Holy shit, what a difference! I have a stock 01’ 2WD and couldn’t detect much slop in the steering but it never felt stable. Just got home late from a punk show (“mildly” inebriated) with just enough liquid courage to give this tutorial a shot the night before going on a road trip. In in less than 1.5hrs my truck finally feels solid. You are a saint
This was a life saver man, thank you! Zero steering play on my 312k mile truck! Also, I didn’t have to take off the lower portion of the dash like you did, I just took apart the two column covers.
Just changed inner outer tie rods, steering rack, upper lower ball joints and stabilizer links.. it’s gotta be this. Dumb question, but that almost looks like you could reach the part you welded without taking it out at all! Like just go from under and reach the welder up there?? Or is there no access?
The steering wheel set up looks similar to 95 series prado here in Australia. I have the same problem exactly as you described yours. Thanks for the video, this would help when I tackle mine soon.
As always, excellent video clearly showing all the steps for this repair.... your resourcefulness and clever approach (spring re-assembly) amazes me! My Tacoma doesn’t have tilt, but I watched anyway. Will have to check out the Harbor Freight welder; seems to work great for that occasional repair. Keep it up! LarryS
Thanks for efficiency when getting to what we clicked on the video for. You explain things well without wasting time. I especially love your actual examples of what this looks like/ sounds like! I don't have to guess if we are talking about the same thing. And the way i can skip chapters and edits are well done. Thank you. No more hours of watching videos with mind numbing messed up audio and never getting to the point or yammering on about stuff that i don't need to know. Thank you! thank you! thank you! I'll always check your videos first when im working on my car. Saves me a headache and hours of time. Best I've ever found. You rock. P.s. i have a 06 Honda pilot things are starting to go, if its ever an option i would love videos of anything about it. Honda information can be limited at best.
I did this to my 04 Tacoma today. There was similar play in the shaft, as you show @5:47. Since the shaft is hexagonal, I put 3 small welds around it. That will likely defeat the collapse function in a bad wreck, but I wanted to see if that would actually fix the play in the wheel, and it did. Now that I know how to go in there and put everything back together, I could drop $250 on a new shaft and go that route, but I'm somewhat concerned that the same symptom may reappear. Thanks a lot for making this video. Where's your tip jar?
2001 Toyota Sequoia. ...sloppy steering like when I'm trying to turn(have to turn widely) or parallel park. Front right side feels bumpy when I drive(had a mechanic supposedly change wheel bearing, though wonder how skilled with pressing wheel bearing). Does this sound like issue u just addressed? Thank u.
I have a 2011 Sienna. I can hear clunk sound when driving over a bump and there's slack or play in the upper steering column shaft. Toyota dealer sells the whole upper steering column assembly with all the electronics and it is very expensive. So, is it possible to replace just the inner steering shaft column including the U joints and the bearings all together and reusing all the electronics and outer casing? If yes, where can I buy the inner steering shaft replacement unit? Thanks.
I have a 2003 Tacoma, no tilt steering. Great video!! What year is your Tacoma ? I just bought a tilt steering unit and want to install. I assume they are all the same. Just concerned with the blinkers and electronics since it replacing the one it came with ….
I did a dumb thing and tried forcing the steering while the car was off and on the ground. I noticed some play afterward at the wheel, enough to where the u joints buckle and make a faint "thunk" at regular intervals. What do you think I damaged? The yellow plastic ball thing is my best guess, unless I bent the whole shaft.
I’ve investigated enough vehicle accidents to see how a collapsible steering column was beneficial to the driver’s safety during a collision. Adding a tack weld or installing steel pins will compromise the integrity of the column shaft. Having a steering shaft pierce a human body during an accident is not a pretty site. DON’T make ANY modifications to a collapsible steering column that could affect it’s designed operation.
It will actually do the opposite. The integrity of the shaft will be Improved, not compromised. If you’re worried about your safety, put a good steel bumper on your vehicle and a 3in lift. Most everything will end up underneath you in a wreck. And the likely hood of the steering column not breaking the 3 tac welds and cabobbing you becomes less likely than being stuck by lightening. Steering play however if left unorrected will add input lag to your maneuvers and THAT is much more likely to result in a fatal event.
If the steering wheel is not straight after this would it be bad to align the wheels to compensate? Or would it add extra stress to joint or steering components?
I have a 2015 Toyota Tacoma 4.0 4wheel drive. I’m having a problem while turning my steering wheel to the left/right fully also driving off-road my steering wheel would Randle A lot. and it makes a clunking popping sound underneath my truck. I checked all my ball joints and tie rod they all looked tight. Do you think it could be this? Steering shaft?
It's a much easier fix for yours being a 2nd gen. Search zip tie mod 2nd gen Tacoma. On the 2nd gen the play happens in the u joint itself & can be fixed with a few zip ties. Toyota did come out with a upgraded part that's about $500 installed. I think the part alone was around $200
I have a tundra 2005 4.7L . Men wanders all over the highway... steering wheel feels loose. Any ideas? I know their different year but may have the same problem. Thanks!
Just a guess I would say ball joints or tie rods? You can check out our video on diagnosing basic suspension problems too. ruclips.net/video/LS3CcuFGGKk/видео.html
Do you have a shop? I seen your video changing the saturn Ion2 Ac compresseser and I already have the new compressed but would like to hire someone to do it, I’m located On Oahu,Hawaii
Excelente video but you don’t show the before and after of steering wheel play, and I want to know what is inside of that colapse steering shaft to figure how to fix and let the colapse shaft piece working as original. Thanks for share that information. Same issue on Toyota Prado j95,j120and j150 series.
Budget Mechanic Hawaii Yes is a common issue on Toyota steering intermedia colapse shaft. But in all videos I see they weld as you did,and no body disassemble the colapse shaft to fix the nylon bushing that is inside of the two parts, that bushing works for cushion and absorb the hit of steering rack on bad roads, and what I experience is that when you weld the colapse shaft it still stiffer and you feel very hard the hits on steering wheel on bad roads.
I have the clunking at high speeds so I can tell the steering wheel column is hitting the side. I'm attempting to replace the rack and pinion now, supposedly it has gotten so worn that it adds too much play and has moved the column to hit the sides.
Mine is wore on my 2004 Tacoma. It has a bunch of up and down movement and causing it to bind a tad when I turn left only. A replacement from Toyota is only 220$. For that price I would just replace it. Only downfall is it will happen again eventually!
Yeah it is an unfortunate design flaw, but look online, some guys depending on year have found that sliding the intermediate shaft father up or down before tightening helps the longevity
I hope you reply to my comment I had weird knocking sound coming inside the dashboard right under the steering wheel whenever i would drive on a bumpy road or humps ... i changed my tires bcz it was worn out and after doing so, the sound got worse ... i went to few mechanics and they couldn't figure out what was the issue ... can you suggest what could be the problem
I'm assuming you have tilt steering. On my truck it was the nylon tilt balls that were worn allowing the steering wheel to make noise going over bumps with play at the wheel as well. You can buy the whole part from Toyota (expensive) or cut a shim from a plastic oil bottle and put it between the two halves of the tilt ball. There is a RUclips video ruclips.net/video/xsOptgpfshg/видео.html on line on how to do this. Pull out your shaft as described in this video and then perform both fixes. Much cheaper, but some elbow grease is involved.
Lots of research on this topic and many guys smarter than me think little tacks would break in case of crash. However, if you feel it’s not worth the risk, please do not go for this option!
That's what I was doing,only now the steering wheel free spins after hitting a good bump.I can even pull on the steering wheel.moves maybe a inch or two and no steering at all.I can kind wobble the wheel pushing on it. Will put it back in place.So looks like I will have to deal with it after all.I didn't want to mess with it because of the air bag.
Holy shit, what a difference! I have a stock 01’ 2WD and couldn’t detect much slop in the steering but it never felt stable. Just got home late from a punk show (“mildly” inebriated) with just enough liquid courage to give this tutorial a shot the night before going on a road trip. In in less than 1.5hrs my truck finally feels solid. You are a saint
You can also just crimp it down with a Vice and it won’t affect the safety of it
This was a life saver man, thank you! Zero steering play on my 312k mile truck! Also, I didn’t have to take off the lower portion of the dash like you did, I just took apart the two column covers.
can you help me with that problem
I like the irony of calling it a lifesaver when doing this makes your car spectacularly more dangerous in a crash.
Just changed inner outer tie rods, steering rack, upper lower ball joints and stabilizer links.. it’s gotta be this. Dumb question, but that almost looks like you could reach the part you welded without taking it out at all! Like just go from under and reach the welder up there?? Or is there no access?
I’ll give a sub for that. Straight forward, no extras. Well done.
Thanks!
Your video was such a help, man! Very informative and clear step by step explanations. Instant sub and many, many thanks brother! Much appreciated
Great video. I'm gonna do this soon to my Tacoma I hate that steering play
It’s annoying well driving especially if there’s wind. I might do this to mine
The steering wheel set up looks similar to 95 series prado here in Australia. I have the same problem exactly as you described yours. Thanks for the video, this would help when I tackle mine soon.
Hi. Did it work ? I have a prado 95 2002 in Israel- same problem....
Wow your truck is SUPER clean under the dash. I just purchased a 2002 and it was nasty dusty under the dash and I had to wash everything. Good Job.
As always, excellent video clearly showing all the steps for this repair.... your resourcefulness and clever approach (spring re-assembly) amazes me! My Tacoma doesn’t have tilt, but I watched anyway. Will have to check out the Harbor Freight welder; seems to work great for that occasional repair. Keep it up!
LarryS
Larry Sauriol thanks for watching and for the nice feedback!
My steering feels heavy and solid now 👌🏼 just like a new truck! But I also replaced my rack bushings
i am going to try this fix this weekend. thanks.
Thanks for the video, this is awesome! Can you explain why you turn the key to ACC when you were putting the steering column back in? Thanks,
So much effort for making this video, thank you very much
Thanks for efficiency when getting to what we clicked on the video for. You explain things well without wasting time. I especially love your actual examples of what this looks like/ sounds like! I don't have to guess if we are talking about the same thing. And the way i can skip chapters and edits are well done. Thank you. No more hours of watching videos with mind numbing messed up audio and never getting to the point or yammering on about stuff that i don't need to know. Thank you! thank you! thank you! I'll always check your videos first when im working on my car. Saves me a headache and hours of time. Best I've ever found. You rock.
P.s. i have a 06 Honda pilot things are starting to go, if its ever an option i would love videos of anything about it. Honda information can be limited at best.
You’re welcome!
I did this to my 04 Tacoma today. There was similar play in the shaft, as you show @5:47. Since the shaft is hexagonal, I put 3 small welds around it. That will likely defeat the collapse function in a bad wreck, but I wanted to see if that would actually fix the play in the wheel, and it did. Now that I know how to go in there and put everything back together, I could drop $250 on a new shaft and go that route, but I'm somewhat concerned that the same symptom may reappear. Thanks a lot for making this video. Where's your tip jar?
Just hit that subscribe button! 😉
Any update on the question below...
Does this also affect 4th gen 4runner 2003
Would this play in the 2 pieces of the steering column apply to 4th gen Tacomas and 4Runners?
2001 Toyota Sequoia. ...sloppy steering like when I'm trying to turn(have to turn widely) or parallel park.
Front right side feels bumpy when I drive(had a mechanic supposedly change wheel bearing, though wonder how skilled with pressing wheel bearing).
Does this sound like issue u just addressed?
Thank u.
I have a 2011 Sienna. I can hear clunk sound when driving over a bump and there's slack or play in the upper steering column shaft. Toyota dealer sells the whole upper steering column assembly with all the electronics and it is very expensive. So, is it possible to replace just the inner steering shaft column including the U joints and the bearings all together and reusing all the electronics and outer casing? If yes, where can I buy the inner steering shaft replacement unit? Thanks.
Great video man, thank you.
I have a 2003 Tacoma, no tilt steering. Great video!! What year is your Tacoma ? I just bought a tilt steering unit and want to install. I assume they are all the same. Just concerned with the blinkers and electronics since it replacing the one it came with ….
Never done that myself, but I believe in you!
Hello I have a 2003 toyota tacoma prerunner and my sterling wheel vibrates after 50 miles. I put new tires and still vibrates what can I do so fix it
Good video thanks Now I tray to fix my truck
I did a dumb thing and tried forcing the steering while the car was off and on the ground. I noticed some play afterward at the wheel, enough to where the u joints buckle and make a faint "thunk" at regular intervals. What do you think I damaged?
The yellow plastic ball thing is my best guess, unless I bent the whole shaft.
do yk what that ball is called or how to get one?
Greetings for you from Iraq
I’ve investigated enough vehicle accidents to see how a collapsible steering column was beneficial to the driver’s safety during a collision. Adding a tack weld or installing steel pins will compromise the integrity of the column shaft. Having a steering shaft pierce a human body during an accident is not a pretty site. DON’T make ANY modifications to a collapsible steering column that could affect it’s designed operation.
thats your problem i like this modifi
It will actually do the opposite. The integrity of the shaft will be Improved, not compromised. If you’re worried about your safety, put a good steel bumper on your vehicle and a 3in lift. Most everything will end up underneath you in a wreck. And the likely hood of the steering column not breaking the 3 tac welds and cabobbing you becomes less likely than being stuck by lightening. Steering play however if left unorrected will add input lag to your maneuvers and THAT is much more likely to result in a fatal event.
@@zdenekzdarsky7845 Not my problem. I'm not the stupid one welding a collapsable steering shaft.
@@swuzi007 not worried about my safety. I don't have to weld my steering shaft.
If the steering wheel is not straight after this would it be bad to align the wheels to compensate? Or would it add extra stress to joint or steering components?
I assume you are speaking about the tie rods? Yes, you should get wheels aligned to the steering wheel with a professional alignment after this.
I have a 2015 Toyota Tacoma 4.0 4wheel drive. I’m having a problem while turning my steering wheel to the left/right fully also driving off-road my steering wheel would Randle A lot. and it makes a clunking popping sound underneath my truck. I checked all my ball joints and tie rod they all looked tight. Do you think it could be this? Steering shaft?
Possible! Feel that steering joint under the dash as you turn the wheel and see if you feel the clunk
It's a much easier fix for yours being a 2nd gen. Search zip tie mod 2nd gen Tacoma. On the 2nd gen the play happens in the u joint itself & can be fixed with a few zip ties. Toyota did come out with a upgraded part that's about $500 installed. I think the part alone was around $200
Awesome video!!
I have a tundra 2005 4.7L . Men wanders all over the highway... steering wheel feels loose. Any ideas? I know their different year but may have the same problem. Thanks!
Just a guess I would say ball joints or tie rods? You can check out our video on diagnosing basic suspension problems too.
ruclips.net/video/LS3CcuFGGKk/видео.html
Is there some type of seal that can go there
I was a bit concerned when you didn't grunt when tightening that lower bolt. LOL If It's grunt tight means its good and tight.
Do you have a shop? I seen your video changing the saturn Ion2 Ac compresseser and I already have the new compressed but would like to hire someone to do it, I’m located On Oahu,Hawaii
Hey sorry we're on the Big Island!
thank you great video!
What do those springs do?
Add bounce!
If the shaft is welded, it means the telescopic steer can no longer be adjusted, right?
To avoid killing the driver, you just have to heat this with heatgun witch will melt those teflon joints and stick them again
Do you know any videos showing how to do this?
Thanks
using a driver or drill on plastic is a great way to break the trim
It was actually a 1/4 impact...and no ones got time to fool around all day with hand tools...it’s a Toyota...not a Ferrari
why not just epoxy it? in a collision the epoxy will break. A tack weld is pretty strong, stronger than epoxy at least
Did you ever try that? I'm thinking 4 jb weld spots the size of those tack welds will do since it's not like your supporting a heavy load or anything.
I was thinking the samething a heavy duty adhesive just enough to hold together but still allowing the shaft to collapse
can you help me with that problem
Thanx
Excelente video but you don’t show the before and after of steering wheel play, and I want to know what is inside of that colapse steering shaft to figure how to fix and let the colapse shaft piece working as original. Thanks for share that information. Same issue on Toyota Prado j95,j120and j150 series.
I wasn't aware that this issue existed elsewhere! Have you seen this issue with these other vehicles?
Budget Mechanic Hawaii Yes is a common issue on Toyota steering intermedia colapse shaft. But in all videos I see they weld as you did,and no body disassemble the colapse shaft to fix the nylon bushing that is inside of the two parts, that bushing works for cushion and absorb the hit of steering rack on bad roads, and what I experience is that when you weld the colapse shaft it still stiffer and you feel very hard the hits on steering wheel on bad roads.
this didn’t work for me, i think the u join that connect then by the floor is worn, i have clunking at high speeds from time to time
I have the clunking at high speeds so I can tell the steering wheel column is hitting the side. I'm attempting to replace the rack and pinion now, supposedly it has gotten so worn that it adds too much play and has moved the column to hit the sides.
Hello i need help
Mine is wore on my 2004 Tacoma. It has a bunch of up and down movement and causing it to bind a tad when I turn left only. A replacement from Toyota is only 220$. For that price I would just replace it. Only downfall is it will happen again eventually!
Yeah it is an unfortunate design flaw, but look online, some guys depending on year have found that sliding the intermediate shaft father up or down before tightening helps the longevity
You ever go through with it? Did it fix? I’d rather replace then weld… and for 220 that ain’t bad. Is this considered the intermediate steering shaft?
I hope you reply to my comment
I had weird knocking sound coming inside the dashboard right under the steering wheel whenever i would drive on a bumpy road or humps ... i changed my tires bcz it was worn out and after doing so, the sound got worse ... i went to few mechanics and they couldn't figure out what was the issue ... can you suggest what could be the problem
I'm assuming you have tilt steering. On my truck it was the nylon tilt balls that were worn allowing the steering wheel to make noise going over bumps with play at the wheel as well. You can buy the whole part from Toyota (expensive) or cut a shim from a plastic oil bottle and put it between the two halves of the tilt ball. There is a RUclips video ruclips.net/video/xsOptgpfshg/видео.html on line on how to do this. Pull out your shaft as described in this video and then perform both fixes. Much cheaper, but some elbow grease is involved.
doesn’t work on 95.5 hopefully this helps someone before they rip the dash apart
Without testing, I wouldn’t assume, “the tacs will just break”. Weren’t people just shoving zip ties in this gap a few years ago?
Did You just welded the colapsible shaft, turning the column into a spear ponching thru your chest during crash?!
Lots of research on this topic and many guys smarter than me think little tacks would break in case of crash. However, if you feel it’s not worth the risk, please do not go for this option!
nabassu - LOL idk why this was so funny
I need someone to help me with that I live in Maryland
This goes against everything I’ve been taught about how to avoid airbags deploying
Feels like I'm working next to a live grenade through the video LOL
Hello
id rather keep the collapsing safety feature and just bear with the play
That's what I was doing,only now the steering wheel free spins after hitting a good bump.I can even pull on the steering wheel.moves maybe a inch or two and no steering at all.I can kind wobble the wheel pushing on it. Will put it back in place.So looks like I will have to deal with it after all.I didn't want to mess with it because of the air bag.
@@johnhalchishick7094 I’m in the same boat, mine ain’t as bad as you describe but it’s getting there. You gonna weld it or replace it?
Greetings for you from Iraq