Toyota/Lexus intermediate shaft

[MaximaGuy]

I think I’ve got a pretty big issue to deal with on my end.

My steering had been getting progressively stiffer, and I’ve replaced everything on the steering side—except the intermediate shaft. Everytime I lubricated it the steering would be lighter. I went to a wrecker planning to buy the whole unit, but they only had the top half available. I bought it anyway and went to remove the one from my Lexus.

The two halves of the shaft are supposed to separate, but mine was completely frozen. It took a solid 15 minutes of hammering just to get them apart. When I tried to install the replacement half, it wouldn’t go in—even though I lubricated the mating surfaces. Eventually, I gave up and just stuck the piece in the freezer to shrink.

Any idea why the two halves wouldn’t fit together easily? Should I just bite the bullet and buy a brand new unit and be done with it?

Would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[eljefino]

I did mine in my 09 Camry and it went smooth. Not sure why you had issues. Try not to hammer on parts of the collapsible steering system.

I get my intermediate shafts on eBay, LOL, but they work fine.

 

[dnewton3]

If I am not mistaken, TCCN (the car care nut; a known Toyota expert on YT) has a video on this very topic. You'll have to search the myriad of his videos on his YT channel. It may help you.

 

[The Critic]

The splines don't always line-up, you'll sometimes have to do an alignment after replacement to re-center the wheel.

Might need to fuss with each end a bit to get it to mate.

 

[MaximaGuy]

Given that it was frozen, I have very less confidence they will mate. Now if I were to buy a unit and replace the entire unit and get done any recommendations. We have had hard steering since new and my wife dumped onto me and got herself a Tesla.

 

[The Critic]

Given that it was frozen, I have very less confidence they will mate. Now if I were to buy a unit and replace the entire unit and get done any recommendations. We have had hard steering since new and we never understood until my wife dumped onto me and got herself a Tesla.

Is there any visible damage to splines?

 

[MaximaGuy]

I did mine in my 09 Camry and it went smooth. Not sure why you had issues. Try not to hammer on parts of the collapsible steering system.

I get my intermediate shafts on eBay, LOL, but they work fine.

May I ask did you get the whole unit or the top half alone.

 

[MaximaGuy]

Is there any visible damage to splines?

Not on the unit that was hammered out - I stuck my finger into the bottom unit and it was a little rusted and the splines looked crip.

 

[Hirev]

Does it have spots in it where it gets tight than say a 1/4 turn later where it is not bad or almost normal?

 

[MaximaGuy]

I will use a wire brush and clean the bottom mating surface and try but my confidence is low. Convinced it was a faulty unit from factory.

Time to buy the entire unit and call it a day

 

[MaximaGuy]

Does it have spots in it where it gets tight than say a 1/4 turn later where it is not bad or almost normal?

The top half has groves all across and taller groves in two specific locarions which is hard to understand. I marked the bottom half and top half with nail polish as a reference. If I were to engineer this it would go only one way but I simply don’t understand why there are long groves.

 

[LazyDog]

Look at the video from TCN to get a much better idea of what you dealing

 

[MaximaGuy]

Hurrah. I used a wire brush to clean the bottom trunk and froze the upper half and after some serious pull and push it went in, it went is so far that I had a hard time pulling the bugger out. The long grove and short groves are there for a reason, the bottom goves have to get into the splines flush until the long groves are the only one exposed before connecting to the steering. All good, its off center and needs an alignment but son tells me it already feel lighter on his arms.

This is serious stuff, if the half wasn't frozen for a few hours it wouldn't have gone in.

 

[GSCJR]

Too late to the party but, there was a recall on some Lexi; yours might be one of them.

 

[MaximaGuy]

My clock spring is misaligned and my son rotated it while I was under and now it freely rotates both direction and traction control has come on. Any idea how to fix this - shouldn't it turn 2.5 turns both ways, let me know what I need to do to stop it turning many turns without it stopping to know the end of the spring.

 

[KGMtech]

My clock spring is misaligned and my son rotated it while I was under and now it freely rotates both direction and traction control has come on. Any idea how to fix this - shouldn't it turn 2.5 turns both ways, let me know what I need to do to stop it turning many turns without it stopping to know the end of the spring.

If the steering wheel was rotated multiple turns while disconnected from system, you'll need a new clock spring. To my experience the damage can't be undone by winding back to the centre position.

 

[MaximaGuy]

Agreed time for a new clock spring.. will get it from Lexus dealership.