Weird steering problem

You're in an area, steering assembly, where I don't have much expertise. Considering the linkages and gears and other parts, I wouldn't know where to start. I would suggest finding a good shop, check for reputations, and see if you can come in when their best mechanic will be on duty. Let them know it is a hybrid with electronic steering assist.

You might start with the list of independent shops in your area (see the other thread.) Don't rule out the Toyota shop.

The "Car Talk" guys get calls like this and near as I can tell, they say 'it could be <a list of all front end parts from bearings to steering drag arm or rack and pinon gear>.' Apparently more than one part can give similar symptoms and it takes 'eyes and hands on' to correctly identify the right parts.

Bob Wilson

 

Hi
Concerning "There's no stuttering of the wheel and plenty of assist in both directions."
Being that you had the engine out you may have disconnected the cables to the steering box up front. The fact that you have power assist in both directions and no vibrations I doubt it's the dreaded dirty pot in the steering box, but rather think you only need to do the "initialize zero position" procedure.
I have seen it in one thread or another -just search on steering problem and you'll find it.

 

Hummm, I have Auto Enginuity but haven't surveyed their active tests.

I'll take a look at it tonight and see what sort of active tests they support.

Just a thought but you might consider pulling the fuses for the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and seeing if the binding continues. This will eliminate any electrical contribution. If it is just mechanical, with the fuses pulled, an ordinary body or front-end shop might be able to diagnose the problem if it is steering geometer related. . . . Just a thought.

Bob Wilson

 

Sorry maybe it wasn't this site where I saw that procedure, as I cannot find it now either..Will also look in my manuals for it, but as Bob mentioned it may only describe the procedure using the toyota handheld scanner tool. AE may also do it but with that it's shakey at best. It is done to validate when the steering wheel was straight, that the wheels were straight at that point as well. Someone had a problem a while back that when the car was going straight the steering wheel was not in the center position but turned somewhat to one side or another.
Now you had mentioned that the ICE was replaced? In order to do that the steering assy. had to be removed out of the way. You now have good assist to the right and to the left? And the wheel after a left will not return to center position? Perhaps a sensor cable is lose, or not reinstalled properly. Did you do this work yourself? I would get under there and check all the contacts from any connectors (clean the contacts as well), then try again but I think that once the steering unit is removed from the system you need to reinitialize the ecu involved with the mentioned "zeroing" procedure. If you pull any connectors from the steering unit, you must first remove the 12V battery and wait for ten minutes before doing so or else the ecu will get lost as far as position is concerned. Keep in mind that any dtc's that are stored will be erased,
so record your dtc's first before removing the 12V battery. I will look further into this and see what else may be necessary. It is strange that it works to the right and not the left. I'm thinking sensor wires now. Good luck.

 

If you have not already done so, it might be worth just taking it to an alignment shop to see if its in spec. You will want a good alignment anyway, even if there are other problems to be worked.

Eric

 

I kinda sorts remember someone posting that their steering wheel was not centered when driving straight and if was an adjustment. Not sireethe adjustment was DIY or not, but an electronic adjustment does sound plausible

 

Years are 2001-03.

As for the instructions, Volume 2 of the maintenance manual or subscribe to Toyota TIS long enough to download the instructions.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson