Steering Play and Sway on the Highway Diagnosis Help!

[OldManKamps]

Hey guys, so ever since I've gotten my truck, my steering wheel has always felt loose and I experience a lot of sway on the highway from wind and bumps and whatnot. I've replaced my steering rack bushings and my outer tie rod ends look in good shape so this is the only thing I can think of.

I took a video of the loose steering this morning to show what it's like. I think it's a loose slip joint but I'd love your help to confirm it!!

https://youtu.be/kSsbHwIrVW0

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[ATX-Runner]

Check the inner rod ends?

 

[JayRolla]

Hey guys, so ever since I've gotten my truck, my steering wheel has always felt loose and I experience a lot of sway on the highway from wind and bumps and whatnot. I've replaced my steering rack bushings and my outer tie rod ends look in good shape so this is the only thing I can think of.

I took a video of the loose steering this morning to show what it's like. I think it's a loose slip joint but I'd love your help to confirm it!!

https://youtu.be/kSsbHwIrVW0

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

I had your same issue. Ended up being inner tie rod ends. To test them you need to lift up truck. Disconnect the outer tie rod ends. Grab your outer rod end and push it in and out. Should be solid. If it moves in and out then replace them preferably with OEM. If you don't off-road aftermarkets may work but mine failed in a month.

Next it could be loose joint on the steering wheel shaft and may need welded. You can grab the shaft under hood and grab wheel through window. You can feel for the play or knocking they make when loose. Mine is still solid and didn't need welding.

Then the rack also can loosen up inside. You can tighten this also. Research loose rack to find what I'm talking about. Can't remember what they call it that loosens up.

To make my truck ride great I had to do entire rack, all tie rod ends, upper and lower control arm bushings, steering rack bushings, sway bar bushings, upper and lower ball joints, shocks and coils, rear panhard bar. It was a lot of work but feels like a million bucks after i was done.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Then the rack also can loosen up inside. You can tighten this also. Research loose rack to find what I'm talking about. Can't remember what they call it that loosens up.

Steering Rack Guide?
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/70884-how-replace-steering-rack-guide-pictures.html

 

[JWaldz]

Looks like a loosey goosey slip joint. Mine's been doing it for a while, I just haven't felt like taking my entire dash apart lol.

Check out the rack guide and the inner tie rods before tacking the slip joint job.

Slip Joint Troubleshooting

 

[OldManKamps]

Steering Rack Guide?
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/70884-how-replace-steering-rack-guide-pictures.html

As in it's too loose? I'm pretty sure it's too tight as it is! My steering wheel doesn't come back to center after a corner by itself. And when I'm stopped, it's more difficult than it should be to turn! I'm attributing this to the rack guide being too tight.

 

[JWaldz]

As in it's too loose? I'm pretty sure it's too tight as it is! My steering wheel doesn't come back to center after a corner by itself. And when I'm stopped, it's more difficult than it should be to turn! I'm attributing this to the rack guide being too tight.

I would agree with that.. Check your inner tie rods. Have someone jerk the wheel back and forth while you check for play.

 

[JGrauman]

In my opinion try these, easiest to hardest
Sway bar endlink bushings
Steering rack bushing kit
Inner/outer tie rods
Upper/lower ball joints and control arm bushings
Replace rack...

 

[OldManKamps]

In my opinion try these, easiest to hardest
Sway bar endlink bushings
Steering rack bushing kit
Inner/outer tie rods
Upper/lower ball joints and control arm bushings
Replace rack...

Thanks for the information!
I did my bushing kit and my swaybar bushings and new links!
I guess next up is to check my tie rods.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

I don't see how the sway bar and sway bar bushings would cause or prevent a steering wheel wobble/play.

Sway bar just "connects" the 2 LCAs together so that they don't move vertically as independently. Has nothing to do with steering.

If someone actually feels a difference in steering wheel play after refreshing their sway bar bits, it sounds to me like the true culprit might actually be LCA bushings at that point.

Hypothetically speaking of course. I'm veering off from the OP's situation here.

 

[OldManKamps]

So I went under the dash to feel for the slip joint movement and I found that when i move the steering wheel, there is about an 3mm movement in the shaft before the lower shaft actually starts to move the tires. This 3mm movement translates into a 3/4" to 1" movement on the wheel! So I guess the slip joint is the issue in the play of the wheel!
Thanks for your help guys

 

[gamefreakgc]

As in it's too loose? I'm pretty sure it's too tight as it is! My steering wheel doesn't come back to center after a corner by itself. And when I'm stopped, it's more difficult than it should be to turn! I'm attributing this to the rack guide being too tight.

You'd be surprised as how loose it's supposed to be. Mine was just as you described (minus the steering play though) and it was SO hard to turn. I go to loosen the rack nut and it's so stuck I had to superheat it and use a 3' breaker bar.

Due to the extreme pressure it broke a seal and my rack ended up leaking and eventually failing. Just a heads up. A new rack from Toyota will come with new inner tie rods but NOT outers or the locking nuts if you have to end up replacing the rack.

 

[frodiesel]

I did this:

Actually did it twice, bc i ground the welds too far, went on gravel too fast, and the welds broke.

Oh, and i rebuilt the entire front end outside the steering rack and upper bushings. Around 1000 in parts from camelback and 500 in machine labor, wheel bearings, suspension all around. This is another part of the puzzle, not to be overlooked.

 

[OldManKamps]

Well I using the fast method from the "Diagnose steering play/rattle" sticky! A user, 42 posts into the original post, found a significantly faster method of removing the column. So I unbolted the shaft from the shaft no. 2, removed the allen key bolts, and unhooked the springs (HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS). Pulled the shaft with a little maneuvering. Used my old stick welder and made two nice (much better than expected) spot welds on the slip joint!
Put it back in and it fixed my steering play and drift on the highway!!!

Super happy! Thanks a lot for your help guys! One piece of advice I could offer is that you attempt to get the slip joint lined up 100% straight rather than just welding it. Because the joint is loose, it can be a little off center and when you weld it, it's permanently off center. AKA my steering wheel is turned about 3/4" of an inch to the left when I'm driving straight. Not a huge deal but just a heads up!

Also, does anyone know if there is such thing as a spring tool? Something you can use to attach springs? The tilt springs are super super strong and I can't even make a solid attempt at reattaching them...

EDIT: Here is the link to the thread post where the user describes the fast method in pulling the column. The first post on the entire thread puts it more into detail but this specific link shows the faster method. Diagnose and Fix Steering Play/Rattle - Page 2 - TTORA Forum

 

[gamefreakgc]

Well I using the fast method from the "Diagnose steering play/rattle" sticky! A user, 42 posts into the original post, found a significantly faster method of removing the column. So I unbolted the shaft from the shaft no. 2, removed the allen key bolts, and unhooked the springs (HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS). Pulled the shaft with a little maneuvering. Used my old stick welder and made two nice (much better than expected) spot welds on the slip joint!
Put it back in and it fixed my steering play and drift on the highway!!!

Super happy! Thanks a lot for your help guys! One piece of advice I could offer is that you attempt to get the slip joint lined up 100% straight rather than just welding it. Because the joint is loose, it can be a little off center and when you weld it, it's permanently off center. AKA my steering wheel is turned about 3/4" of an inch to the left when I'm driving straight. Not a huge deal but just a heads up!

Also, does anyone know if there is such thing as a spring tool? Something you can use to attach springs? The tilt springs are super super strong and I can't even make a solid attempt at reattaching them...

EDIT: Here is the link to the thread post where the user describes the fast method in pulling the column. The first post on the entire thread puts it more into detail but this specific link shows the faster method. Diagnose and Fix Steering Play/Rattle - Page 2 - TTORA Forum

It's not permanently off-center. If you have an FSM see the procedure on how to center the steering wheel by equally rotating the inner tie rods. Or take it to a Toyota dealership and have an alignment done and ask them to center the wheel.

 

[OldManKamps]

It's not permanently off-center. If you have an FSM see the procedure on how to center the steering wheel by equally rotating the inner tie rods. Or take it to a Toyota dealership and have an alignment done and ask them to center the wheel.

Ah I figured something like this could be done!
Thanks

 

[JayRolla]

Ah I figured something like this could be done!
Thanks

And if for some reason they dont have enough adjustment at the tie rod ends you can center it at the steering rack. This is the best way to do it so that steering is centered and not bandaid fixed at the tie rod ends. But its a lot harder, I would try alignment first.