Steering or suspension problems

[john01374]

I have a 2003 Taco 4x4 TRD O/R with a steering or suspension problem. I'm not sure how to describe this problem best so here it goes. When I'm driving over uneven pavement, (Not super rough) or I hit a bump or hole the steering wheel moves sharply left to right and the truck is very hard to control. The wheel almost feels disconnected. When stopped there is a little slop in the steering wheel. I can move it back and forth about one inch before it feels like it's moving the tires. I've also noticed that the problem happens more on warmer days. When the temps are in the 20's the problem almost goes away. On warmer days (40's or 50's) the truck shows these signs. I don't hear anything that sounds loose or broken and the truck on had 50K miles on it. I've had it on a lift and checked all the nut and bolts so that's all tight. I've heard that steering rack bushings are a common problem. Does this sound like worn rack bushings? At what point should I start to consider replacing the front struts?

[DevinSixtySeven]

That doesn't sound like a shock issue at all, more like alignment, ball joints or rack bushings. The temperature dependence makes me think rack bushings.

Put the front end on jack stands (both sides), crawl under and try to move the rack around (be careful, you're putting pressure on a truck on jack stands...I always leave the jack and the tires under the truck for a little "don't kill me" insurance.

With loose bushings, you'll be able to jostle the rack by hand. I'm not sure if the Tacomas have bushings available from Daystar or Energy like the 1st-gen Tundras, but it's a good bet and worth looking in to...from what I've seen the racks appear to be the same. It might be worth a call to Wheeler's Offroad, regarding the polyurethane steering rack bushings, if they appear to be the problem.

If the bushings are tight, it may simply be a poor alignment. Have the truck aligned on a Hunter console, with caster at the maximum factory specification, and camber and toe set to the factory recommendation...as opposed to "in the green" which is where it'll be set if they're lazy .

You'll need an alignment anyway if you replace the steering rack bushings.

It's a little harder to diagnose worn ball joints without either taking the front suspension apart or putting it on the alignment rack.

Hope that helps.

-Sean

[Harry44]

I've blown through bunches of struts on my taco and when they go bad you can usually tell by bouncing on the front end and see if it's dampened or just rocks back and forth. you can also generally take a took to see if oil is leaking from the strut. it sounds like steering all the way especially with the steering wheel slop.

[p nut]

It's not the struts. I changed them out on my old 4Runner with the same symptoms you're describing and it did nothing. It was pretty scary on the freeway. It was not an alignment issue. Unfortunately, the rig was sold before I could diagnose the problem. But change out the steering rack bushings. It's a cheap replacement.

Tacoma Steering Rack Bushing Kit - Wheeler's Off-Road, Inc

[john01374]

Update. Problem was the left front strut. I started the fix by swapping the steering rack and sway bar bushings as I've read about the problems. This change made a huge improvement in the steering feel and how the truck handled. It also got rid of ALL of the slop in the steering wheel but a couple of rough patches on the street was all it took to see the big problem was not fixed. Hit a bump and the steering wheel would jerk one way or the other. I pulled both front struts. The right side looked good and was pretty stiff. The left side was leaking and the rod collapsed as soon as I removed the upper nut. It was shot. Swapped on some 5100's front an rear and the problem is solved. Installed the fronts in the middle slot so it lifted the truck about an inch so it sits nice and level.