It could be worn tie rods, inner or outter. Get your buddy to steer the rig and lay under it, grab ahold of the boot and see if you can feel the rack moving before it turns the tires. best thing to do would be to take the boot off, but I think you have to cut the clamp to get at it and then buy a new one.


I betcha the adjustment in the rack is very limited. its basically a big worm gear. I bet that big nut in the last picture is the adjuster. Dunno though.

Hmm... that may be a thought.
My suspension is fine. No movement past the steering box when the steering wheel is moving. Alignment guy checked out suspension and said everything looked ok.

I would try to tighten the big bolt but i dont think i have a wrench that big. That's like a 3 inch opening. Think i should give it a shot and see what happens?

I've put a whole rack in a 99 Taco. and 2 weeks later the problem was back. his problem was the rack's bushing keeps going to SHEIT. i've hear that they make a poly bushing for them...maybe that will help... ??

Do you know where the rack bushings is located? is it in the area of where my pics were taken?

thanks

The bushings are in between the bolts that bolt the rack to the frame. But you say the rack itself does not move at all, then I would think the bushings are OK. If the bushings were bad, the rack would move around before steering your wheels.

I still say, grab ahold of the boot and see if the rack is actually moving before it steers the wheels. You may not be able to see it unless you grab ahold of it and feel for it.

There's still got to be some way of tightening up the ps pump... Fwiw, I'd call the stealership & ask if there's an adjustable nut to tighten it. They say yes, then start hunting - they say no, then next idea... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

You can get the poly bushing kit from Kartek for $14.99, most of the time that's the problem. If your boots got torn, the inner ball joint could be worn. The big nut on the back is the adjuster.....

Ok ok... Adam! I think you hit this one right on the nail. I took the truck over to an independant mechanic shop. He put the truck on an (i think it's called 4 point lift) alignment like lift. He had another mechanic turn move the wheel so that the actual front wheels would move. He looked underneath and tada! the actual entire rack was moving back and forth with the steering wheel. He said that the rack bushings may be worn out. There was also a slight clicking sound that was coming from the left tierod. You can't tell by just looking. If you put your hand on the rubber boot you can feel the clicking. He said i may need a new left tierod as well.
I feel like such an idiot! How could i not have found this before? To think i was laying under the truck too!

Is it possible that i can change my own steering rack bushings? Do i need a lift or any special tools? I just need a big wrench to do it right?
What about for the left tierod? Any source for parts?

Will polyurethane bushings provide a rough ride? I think i oughta be ok, i changed the swaybar bushings to polyurethane lately and i kind of like the ride. It feels more solid when i turn and the ride quality isn't bad.

Can anyone recommend a particular brand of bushings? I used energy suspensions with the swaybar bushings. As long as the poly bushings on the steering rack either dont squeek, or are greaseable. I should be ok.

I can't seem to find that kartek kit online anywhere.

To think... the dang stealer said that this was all normal?

The dealer actually told me there's no way to adjust it. I think that there is and either they dont want to tell me, or they dont know that you can. There have been 3 so far to suggest that the big nut may be the adjuster.

Blown rack bushings are pretty common in the Taco/3Rd gen and straight forward to change. If the rack is blown internally, You'll have to replace it. They don't adjust like a recirculating box. They are pretty tough though. Guys usually only blow them when running 35's.