Electric Power Steering (EPS) noisy

[CK155]

Originally Posted by ermax

Yeah I searched the parts catalog for the Corolla and the Lexus C200h as both of those seem to use the same EPS but they didn't list a coupler. I just made the assumption that Toyota didn't sell it seperate for any of their cars. I should have done a generic search without specifying a car which is probably what @CK155 did.

Now I'm curious if there are any TSBs about rattle on other Toyota's.

I learned about this part from our local chat group. One of our owners have ordered the part in and will try to fit it in today. Will keep you guys updated on the result.

[Dake]

Man this community is awesome. I'm super thankful to you guys figuring this out for me already!

As with others, started getting some suspension noise, so I replaced the top hats, and then the tie rod ends (all of which were actually bad), but then this new clunk started up. Took it to Toyota (like a dummy - should've come here first) and they traced it to the column, but as others have mentioned they can only replace the entire column as a unit: 1100 bucks for the part - $1800 install total.

The tech that worked on my car seemed to know his stuff (does Formula drift on the side and builds his own cars) and neither he nor any of the other techs there that day had heard of column issues on our cars. He mentioned it was an occasional issue in Highlanders, but (I guess) hadn't seen it in Corollas either.

I guess abuse in general causes this breakdown. Roads are decent in my area out in the burbs, but I AutoX regularly which probably hastened its demise (just hit 50k miles on mine, bought in Oct 2012).

I'll wait to see if that listed Toyota part is indeed correct, and then decide whether this is something I want to tackle. I hate working on under-dash, interior stuff, but the clunk is so annoying (and the fix so potentially cheap) I might have to suck it up.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Dake

I'll wait to see if that listed Toyota part is indeed correct, and then decide whether this is something I want to tackle. I hate working on under-dash, interior stuff, but the clunk is so annoying (and the fix so potentially cheap) I might have to suck it up.

That clunk isn't just annoying. It's rough on the whole rest of the power steering unit. Dooo eeeet.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by Dake

I hate working on under-dash, interior stuff, but the clunk is so annoying (and the fix so potentially cheap) I might have to suck it up.

Interiors are the worst but this job really isn't bad at all. Totally worth the work. I no longer feel like I'm driving an old econobox. Hitting bumps and not hearing anything makes a big impact.

The worst part of this job is the bolt on the back side of the EPS unit. The hanger for the brake pedal blocks the bolt from sliding out. What really sucks is it only needs to move about 1mm. I managed to create a new rattle on my car after doing this fix so this weekend I was going to dig in and try to fix it. While I am at it I may try removing this hanger to see how involved it is. If it's not too bad to remove then it would make this job even easier. The only problem is this bracket has torx bits and I know a lot of people don't have torx in their tool box. Even if you had to buy some torx the total cost to fix this issue is dirt cheap.

[CK155]

Happy to share that it's a direct fit and replacing this part solved the issue.
Our owners here are beginning to stock up on this part. Expect worldwide shortages soon lol

[ermax]

That's great! I will update my instructions with this part. It's interesting to see what the part looks like in it's correct form. I was curious if the green part bubbled out from the plastic or not and it looks like it does just a tad. My gut tells me the Hyundai part will outlast this one. I think I will leave the Hyundai part in mine for now. If it dies I will replace it. I will include both methods in my instructions I think.

[Dake]

Word of warning. This was probably obvious for most folks, but I'm an idiot so you can learn from me.

If you release the telescoping/vertical adjustment lever after you've undone the front two 12mm nuts, the whole wheel end of the column pulls right off the spline. I had the wheel locked before doing this, and thought I got it back on straight, but as you've probably already guessed, I didn't. Steering wheel's turned about 30 degrees to the left now when driving straight.

I guess the small silver'ish lining is it's still perfectly drivable with the wheel cocked like that. Obviously the computers aren't happy though.

But hey, the clunk is gone!

I'm trying to decide whether I want to buy the mini VCI cable thing to try and reset the angle sensor myself, or just take it to Toyota. Is there an easy way to tell if I broke the clock spring? The wheel still seems to turn the same distance both directions - is there a code for the clock spring specifically?

[ermax]

Originally Posted by Dake

Word of warning. This was probably obvious for most folks, but I'm an idiot so you can learn from me.

If you release the telescoping/vertical adjustment lever after you've undone the front two 12mm nuts, the whole wheel end of the column pulls right off the spline. I had the wheel locked before doing this, and thought I got it back on straight, but as you've probably already guessed, I didn't. Steering wheel's turned about 30 degrees to the left now when driving straight.

I guess the small silver'ish lining is it's still perfectly drivable with the wheel cocked like that. Obviously the computers aren't happy though.

But hey, the clunk is gone!

I'm trying to decide whether I want to buy the mini VCI cable thing to try and reset the angle sensor myself, or just take it to Toyota. Is there an easy way to tell if I broke the clock spring? The wheel still seems to turn the same distance both directions - is there a code for the clock spring specifically?

I was afraid it would slide all the way off so I was careful when pulling it. If I was you I would just point the “wheels” straight and then reset the wheel.

[HRTROB]

Originally Posted by Dake

Word of warning. This was probably obvious for most folks, but I'm an idiot so you can learn from me.

If you release the telescoping/vertical adjustment lever after you've undone the front two 12mm nuts, the whole wheel end of the column pulls right off the spline. I had the wheel locked before doing this, and thought I got it back on straight, but as you've probably already guessed, I didn't. Steering wheel's turned about 30 degrees to the left now when driving straight.

I guess the small silver'ish lining is it's still perfectly drivable with the wheel cocked like that. Obviously the computers aren't happy though.

But hey, the clunk is gone!

I'm trying to decide whether I want to buy the mini VCI cable thing to try and reset the angle sensor myself, or just take it to Toyota. Is there an easy way to tell if I broke the clock spring? The wheel still seems to turn the same distance both directions - is there a code for the clock spring specifically?

Did you reconnect the plug for the brake light switch? It will throw codes if it’s disconnected.

Mine was also off by a couple of degrees because I swapped in a used EPS and mated it to my original steering wheel assembly. It’s pretty easy to get it straight again, you can do it from the joint/coupling where the EPS mates to the shaft that goes through the firewall. It’s just 1 bolt. Park the car with the wheels straight, turn the car off, remove bolt then remove coupling from the EPS output shaft, straighten steering wheel then reinstall.

[Dake]

Woohoo, crisis averted!

I was able to just pull the steering wheel off and recenter it. Once I hooked the battery back up and turned it on, lights were all out. Went for a drive and it looks like I went about 1 spline too far the other direction, but it's obviously within limits for the computer and it's no biggie to adjust it back a notch.

So there ya go. Another good fix.

I'll add that while it was a bit of a hassle having to recenter the wheel, removing that forward chunk of steering column made getting to and reattaching that back bolt waaay easier fwiw. I literally could not get it out which is why I was monkeying with the adjustment lever to begin with. Here's a pic complete with red circles (AND an arrow ) so people can see what I'm talking about.



Finally, I went back to Toyota to pick up an extra of the OEM piece (I installed the Hyundai star this time) and to tell the tech who worked on my car what I'd discovered. He was impressed and laughed at how simple the solution was. He said techs can submit this kind of information to Toyota, but after a vehicle reaches a certain age, Toyota stops accepting them. Have we done an age check on people who have experienced this issue? I wonder if it's another instance of a component change fairly early on.

I bought in Oct 2012.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by CK155

Happy to share that it's a direct fit and replacing this part solved the issue.

Well, sum-bitch. It's got a soft part and a hard part. Makes sense. Too bad it doesn't hold up for shit. :/

[frsfrs]

I have 2013 FRS. Not a mechanic so for some even with a suggested introductions it's a little tough. It would be awesome if Toyota also creates TSB as Hyundai did. A dealer near me has suggested steering intermediate shaft replacement. Would that also fix the problem?

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by frsfrs

I have 2013 FRS. Not a mechanic so for some even with a suggested introductions it's a little tough. It would be awesome if Toyota also creates TSB as Hyundai did. A dealer near me has suggested steering intermediate shaft replacement. Would that also fix the problem?

No it would not. I'm sure a good Indy would do this job though.

[frsfrs]

FYI. Filed a case with Toyota.com but politely declined about creating a TSB. Maybe if more people file cases, might be different story.