Steering problem – UNIVERSAL JOINT

[Anonymous]

Steering problem – UNIVERSAL JOINT
My power steering pump is working fine, as I'm driving minor steering correction are fine. But turn the wheel more than 1 hand width either way the steering becomes very stiff.
So I think the UJ or universal joint for the steering needs replacing.
Anyone have one for sale??? ,  or know where I can get one.
I have failed to source a secondhand one here in Ireland, and have called a lot of scrap dealers in the UK without success.
Any help with this is much appreciated.

[nathanMR2]

 l viewtopic.php?f=47&t=32611 l

Details of how to install and where for source one  s:) s:)

[dcod]

You may want to read this too.

 l viewtopic.php?f=11&t=37502 l

[Anonymous]

ok, this really helps.
Just sprayed it with wd40 to keep me going for a few days.
Immediate difference  s:) s:)
Just one thing I want to clarify----
"If I want to replace the joint, then I need to replace the whole shaft as the joint is attached to it."  ?
Would I be correct in saying that.
Thanks again for the help lads, this website is a lifesaver  s:) s:)

[spit]

Yes and no! The lower joint is part of the shaft but the shaft is in two parts. So its the lower part that you need.

If a clean and re-grease is making a difference then that might be enough. I had your symptoms 2 years ago. Never since and no hint of problem at MOT. Its the cheaper and easier option and - even if its not the ultimate solution - it could buy you much more time.

[mrivett]

I had a similar problem on my '2 and managed to buy the whole shaft, both top and bottom, off 'the auction site' (secondhand but in fairly good condition) for £15 so it's worth shopping around. Sorted my steering problems out and only took about 10 minutes to fit.

[Chris H]

You could also go to "Commercial Sales" and send a PM to D!ck2ski,
i know he had some of these..

[spit]

You could also go to "Commercial Sales" and send a PM to D!ck2ski

Unfortunately he'll be unable to respond. Suspension of his user account is ongoing.

No biggie though - I guess there's little point at this stage shopping for a part if a part isn't required.

[Wabbitkilla]

TBH you'll probably get a better deal from the e of bay

[MattPerformance]

I have a U/J. It owes me £75.00 and it's in A1 condition.  I'm not looking to sell it as I buy and sell these cars fairly regularly so it's a spare that I know I'll use at some point, but if it's the difference between you having your car on the road or not then I'd gladly sell it to you.

[iPap]

TBH you'll probably get a better deal from the e of bay

When I was looking for one for mine they never came up.

I did that part finder thing and paid about £60 +p&p.

[grsymons]

Interesting topic this, when I turned the car around on the drive the other week I noticed that the steering was a bit heavy. After all the hacking around I have done to my wiring to fit the standalone I assumed I had disabled the power steering accidentally. That may well be the case but looking at the joint it appears to have seen better days so will swap it anyway. Better to be safe and all that.

[MattPerformance]

...the joint appears to have seen better days so will swap it anyway.

If you're planning to do it yourself, it might be worth taking it off to check first (it's pretty easy) - it's VERY obvious whether the U/J is the issue or not once you've got it in your hands.

[grsymons]

Yeah, I have added it to my to do list, may have a look at it next week.

[Steve Green]

I was wondering around a Kit car show today, and was reminded that steering UJ's are readily available for the Kit market.
It made me wonder just how specific the MR2 parts are and whether there is scope for removing a worn UJ and fitting a new one.

Not having a worn one to look and and compare its difficult to answer, but it cant be that difficult, and may save some a few pennies.

If anyone has a dead one and would like to post it to me I will do the homework.

[Anonymous]

I was wondering around a Kit car show today, and was reminded that steering UJ's are readily available for the Kit market.
It made me wonder just how specific the MR2 parts are and whether there is scope for removing a worn UJ and fitting a new one.

Not having a worn one to look and and compare its difficult to answer, but it cant be that difficult, and may save some a few pennies.

If anyone has a dead one and would like to post it to me I will do the homework.

Tried it Steve

If you manage to get a [strike:k9rzw980]knack[/strike:k9rzw980]......old unit from someone you will see what I mean, they are a mass produced units and not intended for bearing re-refurbishment, the yokes are so thinly constructed I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole where anyone had replaced the U/J   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[69fb]

got a new joint to fit to mine soon, just waiting to get a chance to swap it.

Has anyone had one of these fail? is it something I should worry about (i.e not drive my car) until I can get it replaced?

[Anonymous]

got a new joint to fit to mine soon, just waiting to get a chance to swap it.

Has anyone had one of these fail? is it something I should worry about (i.e not drive my car) until I can get it replaced?

It would be difficult for anyone to comment on whether your steering joint could fail without physically seeing it,  even then I can't see someone passing it as safe to drive with 100% certainty.  You could check yourself and see that it doesn't have excessive play or obvious signs of imminent failure then go from there.

[69fb]

I am going to replace it anyway as I got a new one, and decided not to use the car in case

All I wanted to know is if this is a common thing, have many others actually failed?
Would expect toyota would have to recall this model if its that bog of an issue (they recently recalled my parents 2001 corolla for a passenger airbag fault)

[Wabbitkilla]

It is becoming a common failure, though I've not heard of any outright failures.
The car is getting old, they're reaching high mileages and it's and exposed moving part, Toyota can safely argue regular maintenance would avoid it failing. After all some of us are running with original joints at over 100k miles (touch wood), so there is an element of pot luck too.

Airbags you can argue are a one use item with no moving parts so the betting is it was faulty when installed.

Remember peeps that cars wear out with use, it's hardly a manufacturing fault if a part wears out.

[69fb]

cheers, see what your saying and I agree.

Have got the car booked in to get this swapped on Saturday as I don't really fancy messing about with steering myself. I swapped the whole column over on my mk2 - but that was more enclosed so they don't rust and all the fixings still looked new.

Was a strange one with the corolla, its a W reg and I was quite shocked as figured anything that old would be well beyond eligibility for a recall

[Webby20001]

Hi, can I ask where you got your new one from, I think mine may have had it as well but can't seem to see any for sale. Cheers

[tommccrea]

Mine is the same, its been soaked with wd40 a few times in the 7 weeks ive owned the car with only slight improvement.  Think I will have to bite the bullet and have it replaced

[69fb]

Bought mine from a breaker on eBay who also uses this board I believe, andy-n20.

Part is used but looks and feels fine and less than 1/4 the price what Mr T want

[Webby20001]

I've sent a few people some messages asking for a decent one so hopefully should be able to sort one out. Oddly though I filled the car up with a full tank of petrol and the steering was suddenly far better, has anyone noticed this before? I'm guessing that if it is the joint then the weight on the back end has eased the pressure on the joint??