Steering pre-tensioner—how do you do it? (I searched)
Thank you for clarifying.
10-26-06, 11:38 AM
#62
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Mine was made in 10/97. I just crouched down by the driver's side door and looked towards the front and saw something very similiar to the picture in Thread 1 but not exactly. It has the nut like the picture but the bolt is different. It looks like it can be adjusted the same way though....Rominl, are you sure it can be adjusted?
I have been having this problem too and would like to fix it....
I have been having this problem too and would like to fix it....
10-26-06, 01:38 PM
#63
fund this one
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=pre-tensioner
and this one has tons of info and theres a diagram on pg 11
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=pre-tensioner
hope this helps, theres more just search pretensioner
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=pre-tensioner
and this one has tons of info and theres a diagram on pg 11
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=pre-tensioner
hope this helps, theres more just search pretensioner
NTB??? You've GOT to be kidding me.
Grab a wrench before you post this stuff, PLEASE!!! Also use the search engine.Check out the above threads. I spent my time documenting this clearly for everyone. The outer nut is a LOCKNUT - it is only there to keep the inner fitting from loosening up. It must be loosened the NORMAL way, by turning counterclockwise, so that the inner fitting is free to turn. The inner fitting is what you need to tighten (CLOCKWISE) to take the play out of the steering. Once this is where it needs to be (see other threads for that), the outer locknut needs to be tightened again, while holding the inner fitting still with another wrench. Once you do this, the adjustment is done and will not move.
IF YOU'VE DONE ANYTHING ELSE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WOUND UP WITH. You may have overtightened the fitting (can ruin your steering rack), more play than you started with, or a loose locknut that will allow the setting to move over time.
Never turn just the inner fitting before loosening the outer locknut, or turn the outer nut clockwise without holding the inner one. And always mark the original location of both with a Sharpie, so that you KNOW how much you've moved them.
This post has confused the hell out of everyone for all the wrong reasons.
Steering is nothing to mess with if you don't know what you're doing. Watching doesn't count.
Last edited by engin_ear; 11-02-06 at 11:51 AM. Reason: cleaned up a bit
10-26-06, 04:19 PM
#64
Well considering the number of times my car was on the lift and the amount of times I watched him do it, I'm just telling you of my experience. Considering you're trying to make fun of me for taking my car to NTB (The car *is* 8 years old and long since paid for) I don't know what else to say. You have obviously performed this on every year Lexus and every model, so of course you being a mod here makes you right and me wrong. 
FWIW, I/we didn't have to even loosen the outer "nut" whatsoever to adjust the inner hex. Also, on my car, it already had markings (notches) every 1/4 inch or so, unlike the first picture in this thread.
Obviously to tighten a nut on a car it's clockwise (again - lefty loosey rightie-tighty) but for whatever reason it wasn't for me in this case.
You don't need to pay Lexus $120 (at minimum) to do this for you; I just didn't have any tools that size NOR did I feel like jacking my car up. All I know is what I saw with my own two eyes. Again, your mileage might vary.
FWIW, I/we didn't have to even loosen the outer "nut" whatsoever to adjust the inner hex. Also, on my car, it already had markings (notches) every 1/4 inch or so, unlike the first picture in this thread.
Obviously to tighten a nut on a car it's clockwise (again - lefty loosey rightie-tighty) but for whatever reason it wasn't for me in this case.
You don't need to pay Lexus $120 (at minimum) to do this for you; I just didn't have any tools that size NOR did I feel like jacking my car up. All I know is what I saw with my own two eyes. Again, your mileage might vary.
10-26-06, 04:24 PM
#65
Engin_ear, you also said this in your referenced link! How the hell would you know that EVERY car needs only between 1/2 and 1/4 of a turn? My car certainly didn't! Just because this fixed yours doesn't mean you can make such "broad brush" statements about all of our cars! I guarantee you with other it may have taken more or less to "tune" the steering right where the sweet spot was.
10-26-06, 05:34 PM
#67
Sparky, I'm not making *fun* of you for taking your car to NTB - first off, I get all of my tires there. But I question their expertise on this one. Secondly, I had an alignment done on my Supra at NTB one time, and they used parts to finish the alignment that didn't even belong on the car, because they stripped the eccentric bolt in the process. That's just a piece of data. I also made the statement in my previous post that 3/4 turn is excessive, because given how this assembly is made, the adjustment is very critical.
What I AM saying is that it certainly looks like there is something wrong with your analysis, unless your assembly is truly different, in which case neither is misinformation, and should be spelled out that way. It makes little sense that an assembly that many of us have worked on directly, one that is also not likely to have undergone any radical changes since they all look virtually the same from the outside, would suddenly need to have things turned in the opposite direction. My biggest problem with your post is that you directly said that you were trying to correct "misinformation" in existing posts that were very clearly spelled out, thereby confusing everyone. Your subsequent analysis that only the big outside nut needs to be turned cannot make any sense, and could legitimately cause other people's steering linkage to come loose, possibly causing anything from poor steering response to serious accidents. If this was all done by a Lexus tech, maybe we'd have something to go on. But until someone can show that there is more than one rack pretensioner design, via shop manual pics, etc., and that things turn CCW to tighten, I strongly recommend that everyone go with what is proven and what makes common sense. Having said that, if we need to improve this thread to accomodate more than one pretensioner design, then I'm all for that.
If there are any Lexus techs out there that are experienced with these steering racks, please chime in. One of the problems here is that this is not a common adjustment, even for Lexus.
Sparky3, I apologize for beating up on you hard, because I think you meant well, and I don't mean to discourage anyone's participation here, but I have done my best on CL to prevent the propagation of misinformation, and this one certainly appears to have crossed the line.
What I AM saying is that it certainly looks like there is something wrong with your analysis, unless your assembly is truly different, in which case neither is misinformation, and should be spelled out that way. It makes little sense that an assembly that many of us have worked on directly, one that is also not likely to have undergone any radical changes since they all look virtually the same from the outside, would suddenly need to have things turned in the opposite direction. My biggest problem with your post is that you directly said that you were trying to correct "misinformation" in existing posts that were very clearly spelled out, thereby confusing everyone. Your subsequent analysis that only the big outside nut needs to be turned cannot make any sense, and could legitimately cause other people's steering linkage to come loose, possibly causing anything from poor steering response to serious accidents. If this was all done by a Lexus tech, maybe we'd have something to go on. But until someone can show that there is more than one rack pretensioner design, via shop manual pics, etc., and that things turn CCW to tighten, I strongly recommend that everyone go with what is proven and what makes common sense. Having said that, if we need to improve this thread to accomodate more than one pretensioner design, then I'm all for that.
If there are any Lexus techs out there that are experienced with these steering racks, please chime in. One of the problems here is that this is not a common adjustment, even for Lexus.
Sparky3, I apologize for beating up on you hard, because I think you meant well, and I don't mean to discourage anyone's participation here, but I have done my best on CL to prevent the propagation of misinformation, and this one certainly appears to have crossed the line.
10-26-06, 06:07 PM
#69
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10-26-06, 06:19 PM
#70
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Take it easy guys, the information that everyone is putting out is there to "try" to help us out.
I did the adjustment as well and I did it by loosening the "lock" nut then turning the bolt. I only needed to turn the bolt nearly 15-20 degrees (clockwise) in my case. Each car will vary. My first adjustment at just less than 1/4 turn made the car feel as if it had no power steering. car would not straighten and the wheel stays turned.
Just need to stay away from totally bad information. or correcting bad information
I did the adjustment as well and I did it by loosening the "lock" nut then turning the bolt. I only needed to turn the bolt nearly 15-20 degrees (clockwise) in my case. Each car will vary. My first adjustment at just less than 1/4 turn made the car feel as if it had no power steering. car would not straighten and the wheel stays turned.
Just need to stay away from totally bad information. or correcting bad information
10-26-06, 06:20 PM
#71
10-26-06, 06:44 PM
#72
Take it easy guys, the information that everyone is putting out is there to "try" to help us out.
I did the adjustment as well and I did it by loosening the "lock" nut then turning the bolt. I only needed to turn the bolt nearly 15-20 degrees (clockwise) in my case. Each car will vary. My first adjustment at just less than 1/4 turn made the car feel as if it had no power steering. car would not straighten and the wheel stays turned.
Just need to stay away from totally bad information. or correcting bad information
I did the adjustment as well and I did it by loosening the "lock" nut then turning the bolt. I only needed to turn the bolt nearly 15-20 degrees (clockwise) in my case. Each car will vary. My first adjustment at just less than 1/4 turn made the car feel as if it had no power steering. car would not straighten and the wheel stays turned.
Just need to stay away from totally bad information. or correcting bad information
10-26-06, 07:24 PM
#73
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to turn the lock nut, I had an adjustable plier that can open that large.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog
to turn the hex I used a 5/8" hex bolt with 2 nuts on the bolt to serve as the grip point for my socket.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog
to turn the hex I used a 5/8" hex bolt with 2 nuts on the bolt to serve as the grip point for my socket.