NewHilux.net

So the other week I noticed a good 5mm of play in my LH steering rack end(ball joint on rack end of tie rod).
Now this is a ridiculous amount of movement to have in that ball joint especially because I've only done 40k since new. I have a 4in lift and 33's along with a heap of other accessories but these mods should not have any effect on this part of the steering. If anything were to go I would think first would be steering pump or rack seals. Also having the Ultimate Smart Lift, the kit comes with rack spacers along with other unique components to keep the steering geometry at stock angles.
My power steering fluid was black as hell so I did a complete system flush, putting a system treatment fluid along with about 10 liters of new fluid through to completely clean out the whole power steering system. Also added some conditioner on the final fill.
After doing this I proceeded to replace the rack end, which is a heavier duty lengthened rod from Ultimate Suspension.
What I found was like nothing I've ever seen on any other vehicle I've ever worked on. The LH rack boot was completely full of dirty rusty water. About 300ml came out I reckon. The ball joint had rusted out that bad it had over 5mm of end play in it and the steering rack itself was covered in thick chunky rust that's really pitting into the hardened steel of the rack. Somehow the rack seals don't seem to be damaged yet and have not leaked. I cleaned it all up as best as possible with steel wool and emery paper, replaced the rack end and refit the boot. I then checked the RH side. The rack end is ok but there is also some rusty water in the boot too. The rack seems to have little rust there but the oil is starting to leak and the boot has a very tiny hole in it, the LH side boot had no visible holes.
It's been about 3 weeks since then and already the power steering fluid is going brown and smelling a little burnt. There is also water condensation in top of reservoir with that milky consistency you get when water and oil mix.
I will be going to Toyota soon and hoping for a new rack under warranty but will be expecting to hear them object due to lift, tires etc.
I'm not going to let them get away with that though if it's the case, there's no way any of my modifications could cause rack boots to fill with water and rust the shit out of the rack. In 12 years of being a mechanic I've never seen anything like it.
Anyone else had such a serious and f$&cked up issue with their steering rack?

G'day Toyboata,

Yep, the rack is another issue. If you do a search on this forum you are bound to find something on it. I do bleive it is something else that Toyota is addressing with customers which is good, but I don't have the details

Good luck chasing it up.

Grogo

yes there has been a few instances of rack issues.. esp. burnt fluid in the past, but as with every problem it only appears to affecting a minority of vehicles..

(in saying that ive been meaning to flush my Power Steering fluid)...

Steve

Had the same problem when I took it to the dealer they said it was water damage not covered under warranty and also had to replace the steering pump as well. I went with non genuine rack and found a toyota pump on ebay much cheaper than the dealer! good luck with it.

I read something a while ago about this. Not sure if it was on here or not. Apparently the genuine boots are plastic and don't seal on the rack ends or rack, therefore letting water in. Apparently this is a common issue with hilux's. I think it's a steering service company who has made some better rubber boots to suit. Ive been meaning to look at mine since I read it but never got around to it.

Cheers,

Chris.

EDIT: Found the website I was reading this info. http://www.ultimatepowersteering.com.au ... lux-kun26/

I have the same prob found on eBay 880 for a genuine rack
Seems better then 3500 from Toyota. If anyone dose bye one rip the
Genuine boots off and bye new ones and put on or u will have the same prob in a few years.
The boot from Toyota are plastic.

Thanks guys.
At Toyota this morning booking it in to get looked at. The manager reckons I'll be hard pressed getting anything done about it under warranty because I have "tampered" with it already.
So I go and fix something myself, try to clean up the rack as best as i can, saving them the trouble and cost, and now I'm gonna be denied because of that's tampering?
Exactly the sort of reasons I'll never take my vehicle to them except to try for warranty claim when things f$ ck up.
I'll try my best to get something out of them but there's no way in the world I'll buy a single genuine part off them ever again if they don't approve my claim.

They are scum bags. Any excuse to get out of coffing up. Let us know how you go..

Cheers,

Chris.

Same with mine LH has about 5 mm play and when turning into streets it locks up making it hard to turn out of corners my fluid is also dark . I will have it on the host this weekend to pull the boot of the rack and have a look

The unbreakable HILUX
118,000 rattles and blows smoke
Thanks toyota

Next time I will give $50,000 to another make

I changed mine out after the drivers side had 5mm play in the ball. cost me $40 for a rackend from peps and took couple minutes to fit. Also packed some extra grease in the cup and changed the clamps out to hose clamps for a tighter seal then the factor clamps. Was also full of rusty water and crud

We have our 9 month old sr hilux at toyota LHS rack end rusted on the shaft under the plastic boot, dealer tried to prove to us the boot was damaged however could not find any holes or tears the right side boot was found to have a 10 mil tear at the bottom but this side has no rust. Toyotas answer is the water got in through the right side hole and been sucked through to the left side trapping the water causing the damage NO WARRANTY. Car is always served regally at this dealer and is not used off road. Any advise.

Had a hole in my drivers side boot (self inflicted i do believe ) . Pump was cavitating something shocking and there was water in the fluid as well. Did a flush and it was sort of ok for a day or two... So decided to buy a new pump and rack( was not going to throw a pump at it and then find it too failed because there was a problem with the rack).
Changed the rack first (and also bought the rubber boots from ultimate power steering , as per Chris's link above Only thing with these is that they come with cable ties for the rack end and garden plastic clamps for the rod ends...So i changed these out for thin stainless hose clamps, as the rack end in particular was not going to seal at all. They also supply 2 zip lock bags of semi liquid grease to go in the boots
Disconnecting all things rack: half hour job...
Working out how to get rack actually out of vehicle; two hours of looking at undoing this, undoing that
In the end for anybody else considering this; Get a thin block of wood
and a second trolley jack
place block of wood on the front edge of sump bolts,
and jack the motor up WITHOUT undoing anything.
There is enough room for movement on the engine mounts to
allow the motor to lift about 40mm at the rear of the sump to
allow you to rotate the rack to clear the diff and sump.

Changing the pump is a 15 minute job (especially if you have a ratchet open ended 14mm spanner) . I was also advised by ultimate power steering to replace all suction clamps with hose clamps. The one on the pump is a PITA as it just does not seem to want to tighten up enough....

Pulled old boot off of old rack..lots of play in ball joint and when i cycled the rack side to side , black lumpy gunk came out of the cylinder with the oil...Sooooo glad i decided to do both

Also , picked up both from ebay. Less than $580 combined. Gotta be happy with that.