rack and pinion

[$100 TOY]

Rack and pinion leak! Shop is asking alot of money, mostly for labor. Is it worth the doe? I am a do it myself kind of guy and I have plenty of tools to do it but never have I done the rack on my 98 toy. Any tips or procedures out there to make it easier or let the shop do the work?

[Flash75]

You didn't say if you have a 4 wheel drive. That may make a difference on the work involved removing and replacing the rack. I have never done one on a Tacoma but looking at the shop manual for a 2003, I know you have a 98 but there probably isn't a lot of difference, it appears you need to remove the steering wheel due to the possibility of breaking a spiral cable, I believe it is associated with the air bag.
http://misc.mmdsi.net/tacoma/tacoma-manual/
For instructions on removal of the rack click on volume II and find:
Repair Manual##Steering##Power Steering Gear (2WD)##Removal
As I said they say you need to remove the steering wheel and associated components to remove the spiral cable before removing the rack. You don't want to do anything that may fire the air bag, so be careful if you decide to do the job.

Clifton

[$100 TOY]

Thanks for the info. It sounds like I will let the pro's do this one. It is going to cost a pretty penny and now I know why. Nothing else seems to be troubling the tacoma but I am getting it fixed. Drive well and play hard.