RESOLVED - At wits end - Power Steering Issues

It’s been a journey.

Had a long overdue rack and pinion change needed (leaking etc) I replaced with an after market rack earlier this year (I know…). After replacing and bleeding, the steering has been extremely tight ever since. Additionally , the outer tie rods ended up seizing.

Since then:

replaced tied rods - seized again
Installed new power steering lines
Installed new pump
Replaced the serpentine belt
Installed new reservoir
Re-installed rack with OEM reman rack
Replaced tie rods - seized again
Power steering fluid is not circulating

I began to wonder if the aftermarket LBJs (I know!) I put in a few years ago were an issue and putting too much strain (af….then it happened. Left LBJ failed in the luckiest possible way, literally pulling into a parking spot, and straightened the wheel and it broke free.

I’m replacing both upper and lower ball joints with OEM.

But - the power steering fluid in the reservoir is still not circulating. The steering is still tight and now feels spongy, like when turning too fast it build pressure and i have to pause for it to “release” and then turn more. I saw the same happen in the reservoir where the fluid would significantly rise before settling down. I don’t see any leaks anywhere.

Followed factory instructions to the letter on last rack install including flushing and bleeding. Fluid is recommended fluid and is nice and clean.

I’ve been working on this for almost a year (plus muffler, O2 sensors, valve cover gaskets, shocks, struts etc) and ready for this part to be over.

Sorry for the book - please help!

 

If your PS fluid is not circulating, either the pump has failed or there is an obstruction in the system. Did the pump run empty? Also do not drive with aftermarket LBJs. Post some pics.

 

Thank you - That’s where logic has been taking me also - but it’s brand new, and also why the tight steering since the 1st rack install (before the pump was replaced)?

Pump never ran empty, no bubbles/aeration in the fluid.

What pictures do you recommend?

BTW - ball joints removed, upper OEM replaced, lower waiting on new OEM to ship. Learned my lesson….

 

Post some pics of the rack, the hoses and the pump. Are you sure everything is plumbed correctly?

 

Also if you disconnect the outer TREs does the wheel/tire turn easily?

 

Ok - I’ll grab some in the AM. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised by anything but I’ll double check the connections.

Yes - the knuckle will manually turn with no issue without the TREs.

 

Finally fixed!

Replaced the lower ball joints and surprisingly the power steering returned, no more stiffness and returns to center when driving at low speeds.

From what I can figure, the ball joints were starting to freeze when I replaced the original rack and the manual strain was overworking the tie rod ends causing them to fail as well.

Kept replacing things because sounds were coming from TRE’s and no play in ball joints when checking. LBJ eventually failed and here we are.

Took me nearly a year and boat load of $$$, but she’s back to normal with a brand new power steering system.

Thanks for stepping in to try and help with the issue!

 

I experienced similar. Thought my rack was going out, but upon replacing the (MOOG ) lower ball joints with new OEM, steering feels like butter.

 

Be happy the LBJ didn’t fail on you. Sounds like that maybe was imminent. Any noticeable play in the joints you pulled out, now that they’re out and no longer under load?

 

What brand of tire are you putting on there? Is this a common thing I've never heard of Tyrod and continually seizing

I was perplexed by the problems you had with the outer TRE's. They really have nothing to do with the steering rack or power steering fluid

glad you found the issue and got it fixed
That's pretty scary that it was the LBJ's. Could've been disastrous

 

Agree - I couldn’t have been luckier, I was literally on an interstate less than a minute before it failed, pulled into a parking spot, straightened the wheel and she fell to the side…no damage that I can see other than the obvious…

but yeah, in hindsight it makes sense I guess, everything getting overworked, and again, no symptoms that indicated LBJ’s or at least masked by the tie rods seizing and creaking.

glad it’s over…

 

Oh no, it certainly did. It’s the only reason I found out it was the issue, but I was very lucky, literally finished parking when it happened.

 

At the start of January, (thanks largely in part to this community) I changed my Rack (OEM reman), LBJs (OEM), LCAs (OEM), Shocks and Springs (1.5" lift using Bilstein 6112), Power steering pump and reservoir (Rock auto specials), Little O rings for the PS lines entering the Rack (OEM), Stabilizer bar end links (Advanced Auto parts going out of business sale ($7.50 for the pair), Rotors and pads (power stop z36)

I am waiting to get my truck back from being aligned and 4 new tires.

I am having a hard time with the power steering on some turns. But had no problem when rotating the steering wheel with no OTRE attached for PS bleeding/flushing purpose. My problem isn't the ball joints...Any ideas? Could it be from being out of alignment with all the front end parts I changed?

 

Was the new rack properly filled and burped of air? Using ATF in there and not PS fluid?

 

These will most likely be popping and making all sorts of noise pretty quickly. You may need the extended links.

 

I believe so. I used the Dexron/Merc ATF. I pumped it through the system using the back and forth with the steering wheel technique (not OTRE attached)

What else can I do to get any air out? Or to check for air. Perhaps that POS power steering pump isn't even pumping? How would I know?

 

That could be where my occasional popping sound is coming from when turning. Is there a recommended brand and length of extended links?

 

I guess the other question I'd ask here is, do you find it's harder to turn situationally, like in certain conditions, or is it just harder to turn left vs. right?

 

It's all in the Suspension, wheel & tires... section of this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

In case you don't want to click on the link and read all the suspension tips, which you actually will want to so you'll have correct alignment numbers to give to the shop, here's the pertinent info:

• Extras... At 1.5" of lift or higher, you'll want extended swaybar links, Suspension Maxx sells, to avoid travel limitations. As you approach 2.5" of lift with 1GT trucks, you're closing in on thresholds of OEM travel and should consider extras to compensate. Examples: You'll want new upper control arms (UCA) to more easily hit alignment numbers. At 3" and beyond, you may need to snug up your OEM CV boots or get ORS extended boots or similar to avoid grease-sling or ripping, and probably add bumpstops, etc. There are a lot of considerations - think about it, or ask questions in the forum if you need a sanity check!

It honestly could be you just over-tightened the link. Give us a picture. A lot of people pancake the bushing or tighten the bushing while the truck is in the air, which is wrong. You set it on the ground and tighten just up to the point the washers engage the bushing.

 

It is harder to turn left than right. It is also only sometimes...inconsistent

 

Then I definitely f-ed that up. I thought I was supposed to tighten in the air, then torque to spec on the ground. I hope I only need new links (insert crazy eyes emoji here)

I will send pictures when I retrieve the truck from the shop this afternoon.

 

With only 1.5" lift, I should need extended CV axles or different UCA I believe, from what I can gather from the suspension thread.

 

You should be fine without aftermarket UCA at only 1.5", but if you do go that route, if you don't need anything special tire/wheel-wise, JBA is probably the better bang vs. buck, low-maintenance, bulletproof, no bullshit model you can get.

Extended CV axles are a sham unless you buy the big $$ ones from the "usual" brands people suggest. Stick with OEM. Skip store brand. But if you're still running OEM axles you should be fine. I've got almost double the lift you have, and I did see a little grease sling after lifting, but no other issues.

 

Welp, I already have some grease sling. In fact, that is another question I have. How do I know if I can safely rebuild my cv axles, or if I need completely new ones?

 

Grease sling is normal, as stated in the megathread. Grease sling is not an indication of CV axle failure. In my case, I had sling happen immediately after, a fair amount, but not nearly 5-10% of what lives in the boot. I cleaned it up, and 6 months later there were a few more dribbles of sling.

CV axles, after lifting, are at a higher angle, which is more stress/stretch on the boot. As stated in the megathread (I hope), you may need to re-clamp your boots. Most of what you need to know to change out the clamps is here, and clamp part numbers (which you'll also see expanding reply #5 of that last link) are in a series of links here. I highly recommend four things:

1. Know how to spot whether you've got OEM Toyota axles; Reman OEM = Silver stickers like this. New OEM = Pink stickers like this. If someone replaced your axles with aftermarket, it's totally possible they're failing (OEM are bulletproof, they will fail, but they handle mad amounts of abuse, just gotta keep the boots intact)
2. Use the info in that 1st link above this bulleted list to understand how to "read" your clamp sizes
3. Audit the clamp sizes at the spots you're slinging grease; order the appropriate size/# of clamps in that size
4. Know how to cut/remove an Oetiker clamp properly, it's easy, do it right, use the right tools.

Re-clamping should fix your grease slinging if you're still rolling OEM axles. Don't need to overtighten the boots. Just snug them up, and check again after some suspension travel. You don't want a boot to pop loose and you dump all the grease inside the CV boot. OEM axle would probably still keep kicking 20-40k more miles like that. Aftermarket will fry.

 

How do these look?

 

This is wrong. That nut is not tight!! Jack the truck up at the LCA ‘til the bolt is parallel to the ground and no pressure on it then tighten it properly so the cam stays parallel to the ground also. Compare to the other side if necessary to see your mistake.

 

Yes. I tightened both sides lower bolts to the prescribed 40 ft-lbs. Good catch.

How about the bushing compression. I don't have a torque wrench that tightens to 5.5 ft-lbs, so I am hoping to go off of compression appearance.

 

Straight from the instructions, which should've come in your package, you want the bushings to be touching metal, but not starting to flare out, or they'll wear out too quickly, i.e. vertical side walls, and not loose enough to rattle around:

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