There are a couple youtube videos that are worth watching. One shows a mechanic removing a 2007 RX350 rack, it is decent but skips a couple steps. Another is for a Sienna minivan, which looks like it has a similar setup. The Sienna video is much longer and more detailed. Both came up when I searched youtube for "RX350 steering rack". Between these two videos, and the hints above, any good shade tree mechanic should be able to get the job done in an afternoon. Make sure you get new outer tie rod ends and sway bar end links, yours are probably pretty worn if your rack is old and leaking like mine! Suggest you soak those sway bar end links in liquid wrench a couple times before trying to remove the nuts, preferably a couple days ahead of time. Good luck!

 

After having the typical leak from the right side seal for 50K+ miles, I finally decided to tackle the rack and pinion today. Took about 6 hours, 3 to remove and then 3 to install. Between the help in the previous posts, and watching a couple of YouTube videos, it was pretty straightforward. Not fun when you don't have a lift though... I did install new outer tie rod ends, sway bar end links, and sway bar bushings (all Moog). I purchased these and the reman rack from Rockauto. Hope this will take the RX to 300K miles!

A couple things I remembered: Once you have the new rack back in, before you bolt it to the subframe, align and start the steering wheel linkage onto the rack. The rack sits low in the subframe mounts before you install the two 19mm bolts, and you have to lift it up to get the 19mm bolt holes aligned with the subframe, and that raises the shaft (obviously) when you do. I did not do this the first time, and I could not slip the wheel linkage back on the rack shaft. Had to remove the 19mm bolts, drop the shaft down, align the linkage on the shaft, and then raise it up while guiding the linkage onto the shaft and then install the 19mm bolts mounting the R&P to the subframe. Of course, doing this while lying on your back on the ground is fun, and this is one spot where it would have been nice to have someone raise the rack up slowly using the inner tie rod from the wheel well while I was guiding the linkage and trying to install the driver's side 19mm bolt! It sounds more complicated than it is, and once you take it all apart you will see what I am trying to explain.

Make sure you verify your new rack is centered before you install it. My old OEM rack had several marks on the shaft showing alignment, but my Cardone reman rack did not. I used a wrench to slowly turn the shaft from lock-to-lock (3 full turns, BTW), and then centered it as best I could. I did pretty good on the install, the steering wheel was only slightly off to the left and they easily adjusted it when I got the alignment done. The old outer tie rod ends I took off were both on about 13 full turns, and I had to reuse the jam nuts from the old rack as the new rack did NOT come with the jam nuts to adjust the outer tie rod ends. Also had to reuse the round plastic dust shield that covers the rack shaft. After 186K miles, both my inner tie rods were very lose. The new inners on my reman rack are nice and stiff! Good luck and have fun!