Steering rack- help!

[como]

So I failed my maine state inspection.

One of the reasons given was a loose/worn front passenger inner tie rod end.

So I ordered up a pair of inner tie rod ends (figured while I'm in there I'd do both) and I get the steering rack out, and lo and behold both inner tie rod ends are fine with zero play.

However, there *is* play from the rest of the rack- oh no!


you can see in the far right, the inner tie rod end ball joint- its fine. Direct center of the picture you can see one rod going into another, this is the part thats under the boot usually, and slides in and out of the main steering rack as you turn the wheel. The whole thing is a little loose, and I'm guessing that's why they failed me.

Now, I can't find any information on this part or how to fix it. Do I need to replace my entire steering rack? (gulp!)

I found an off reference to someone replacing some plastic bushing inside their steering rack, could that be what I need? Where would I find the part?

[como]

Finally got that bugger of a plastic thing out- any idea what its called or where I can get a replacement? I'll hit up a dealership tomorrow, but I wouldn't be surprised if they cant help me...

[palos]

The BGB indicates a rack bushing, perhaps more descriptive would be the internal steering rack bushing to differentiate it from the external bushings that hold the steering rack assembly.

[como]

What's a BGB?

I wrapped the part in tape, shoved it back in the housing, regreased everything and put it back together... the play is gone, but I'm still pretty miffed they failed me in the first place.

[328FTW]

BGB = Big Green Book = toyota service manual for the mr2. It's pretty handy to have, there is an online one you can download that I think muffinman uploaded after the other links went dead Free File Hosting Made Simple - MediaFire

I don't like inspectors they are normally a$$hats. They failed me on a small exhaust leak and told me to replace it back before the new noise control laws so I welded what is basically a straight catless pipe to my car. Voila no more leaks I only use my uncles now he does inspections which is good because there is no way my car would get a legit warrent anymore. And it is still up to better standard than the other cars I see rolling out of the inspection place.

[Wheelman_13]

1) Yay for backwards-ass southern states w/no vehicle inpsection (TN)

2) Talk to any of our wonderful forum sponsor parts suppliers (Aaron @ lithia, etc) and they can get you the correct part(s) if you don't want to leave it taped up.

[como]

If tape fixes the "problem" I'll never remove that steering rack again.

Who can tell me why the 88 book is 21 megs and the 89 book is 70+?
IIRC the 87-89 were different from the 85/86... is there a "big green book? for the 85 I should get my hands on? (I've got a hayes, but it doesnt seem to be super useful for the several jobs I've done so far... nothing more than common sense)

I bought the car in nevada, where they have no inspection laws... I'm guessing that's why I'm having these issues

[palos]

I doubt that the tape will be a permanent solution. The rack bushing will probably need to be special ordered, which is usually two days out.

If you recall, the '89 MK1's had the rear sway bar. So that could account for 49MB, but more realistically the '88 BGB pdf is probably just more compressed. Paper copies of the BGB for the earlier years are available from Toyota, but I haven't seen them posted online. Aside from some of the electrical schematics, I would think the later ones would serve your purpose 95% of the time.

[como]

wait, my 85 has a rear sway bar. At least it has rear swaybar endlinks, I presumed they went to a swaybar, but come to think of it never looked....



The tape is between the metal tube that doesnt move and the plastic that doesnt move, so I'd say it's pretty permanant- especially seeing as how it fixes a problem that doesnt exist, and wont matter in another year when the car can be registered as an antique and not need a sticker

[328FTW]

Originally Posted by como

and wont matter in another year when the car can be registered as an antique and not need a sticker

I want that over here but the inspections actually get more strict the older the car New cars they don't look twice, old vehicles they will pick at anything to see it off the road, they want newer vehicles on the road but doing it like that doesn't work only making imports cheaper does

[Mark_Dorman]

Shoot...I hope this isn't what's wrong with my Red car...or I just spent a lot of money for no good reason

[como]

They get more strict as cars get older here, too.

However, once they reach antique status (25 years) you can register them as an antique- at which point there are no rules, save one- 1500 miles a year.

However, they dont have yearly inspections and you dont need to report mielage, so I don't see how it much matters. Just dont stand out in a crowd (hard in this car) and nobody will ever know.

[muffinman]

Originally Posted by como

wait, my 85 has a rear sway bar. At least it has rear swaybar endlinks, I presumed they went to a swaybar, but come to think of it never looked....

if it's an 85 it should have it. i saw the pics in your other thread about the struts and the end links are hanging from the strut brackets so there must be a sway bar.

[senn]

anyone got the part number for these (i'm assuming its different for each side?)

I found some info in an old (~1996) section on here with a part number for the RHS bush, no idea if its right tho (confirmation would be nice, wouldn't mind getting these done in mine)

'85 MR2 Steering Rack Bushing R&R
(should be the same through '87)

***TOYOTA PART INFO***
Bushing,Steering,R
Part#: 45522-17020

This information was Copy pasted from this link
http://mr2.com/DIGEST/VOLUME1/449.txt
but due to age, who knows if its still accurate?

[jimmer411]

Ive gotta say, Ive been hearing about this bushing for 2 years and could never figure out where the heck it is, now I know! Ive got some play in my steering rack, I feel it when I got over bumps. I replaced the inner and outer tierods thinking that was the problem, but no luck.

What did you use to pull that out? Just press in the white tabs and pray?

[como]

basically. The white tabs have these little notches that line up with holes in the rack.
it was a REAL pita to get out, what I wound up doing is pushing in the little dots (of plastic, that line up and clip into the holes in the pipe), and savagely cramming a piece of thin cardboard in from the end, between the plastic and the metal, to keep the tab from re-clipping back into the hole as you move on to the next one. There are at least 2, maybe 4. It's been a few months. Picture looks like 3.

My eventual solution, and it worked wonderfully, was to wrap the white plastic bushing with 2 wraps of electrical tape, and then carefully cramming it back into place- then lubing it up good with what I think was oldschool copper neversieze, and forcing the inner pipe back through it.
Fixed the play, got a sticker... I was some upset that the shop wanted me to do my inner tie rod ends. Good think I didn't have the shop do them, because it wouldn't have solved the problem!

By the way, if you find a new replacement for this plastic part, I'd like to know where- I don't expect my tape fix to fail, but if it does that's not the kind of job I want to be redoing every year... pulling that rack SUCKS.

[jimmer411]

Haha Im well aware of how much of a pain it is to pull the rack, I had mine out in a parking lot one night when a tie rod gave and sent me into a curb...got me a broken control arm as a good luck charm now lol.


ToyoDIY.com

I hope that link works, if you click the 45522 link it will highlight the part number and price. Looks like the part number is 45522-17010 and its $3.71.

I love that site btw



Before you wrapped it in tape, when you would drive if you hit a bump would your steering wheel shake?

[YellowJacket]

Originally Posted by como

By the way, if you find a new replacement for this plastic part, I'd like to know where- I don't expect my tape fix to fail, but if it does that's not the kind of job I want to be redoing every year... pulling that rack SUCKS.

You get toyota parts from..... Toyota of course.
Its available from Aaron OEM... less than $20 shipped. Dont recall exactly... might have been $13 with shipping.

[como]

I had brought the part into a local dealer, they looked at me funny. I told them where it came from, and they said they could, at best, sell me a new rack for something like $750.

As for the shaking, no- steering wheel never shook. The right inner tie rod end had a little play, but it was the rack itself playing. Couldn't notice it driving, but I needed it fixed to get a Maine state inspection sticker, since I got the car from Nevada, where they didn't care about that sort of thing.

[YellowJacket]

Originally Posted by como

I had brought the part into a local dealer, they looked at me funny. I told them where it came from, and they said they could, at best, sell me a new rack for something like $750.

No surprise. I wouldnt recommend a dealer ever, but I would recommend Aaron.