Oregon. But if I didn't go new, I'd go with a Toyota reman from a dealer. Everything I've heard about after-markets is that you'll be replacing it again in 2 years or less.

Here are the two options from the place I got mine.

Search Results | Lithia Toyota Parts

 

[Bad Luck]

Any aftermarket steering rack is going to last a year or two so it depends on what you value your time at. Buy once, cry once.

 

[Down by the Water]

Thanks Tex,
I could probably do the reman. Shoot, there are new, non-OEM ones selling for that and more.


DBtW

 

[texadelphia]

Thanks Tex,
I could probably do the reman. Shoot, there are new, non-OEM ones selling for that and more.


DBtW

Yeah, the prices seem to vary widely. I called 2 other dealerships close to me and one wanted $750 for a new rack and another wanted almost $900.

 

[Down by the Water]

My local Toyota dealership wants $879 for a new one. I would buy the remanufactured one you linked to in Ohio but the core charge is killing me! $75 to ship it to Florida. Then I have to ship the core back, another $75. That puts me $87 shy of the local dealerships reman price of $587?? This is a pain because all the work I want to do kind of hinges on this part...