Symptoms
Vague steering, wander and clunks; rack visibly shifting in its mounts. AdventureTaco treats about 1/16 in of play as normal and 1/4 in or more as time for new bushings.
The fix, step by step
- Support the front, remove wheels and the front sway bar, and separate the outer tie-rod ends from the knuckles.
- Unbolt the passenger bracket, centre bolt, driver bolt and power-steering line bracket, then wiggle the rack free (support it on a jack).
- Press out old bushings with a C-clamp and receiver cups, clean the seats, grease and press in urethane bushings with the matching sleeve.
- Reinstall: passenger bracket and centre bolt 123 ft-lb, driver nut 141 ft-lb, tie-rod castle nuts 67 ft-lb.
- Get an alignment.
Tools & part numbers
- 12–22 mm sockets
- OTC 6295 puller
- OTC 7249 ball-joint press kit
- torque wrench
- Energy Suspension 8.10103 kit (4Runner, per AdventureTaco) or Total Chaos urethane rack bushing kit
Where to buy the parts
Energy Suspension 8.10103G urethane steering rack bushings (4Runner)Summit Racing ↗Amazon ↗
Rack and pinion bushingsRockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Toyota 4Runner 3rd Gen parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.