Steering coupler/rag joint replacement

Discussion in 'Engine/Drivetrain' started by Ivey, Jan 31, 2021.

  1. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    Any trick to this or do I just remove the two bolts and loosen the bolt clamping down the splines? Does it just slide off or do I have to pull the steering shaft?
     

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  2. Liquidhandwash

    Liquidhandwash Enthusiast

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    I found it easier to loosen the steering box and pull it forward. You will have to remove the bolt clamping the spines and the other 2 bolts on the flange. The steering box has 3 bolts you don't need to take the arm off just slide it forward. Try and mark everything before you remove it so the steering wheel is still centred when you put it back together.
     
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  3. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    Thanks Liquidhandwash,

    I pretty much followed your instructions except the 76 has a 4th bolt holding on the steering box. Also no sliding for me. I PB blasted the shit out of it and used a pickle fork to pry the coupler up and off. New one went on easy although I noticed my old one had a ground wire running between two of the nuts. I just replicated it on the new coupler.
     
  4. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    Oh and with the headers out there was lots of room to work and made the job fairly easy. It would be a bit tight with the headers and exhaust in the way. Something to think about if you pull the headers/manifold.
     
  5. Liquidhandwash

    Liquidhandwash Enthusiast

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    The ground wire is for the horn.
     
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  6. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Did it improve your steering? It removed like 15 degrees of slop in my steering wheel, about as much as doing all the ball joints/tie rods/idler/pitman
     
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  7. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    I’ve got the headers off right now but it for sure feels stiffer. The old rag joint was pretty cracked so can’t hurt I guess. Still waiting on header bolts before I can put everything back together and test drive.
     
  8. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Ah, good stuff. Mine was cracked and just old, I figured replacing all the moving parts in the steering would add up to something better than before, seems to have worked but still pretty loose compared to a modern vehicle.

    What header you going with?
     
  9. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    Flowtech 19000FLT Shorty Header. It was 125ish on eBay a while ago I think. Seems nice but I'll really know after I bolt it on. Defiantly will make a video with the open headers.
     
  10. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Ah yeah I discovered the Flowtech header only recently when I was looking at the Holley website at their Sniper EFI kits. I haven’t seen any of our trucks with one on it, they look nice though - hope it works out for you!

    are you redoing the entire exhaust or just adding a header? I’m curious to see what your thoughts are with a before and after comparison. I’ve never driven a stock Hilux so I don’t know what seat of the pants gains these mods actually netted
     
  11. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    I've never done an exhaust before so my plan was to hook it all back up with muffler and cat and then cut the downpipe to the correct length and join to the header with a clamping flex pipe. I think that will work but if it causes problems ill have it welded.

    I'm pretty curious to see how it drives as well. I've removed the EGR valve and blocked it off, PO had it "deleted" but it was still there and leaking. Also old manifold was cracked and missing a stud. Between that and a new rag joint I'm excited to see how it drives as well!
     
  12. jetas

    jetas Grand Toyotaholic

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    here you go

    [​IMG]
     
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  13. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    Jetas you think a wrap or some sort of heat shielding is needed?
     
  14. Pearce

    Pearce Toyotaholic

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    About the only thing that can be effective is the plug wires. If you had a clogged cat you could probably get it hot enough to boil the brake fluid. You'll want to pop the hood every now and then and make sure they are not falling on the header with the stock loom. Ran one for a while without problems. Probably going to upgrade to the stainless down the road.
     
  15. fred heath

    fred heath Addict

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    Actually, old trick to gain hp is to wrap the headers(and exhaust) with heat tape or exhaust wrap. This gives your engine better scavenging, especially is your new header is larger diameter. Kill two birds with one stone.
     
  16. Ivey

    Ivey Veteran

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    I was gonna wrap it just because I like the looks but I keep reading about how the wraps can cause rust on the headers by holding in moisture. I guess they are only 130 bucks so not the end of the world if they rust out...
     
  17. fred heath

    fred heath Addict

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    I’ve never heard of an exhaust header rusting out due to a wrap. Don’t confuse surface rust with rot. Your header is good for a long time.
     
  18. Pearce

    Pearce Toyotaholic

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    Some companies will not honor a warranty on a header if it was wrapped. They hold moisture. No one has any numbers that aren't just marketing bs on the proformance gains. The benefits would only be seen on a maxed out engine. Ceramic coating would be better.
     
  19. fred heath

    fred heath Addict

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    We’ll agree to disagree.
     
  20. Pearce

    Pearce Toyotaholic

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    Everyone should comment to do heat wrap vs non heat wrap. I would like to see some real Hp numbers. Hot road magazine did a test on an engine dyno but only showed temps.

     

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