Steering Play Mod Complete

[jsmith811]

I'm no mechanic and this took under 2 hours, I completed this on a 1998 4runner with 109,000 miles, made a very noticeable improvement in steering sensitivity.
There are plenty of pics in the thread, but what terryj5 does is what I followed, much less to remove.

Diagnose and Fix Steering Play/Rattle - Page 2 - TTORA Forum

Looking at replacing plugs, Suspension, carpet next...

 

[5vzT4R]

Never seen this before. Glad I have never noticed a rattle in my steering or any bad wandering. Although I could use new rack bushings.

 

[Gerdo]

It looks a lot more involved than a 2 hour fix. Nice job.

 

[shootmymime]

is it do able with out taking the whole steering column out?

i mean can i tac weld it in the vehicle?

 

[Kraze]

Whoa, this might be what my steering play is from. I'll have to do the diagnosis tomorrow. Thanks for pointing this out!

 

[5vzT4R]

is it do able with out taking the whole steering column out?

i mean can i tac weld it in the vehicle?

Even if there was access I still wouldn't weld INSIDE the vehicle. But if you did decide to, I would cover up and disconnect everything including the battery and place your ground as close to the welding joint as possible. It is not necessary to disconnect the battery, but I still do. Can't be to safe.

 

[masphx]

I did this 'mod' two years ago. Instead of the weld I used a 3/32 or 3/16 roll pin. First had to drill a hole though the steering column. This took some time as the steering column is solid metal. After drilling the hole I tapped/hammered the roll pin in. Then sanded the roll pin down so no sharp edges were sticking out. So far it has held up great even after multiple off road trips. Please use this advice with caution as I'm not an expert. You are removing a safety future the truck has built into it but a mechanic I asked (who would not weld it) said a roll pin would break in the event of an accident.

 

[I_bRAD]

You are removing a safety future the truck has built into it but a mechanic I asked (who would not weld it) said a roll pin would break in the event of an accident.

Probably. The question is whether it will break before your chest does!

 

[BlackCat914]

glad my steering it uber tight still.

 

[masphx]

Probably. The question is whether it will break before your chest does!

Yep, it is a gamble but it seems like a tac weld would be stronger and thus not break as easily. The mechanic at the time that I asked knew exactly what I was trying to do. He said a tac weld might roll up in between the two parts during a crash and disable the safety future. He stated a roll pin would shear off during a crash. Again not an expert so if someone has a different opinion please share. Its and important topic.

 

[packweco]

Where did this idea that the slip joint is a safety feature come about? I would think that, since these vehicles have airbags (the device that is supposed to support you in an accident), the steering wheel shouldn't move at all. Plus, the way that it is mounted, a ton of stuff would have to break for that slip joint to move. I'm guessing everyone is talking about an impact driving the steering linkage up into the car, but even then, it would be pretty hard to get that to happen since the linkage goes straight down right on the other side of the firewall. It would have to be a serious impact.

It looks to me like that slip joint is for the u joint on the steering wheel. With a single u joint, a slip joint would be required to operate properly. I'm wondering if this is why a few guys in that thread reported having their steering wheel stay in a turned position at low speeds after doing this mod (when the auto centering from the caster is less effective).

Just thinking out loud, though. Looks like a really effective mod and I just don't think anyone needs to worry about the safety side of it. I know I've felt the rattle when driving off-road, but it's not too bad yet. I'd probably try shimming that hex joint before welding on it, but that's just me.

 

[I_bRAD]

Where did this idea that the slip joint is a safety feature come about?

In the late 60's once Ralph nader exposed safety defects to the public.

It's been federal law since then.

His book is called "unsafe at any speed" if you want to read more about it

 

[5vzT4R]

A tac weld should not be stronger the a pin. A tac is simply that, a temporary tac weld to hold two joints together before completey welding the joint together. As long as you don't put 5 tacs that are deeply penetrated with complete fusion, it WILL break fairly easy.

 

[packweco]

In the late 60's once Ralph nader exposed safety defects to the public.

It's been federal law since then.

His book is called "unsafe at any speed" if you want to read more about it

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely check that out! Had no idea that even existed. Found info on the slip joint in the wikipedia article on steering (safety section).

Steering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Nelsonmd]

Guys, be careful to diagnose this before you go welding. Buried in those posts is a way to check for this, involving feeling that slip joint while simultaneously turning the wheel to make sure that your slip is actually in that joint and not somewhere else. Don't just assume this is your problem.

 

[HeelAndToe85]

Lots of info out there about this, but I am stoked about how easy this fix was and how incredibly annoying the slip joint play was.

Here is the link I used to diagnose and find the fix:
Diagnose and Fix Steering Play/Rattle - TTORA Forum

What I actually did:
1. Disconnect battery negative lead
2. Remove 3 screws from plastic around steering column and remove plastic
3. Disconnect 4 connectors under steering column
4. Removed 12 mm bolt by firewall on floor
5. Remove 2 springs for tilt column after moving tilt up. (use good vice grips)
6. Remove 2 bolts with 6 mm allen wrench
7. Move key to acc position to allow column to remain unlocked
8. Pull out steering wheel and shaft
9. Do not let steering wheel turn too much relative to column. Clock Spring
10. Drilled one size under 3/16 hole through column, then drilled to 3/16 so as to not oversize
11. Pound in 3/16” roll pin
12. Cut off excess roll pin with hack saw and file flush
13. Re-install by reverse of 1-9

I attached a picture of the home depot web 3/16 roll pin 1" long, but actually used a 2" long. It was easier to cut off the excess this way. The diameter of the flats across the larger female hex on the slip joint is about 7/8" so a 1" would work.

 

[Unner]

[MENTION=71420]masphx[/MENTION]

So almost 3 years later how is your roll pin holding up?

This is how I want to fix mine because I can't weld...

 

[masphx]

[MENTION=71420]masphx[/MENTION]

So almost 3 years later how is your roll pin holding up?

This is how I want to fix mine because I can't weld...

It's doing good. So good I forgot it is in there.

 

[Unner]

It's doing good. So good I forgot it is in there.

Awesome! I'll add it to the list of stuff I want to get done this summer then!

 

[HeelAndToe85]

I forgot to mention... from removing the first screw to installing the last one after all work was done this took me 1.5 hours. I did, however spend that same amount of time researching beforehand. It takes 1 minute to diagnose the problem.