Somebody PLEASE sell me a lower steering u-joint x

[mulaz]

I fitted a pattern Chinese lower knuckle after my original started to seize up on my 2004 car
it's Ok but not exactly the same as a Toyota item or as well made. you will have to have your steering alignment reset as the splines are slightly off.

i wasted hours trying every combination moving bottom knuckle  then top knuckle and steering wheel without success

i would get a price to have my old unit repaired if possible , its not a DIY fix as i tried with a few spare units donated by Dick Sloan.. place near me in Gateshead
may be able to repair them  m http://www.cpsdrivelink.co.uk/ m

Also check the bulkhead boot for the steering as mine was perished and worn and it's a ideal time to replace at the same time

[Jon_G]

I also need a replacement lower UJ and I've been waiting for TCB to get these in stock (they originally told me that would be December/January).

Not cheap at well over £100 with the delivery and VAT, but can anyone who's had one confirm that these TCB pattern ones are any good?

Has anyone managed to get one refurbished by an engineering company?

[spit]

Has anyone managed to get one refurbished by an engineering company?

Yes.

One of our old affiliates had scrappered steering joints rebuilt which he sold to members in the £80-£100 range. Sorry, I don't recall who did them for him.

I had mine revived a couple of years ago by a chap who refurbs UJs from a small workshop out in the countryside. Known locally as Mr Propshaft. For around £40 it was a much better option than buying some time from a 2nd-hand part. He said he'd be happy to take on the odd one here and there but he didn't fancy being swamped with orders from ROC so I kept quiet about it!

Have a look locally for propshaft engineers - I'm sure you'll find someone who can rework your old joint.

As for the TCB pattern price, I'd say its reasonable. The joint isn't just a simple shaft-UJ-shaft affair - the upper half is engineered into a pretty hefty bush to create a cushioned soft-joint.

[Standard]

The steering went heavy about a 9 months ago when I was in Newquay. I gingerly drove back and gave it a good dose of WD40 and it worked a treat... so much so I pretty much forgot about. I was checking all the fluids on the drive the other day and went to pull off and it was extremely heavy.

I gave it a liberal squirt of lube again and while it has improved a little I'm far from confident now. Saying that I'm probably lucky that I managed to do around 5k on my last 'fix'.

What tools do you need to do this yourself?

[spit]

I reckon any engineer with a press and an appropriate staking tool could comfortably take these on.

[Jon_G]

Has anyone managed to get one refurbished by an engineering company?

Yes.

One of our old affiliates had scrappered steering joints rebuilt which he sold to members in the £80-£100 range. Sorry, I don't recall who did them for him.

I had mine revived a couple of years ago by a chap who refurbs UJs from a small workshop out in the countryside. Known locally as Mr Propshaft. For around £40 it was a much better option than buying some time from a 2nd-hand part. He said he'd be happy to take on the odd one here and there but he didn't fancy being swamped with orders from ROC so I kept quiet about it!

Have a look locally for propshaft engineers - I'm sure you'll find someone who can rework your old joint.

As for the TCB pattern price, I'd say its reasonable. The joint isn't just a simple shaft-UJ-shaft affair - the upper half is engineered into a pretty hefty bush to create a cushioned soft-joint.

Thanks for the full reply! I like the idea of having the original part refurbished with a new UJ, but obviously the car would then be off the road for a while (I don't much want to fork out for a worn secondhand one along the way).

I'm still concerned about how faithfully the TCB item will match the original and would welcome a review from anyone who's had one.

Genuine ones seem to be available from eBay far cheaper than from Toyota... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-GENUINE-TOYOTA-MR2-MR-2-MR-S-ROADSTER-STEERING-SHAFT-UJ-45260-17141-/321747692049?fits=Model%3AMR+2&hash=item4ae9a82a11:g:YD0AAOSwpDdVSjvm

[Jon_G]

The steering went heavy about a 9 months ago when I was in Newquay. I gingerly drove back and gave it a good dose of WD40 and it worked a treat... so much so I pretty much forgot about. I was checking all the fluids on the drive the other day and went to pull off and it was extremely heavy.

I gave it a liberal squirt of lube again and while it has improved a little I'm far from confident now. Saying that I'm probably lucky that I managed to do around 5k on my last 'fix'.

What tools do you need to do this yourself?

I've had to free mine off twice in the last 6 months. The last time I also packed a big handful of grease around the UJ, which seems to have kept it free, but I know it'll probably tighten up again. Interestingly there is no free play in any orientation, just a general tightness.

[mulaz]

The needle rollers inside the bearings rust up and no amounts of grease WD40 or any magic will fix them.

[mulaz]

This shows the rust inside

[spit]

Wow. Totally fubarred!

..... obviously the car would then be off the road for a while (I don't much want to fork out for a worn secondhand one along the way).

Our affiliate sold outright rather than on exchange so there's a chance that any member who bought one could have their old one knocking around. Borrow one for refurb you'll be free to tootle around without any downtime. For the price of postage its worth asking.

As for your EBay find, if you're satisfied that its genuine OEM its a great deal at that price. The heritage of the company looks decent. If it wasn't for Mr Propshaft (which is probably not his real name!) I would have been going for something like that.

[Jon_G]

Wow. Totally fubarred!

..... obviously the car would then be off the road for a while (I don't much want to fork out for a worn secondhand one along the way).

Our affiliate sold outright rather than on exchange so there's a chance that any member who bought one could have their old one knocking around. Borrow one for refurb you'll be free to tootle around without any downtime. For the price of postage its worth asking.

As for your EBay find, if you're satisfied that its genuine OEM its a great deal at that price. The heritage of the company looks decent. If it wasn't for Mr Propshaft (which is probably not his real name!) I would have been going for something like that.

Cheers

[JoeCool]

Thanks for the full reply! I like the idea of having the original part refurbished with a new UJ, but obviously the car would then be off the road for a while (I don't much want to fork out for a worn secondhand one along the way).

I'm still concerned about how faithfully the TCB item will match the original and would welcome a review from anyone who's had one.

Genuine ones seem to be available from eBay far cheaper than from Toyota... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-GENUINE-TOYOTA-MR2-MR-2-MR-S-ROADSTER-STEERING-SHAFT-UJ-45260-17141-/321747692049?fits=Model%3AMR+2&hash=item4ae9a82a11:g:YD0AAOSwpDdVSjvm

I have a TCB Universal Joint.

It is functionally and physically identical with 1 small exception: The original has a rubber union/bush where the shaft enters the top of the UJ collet, The TCB part does not. I could not detect any difference at all in driving feel (other than the replacement not trying to kill me all the time).

Car being off the road? Yeah, for a couple of hours whilst you fit it. It's dead easy. Write up here:

 l viewtopic.php?f=88&t=56768 l

[Standard]

The steering went heavy about a 9 months ago when I was in Newquay. I gingerly drove back and gave it a good dose of WD40 and it worked a treat... so much so I pretty much forgot about. I was checking all the fluids on the drive the other day and went to pull off and it was extremely heavy.

I gave it a liberal squirt of lube again and while it has improved a little I'm far from confident now. Saying that I'm probably lucky that I managed to do around 5k on my last 'fix'.

What tools do you need to do this yourself?

I've had to free mine off twice in the last 6 months. The last time I also packed a big handful of grease around the UJ, which seems to have kept it free, but I know it'll probably tighten up again. Interestingly there is no free play in any orientation, just a general tightness.

Mines the same, feels really tight, no play at all.

It's just really heavy now (but probably exaggerated by my smaller steering wheel) I can only describe it as the shaft feels egg shaped instead of round.

[Jon_G]

Having seen mulaz's photo I'm now worried about the possibility of a sudden and catastrophic seizure...

[mulaz]

i can assure people that the knuckle joint will not suddenly fail
The 1st instance is heavy steering and the steering will stop self centring when cornering as the needle rollers start seizing up with the rust
you may keep it going for a few weeks with WD40 but start thinking about changing it for a new unit.
if left until the bearing start collapsing you will still have steering but i recon it will have the feel of a old tractor when cornering but get you home

[Standard]

Just got off the phone with TCB and they said they now have a healthy stock of UJ's in now.   s:bowdown: :bowdown: s:bowdown:

[cabbydave]

Patrick Chambers has new Toyota ones for 120 posted