Knock Knock

It’s no Joke, when you turn the Steering Wheel to Lock and then edge forwards in a Toyota 4Runner, you hear an ungodly knocking sound that make you think the Steering Rack is going to sheer off and leave you stranded.

My Dad told me about it years ago, because he had a Hiace with the same issue. It’s not a Fault as such, more a Design Feature. So when I heard it for the first time, I realised what it was [a sweaty fraction of a second later].

There is a Nipple that prevents the Steering from locking over too far and this makes contact with a purposeful section the Lower Arm of the Suspension, catches and slips free with a graunch.

Toyota’s Solution to this Problem..? Well, it’s a consumable Plastic Cap for the Nipple, preventing the direct contact. At £3 a pop [you need two] it is more Pesky than Big Budget, and can be rationalised as less cost than the obligatory Car Journey tube of Wine Gums.

Less than a minute on your back to swap them out, it’s always good to get down there in any case and take a look at what’s going on.

Knock Knock
Who’s there?
Nobel.
Nobel who?
Nobel so I had to Knock..