Post I made in the steering rack thread:
Wife is not home so I checked my guide bushing. All was excellent condition 
Observations:
- I checked the default torque spec that my guide cap was sitting at by loosening the lock nut and setting my torque wrench to 18ft lbs as outlined. I was VERY surprised to find that I was able to rotate the threads well over a full turn, maybe more before reaching 18ft-lbs. This is on a rack that was not making any noise or having issues.
- I tried a second torque wrench to verify the spec and sure enough, 18ft lbs was very tight and bound the steering quite hard the further you turned the wheel. No chance of it returning to center.
- The rack bar is tapered to a centering point. This helps the rack return to center. So if you torque dead center at 18ft lbs, the spring is fully compressed. When you turn the wheel, the guide cannot back off and it binds. I did not try torquing to 18ft lbs when the wheel turned full lock one way or the other - then backing off as described, but I imagine it may work fine.
- When tightening the cap, you can feel when the cap makes contact with the spring and gets tighter and tighter. At a point, you will suddenly feel the back cap make contact with the guide - fully compressing the spring. This is WAY before 18ft lbs. At this point, I backed off 1/8 turn or maybe a tad more so I knew the cap / guide had a little bit of mechanical clearance.
- At 240K miles on my 4runner, the guide had virtually ZERO wear. The actual mating surface is copper or brass with a coating, very similar to a crank or rod bearing. IMO with an 01-02, there is no need to buy replacement parts. I may change my opinion if I find wear in the wifes 02 tomorrow.
Jhelms quick instruction guide for the rack guide if you have an 01-02 or if you purchased the new style guide
- Turn the wheel 1/2-1 turn to the left (VERY IMPORTANT - DO NOT MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT WITH THE RACK CENTERED)
- Loosen the lock nut
- Use whatever tool you have to rotate the large hex cap clockwise until you feel it bind
- Back off of that setting 1/8 to 1/4 turn. This should get you on the money or close. Back off a little more if steering feels to tight
Oh... And the feel? Very nice and tight. Maybe a tad to much as the wheel is a little slow to return but I am good with it. Now I hope the clunk goes away with the wife's
My little ghetto tool made from an M16 bolt and two M16 nuts. Head is a perfect fit.
Guide Removed:
Guide at 240K miles:
Edit, checked the wife's steering rack guide and it was loose, but still did not resolve the clunk or alter it in any way. This is maddening! Search continues
Will see if the noise has gone away now.
