I have ben plagued by torque steer in my Prado for quite a while, but lately it has been much worse.  In trying to fix it, I have replaced all the rear bushes some time ago, but no good.

This time I decided with just over 200,00Km on the clock it was time to do all the front bushes.  I’m in the trade and the bushes still cost around $500, but I was convinced it had to a bush or bushes causing the problem.  Just before doing the job I noticed one upper ball joint leaking some grease, so decided, blow it, if the front end has to come apart, I may as well replace everything.

After all the Prado does have a few kilometers up now with a lot of real 4WDing, so hang the expense, let’s renew everything.

The boys got to work dismantling everything and to my amazement everything seemed in reasonable condition, until they were disconnecting the passenger side tie rod.

I got a call to come and have a look.  Well the big steering rack D bush which was replaced by the steering reconditioning place a little while ago had 3-4mm slack in it.  And that was a poly bush.  It no signs of wear, but was clearly the wrong bush for the job (I’ll never go back to that mob again).

Any way I still went ahead and replaced everything.  I have owned the Prado since new (10 years now) and it has never let me down in the bush, so now I know the front end, even with some tough 4WDing should be good for around 300,000 Kms.

The thing I will do in future, is to keep checking the big D bush on the steering rack.  By the way Toyota now sell these bushes as a spare part, so once slight wear is evident, I will make a quick change.

Oh, I almost forgot, the car now steers like a brand new vehicle.  I am extremely happy, although the bank balance is quite a bit lighter.

See you aout there!

Tip:

Amongst other items to check are bar mounted electric winches. These components may not be used for extended periods and when they're needed you may find they have seized up. If the winch has been submerged in water it is advisable to strip it and grease it accordingly. A quick operation of it after a crossing may prove it still works, but you may find out when it seizes that you washed all the grease out 6 months ago! A water crossing is something that should not be taken too lightly as it has the potential to do expensive engine and drive-train damage. However, with the right 4x4 preparation and post crossing maintenance, you can enjoy some of the most challenging 4WDriving around.