Steering rack bushes

[nathanbirss Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nathanbirss]

Hi Guys, is there anyone that can help me with instructions on how to fit steering rack bushes on my prado?
Thanks, Nathan

[Bounder Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bounder]

Check this useful thread.http://www.tlocuk.co.uk/forums/viewt...highlight=rack
I assume you have the polyurethane ones? Toyota don't sell all of them seperately.

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Have you sourced the bushes?

I've replaced my passenger side D bush, but Toyota won't supply the others. Instead, they offer an entire reconditioned rack for around $700-800.

[draycon Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close draycon]

loos like i will need to replace mine soon aswell, keep us posted on how you go sourceing new bushes, recently had the rack reconditioned, dont want to replace the whole thing now

[Bounder Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bounder]

Milners 4x4 in the UK do the poly bush kit for the rack. I used their kit to do mine.

[fridayman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fridayman]

I've fitted Milners and Superpro - Superpro are MUCH easier to fit.

[nathanbirss Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nathanbirss]

Hi Guys, I got mine on ebay for $45 from a mob called onlineauto. just type in prado steering bushes in the search. I reckon its a pretty good price?....
Nathan

[luked Member Find all posts View Profile Close luked]

Nathan,

I did the same thing, they supplied a nolathane kit #41100 turns out it doesn't fit a prado. They do sell the correct ones #41096A but you'll have to search for the kit number rather than "prado". It retails for $75 i got one at repco for $58 but they do weird specials and stuff so probably same price. PS, not fun to fit. Front wheels off, tie rod ends broken off, swaybar half off, intermediate shaft to steering rack undone, rack out of car. To replace all the bushes this can't be avoided, trust me, I tried.
Nolathane Info
http://www.nolathane.com.au/do_segue...=7%2F96-2%2F03
CORRECT EBAY ITEM
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Toyota-La...item2c62255768

[Bounder Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bounder]

I didn't have half the hassle Luked had?
Undo the two bolts that hold the steering rack on, one is horizontal the other vertical.
The horizontal bush is split in two like a cotton reel cut in half.
Each side presses in by hand.
The D bush is split so it just slips in and the metal clamp holds it in place.
Its a fiddly job but no need to take the anti-roll bar off or break the tie rods.
Have a look at this writeup.

[reida1991 Member Find all posts View Profile Close reida1991]

I didn't have half the hassle Luked had?
Undo the two bolts that hold the steering rack on, one is horizontal the other vertical.
The horizontal bush is split in two like a cotton reel cut in half.
Each side presses in by hand.
The D bush is split so it just slips in and the metal clamp holds it in place.
Its a fiddly job but no need to take the anti-roll bar off or break the tie rods.
Have a look at this writeup.

I tackled this job today. Quite a simple task with the right tools and a good half day to burn. Good idea to have a 110 KG mate around too.

The write up posted above is very helpful. Here are few improvements, suggestions. I used Superpro rack mount bushes P/N SPF1836K, Toyota OEM Swaybar D Bushes P/N 48815-35100 and Superpro sway bar linkage bushes P/N SPF2755SK. Parts about $75.

1. You need a mother of a breaker bar even with a heat gun (and a 110KG mate!). I used my 1/2" breaker with a 19mm deep socket and a bit of pipe over the handle to budge the passenger side D bush clamp bolts which are as tight as a nun's proverbial. WD40 and a $40 Supercheap heat gun are the best investments you'll make. The horizontal and vertical drivers side bolts weren't too bad. Sockets in the 20, 21, 22 size range are used here.
2. Removing the sway bar is beneficial, believe me, it takes 15 min and saved me a lot more than that. If your car is anything like mine, the bushes on this will have had the royal order of the pork sword as well so replace them while you are at it.
3. Don't worry about removing the stud as described in the write up on the passenger side. There's no need, the power steering lines have enough play in them and the bracket can be manoeuvred out.
4. To move the steering rack out from the cross-member so you can remove the old bushes, don't worry about undoing the steering arm linkages. I had the car on ramps and got a trolley jack under the drivers side to lift the drivers side wheel off the ramp. With the wheel up and all the steering rack mounts undone, it slid backwards when I moved the lifted wheel, which gave me plenty of room to sort out the old bushes.
5. They are stuck in there very well so go for glory with heat and a stanley knife to cut the rubber flange of the old bushes before using whatever is at hand to wobble and belt them out. A dynabolt would have worked well as per the write up however I decided to destroy a few tools doing mine i.e. screwdrivers, knuckles, fingernails

If anyone has any questions please PM and I can talk talk you through it.

The car drives really well now, I think the sway bar bushes made most of the difference. I saved about $400 too. Needs a serious wheel alignment now, I think my suspension bloke must break in to a cold sweat when he sees me pull in these days hehe.

Reidy

[Madkore Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Madkore]

Does anyone know what sort of symptoms/characteristics to be on the lookout for to detect worn steering rack bushes?

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

A jolting steering wheel/column (jolting up & down slightly) when driving over bumps at approx 40-60km/h, especially when the wheels are turned slightly to one side. In early stages you'll notice it more when rounding bends on rougher patches of road at 40-60km/h for example when turning right instead of left, as an example. Test it out on a level railway crossing. You won't need to be going as fast over one of these to find out what you're looking for. Even when rounding a bend at 40-60km/h and driving over a man hole cover will reveal whether your rack bushes are worn. Your steering column will jolt/jar with every little bump. Mildly at first. You'll feel it through the steering wheel when holding it. It's unmistakable. When the bushes are shot you'll feel it & hear it when rolling the car over a speed bump in a shopping centre car park, especially if you drive over it at an angle or have the wheels turned. You'll know if your steering rack bushes are worn.

I wouldn't expect a 2004 model to have worn rack bushes yet unless you've done regular long trips on rough corrugated roads.

[Madkore Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Madkore]

Thanks Brett. Just thought that it was something useful to keep an eye out for as no doubt the some of the issues the 90 series are experiencing will soon start finding their way into the 120 series.

[Gosling1 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gosling1]

I just replaced the steering rack bushes on our VZJ95R Prado - 2000 model. The replacement bushes were from OnlineAutoparts, find them on ebay here. These guys are great to deal with, really fast service.

The guide from the UK forum was some help, but the routing of the power-steering lines is not the same as the photos show. This means that some of the steps in that how-to guide are not required - well at least I didn't find any need to do 1/2 the things old mate did......

I had the Prado up on some ramps to get a bit of wiggle-room underneath. The big D-shaped bush on the l/h side of the rack is easy to replace, there is plenty of room to access a 19mm ratchet to get the upper bolt undone and the lower nut. Yes, it helps to have a good-length breaker bar when undoing these fittings. there is no need to take out the stud at all - the D-shaped bush & bracket withdraws easily once the fittings have been undone (this also assumes a clean & tidy underbody area).

The large horizontal bush on the r/h side - the nut is easy to undo with a breaker bar, and the vertical mount bolt also needs some help from a breaker bar. Once these fittings have all been removed, there is a bit of play in the rack but not enough to free the vertical mount from the bracket - at least I couldn't free it.

So I jacked up the passenger side suspension a bit - just so I could get some movement in the wheel - then pushed the rear of the wheel inwards. This had the effect of moving the entire rack out of the mounts and gave me easy access to the vertical bush. No need to drop a tie-rod end so the rack can be pulled out.

One thing - I had removed the sway bar ( 10 minute job) because the sway-bar mounts also needed replacing. Having this bar out of the way makes the whole job a lot easier.

Once the rack is free of the mounting brackets - then its easy to remove the vertical & horizontal bushes - I just used a large G-clamp and some sockets. A small one on the inside and a large one on the outside. The small socket pushes against the inner sleeve and gradually pushes the whole bush out. A bit of a wiggle and a good reef - and out they both come. No heat needed and no real amount of heaving etc.

The replacement bushes are basically a hand-fit, although using the clamp does get them in nice and snug. The only problem I found with the supplied kit, is that the inner large washer for the horizontal mount, the diameter of the hole just a poofteenth too small. A couple of passes with a rat-tail file sorts this out in a couple of minutes. Then, the long bolt will pass through this washer easily.

The job took a few hours, but realistically it is definitely something you can do in your own driveway without needing any special tools or heat-guns or any other palaver. Looking forward to seeing how the new rack bushes feel when driving.

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Thanks Gosling1
How did you feel about the quality of the replacements? I replaced mine earlier this year and felt the quality of the originals were better.