Help me diagnose a steering issue

I have a 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 V6 with 97,000 miles. I'm the original owner. The original tire size was 245/75-16 and 265/70-16 tires were an option. I have always run a set of all season tires for most of the year and a set of winter tires from November to March.

A few years ago, I replaced the summer tires with the optional size and had no issues.

Recently, I decided that it was time to replace the front wheel bearings. They were noisy and there was a definite imbalance at highway speeds. I took the easy route and replaced the entire hub assemblies with these.

http://bluepitbearings.com/

At the same time, I decided to install brand new winter tires, and this time, I went with the larger optional size.

I immediately noticed how much better the truck drove with the new bearings. I didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary with the tires, other than the fact that they were new deep winter treads on dry pavement.

Over the past few weeks, I'm beginning to notice how heavy the steering has become. At first, I attributed it to the larger, softer tires, but now I'm not sure if it's something else. The truck tracks dead straight, but it's very heavy off center, as if there were too much caster. It also feels as if there's a flat spot in the steering. Again, I thought it was sort of a stick-and-release of the blocky tread. The power steering reservoir is full and the pump isn't making any unusual noises.

So my thought's are:

1) Maybe trucks that came from the factory with the optional tires also got a different steering ratio and the issue wasn't as noticeable with the all season tires.

2) Some steering joint may be worn out, possibly as a result of the old, bad wheel bearings.

3) Something may be up with the new wheel bearing/hub assemblies.

Any suggestions?

I should also add that all eight alloy wheels are identical factory items and the Bilstein shocks are less than a year old.

I would expect more road contact due to softer tires could cause that, but I'm not used to trucks with independent front suspension. I would expect that to take away from the stiff off-centered feel.

It has auto-locking hubs, right?

It's getting noticeably worse every time I drive, so I'm thinking that it's a bad pump, even though it's not leaking or making noise. It's progressing too quickly to be something else.

Steering rack, or box? All joints look good? Probably no way to grease the factory joints?

I have similar symptoms in our Odyssey, and I'm suspecting a bad PS pump. It's very noticeable in the cold, and the resistance through the steering wheel is very jerky at times.

petegossett wrote: Steering rack, or box? All joints look good? Probably no way to grease the factory joints?

It seems like lots of people have been having similar problems. Some of them have been able tp have a friend or wife turn the steering wheel while they spray penetrating oil or a film lubricant on the steering shaft u-joint.

They say this has fixed it but I assume it would be a short term fix. Other than that the overwhelming consensus has needed a new rack. I'd try spraying the u-joint with some PB Blast or WD-40 then take it for a drive and see if it makes a difference.

Pump belt slipping?

bentwrench wrote: Pump belt slipping?

What's the easiest way to diagnose this? Have someone rev the engine while in park and see if the tensioner is shot?

The_Jed wrote:

petegossett wrote: Steering rack, or box? All joints look good? Probably no way to grease the factory joints?

It seems like lots of people have been having similar problems. Some of them have been able tp have a friend or wife turn the steering wheel while they spray penetrating oil or a film lubricant on the steering shaft u-joint. They say this has fixed it but I assume it would be a short term fix. Other than that the overwhelming consensus has needed a new rack. I'd try spraying the u-joint with some PB Blast or WD-40 then take it for a drive and see if it makes a difference.

Yup, that's the source of the problem: It's the universal joint between the steering column and the rack. It's fully exposed and was pretty crusty. A few squirts of PB blaster and the problem has almost completely disappeared. That's just a short term solution, of course. I'll order a replacement part ASAP.

Thanks for the suggestions.