Alignment Questions (pics enclosed)

ok, I guess I am going to have to go back, but I am going to have to try and find out just how much lift I have dialed in up front, I am probably closer to 1.75 then 1.5 and if that is the case I may just have to go with UCA's...

 

I'm at 2 inches of lift up front and got camber real close to 0 same with toe, caster was at 2-2.2 on stock UCA's. Lost my print out but I knew I wasn't leaving the shop without it as close to the specs I was looking for. I had a shop which works on lifted trucks do it. I paid $100 which is pricey but well worth it cause now I am not going back and forth to have it redone. My whole point of only going with a 2 inch lift was so I didn't need new UCA's. Take it back and demand that it be done right.

 

Update:

I am at the dealer now, they have a great waiting room by the way (Internet Access)

So the senior tech i spoke with looked at my numbers and said...all the guy did was a toe in/out adjustment..

Since I had a lift put in they would have to adjust the camber and caster..he stated normally when they get a 2010 vehicle in they would just do a toe in/out adjustment...unless they were specifically told something was done that would need camber and caster looked at.

The problem comes down to it being a junior tech that did not know what to do completely.

They are doing it all over now...

Thanks for the info guys...

Another tech here tried to tell me the caster cannot be adjusted but my service rep that is a great to deal with said he ain't buying that and got the head tech to look at things...

Will post the results when I get done..

 

ok, this is wierd...

The head technician, put my vehicle on the rack and found out that the other tech did adjust the camber and caster...but here is the wierd part.

prior to him doing anything the numbers are different, my right side caster is now at 1.6 and the left side caster is at 2.5...

I came into the dealer just now with a full tank of gas, this morning when I dropped it off I was on E (my empty light was actually lit)

So right now looking at the truck you can see a lean to the left...

I am suprised how a full tank of gas effects alignment...

In any case they are redoing the alignment and trying to get it better, my concern now is...when my tank is low on gas will my alignment be off...

 

My wife would agre with you (she does) but I am trying to give them the benefit fo the doubt, if they can't get it right...well time to shop for a new shop..

I have never noticed before the "Taco Lean" but today was the frist day I ever noticed it after filling up....

 

x2 ^^^^^^ something is wrong

 

with the truck or the dealer??

 

dealer

 

no way a tank of gas is going to change the alignment like that

 

ok, so here is the final analysis/readings

The lead tech had me come back with him and watch perform the alignment..he showed me where the cams where, how they adjust, what effected what etc..etc..

In the end here are my numbers


Left -- Right

Left - Camber .4 Right - Camber .3

Left - Caster 1.1 Right - Caster 1.0

Left - Toe .04 Right - Toe

No matter what he tried, when he adjusted the Camber, it would change the Caster and vice versa..

It drives fine, but don't know where to go from here...leave it as it is??

Put UCA's on then have a go at it again???

Is there a good way to tell just exactly how much lift I have up front?? Seems for 1.75 or less I should not have had these problems, maybe I was off on my measurements??

 

I have a 2009 access cab v6 with a 3" tuff country lift with the exact same specs. drives great. i guess this is ok?

 

I found this quote on another thread, so this answers my first question

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/52444-alignment-question.html

So my next question would be do I NEED to get the caster to specs??

 

You could possibly need a set of UCAs to correct the alignment issues, although, for the amount of lift you have, you should be able to introduce a fair amount more caster for the amount of camber that is present. There is always the possibility that even the head tech over there doesn't know his head from his ass when it comes to alignments. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen it.

Did you take measurements of your front end height before you installed your lift? This is about the only way to definitively tell how much lift you have for your particular package.

 

Unfortunately I did not (dummy here), the only thing I have recorded is that my drivers side coil over is set to 1/4 inch higher then the passenger side...

This is where my concern is, I started with 1.5 inches of lift then went up, so I could be at 2 or more...

So would it be in my best interests to get the UCA's and have the alignment done proper or can I live with the caster the way it is? By live with it I mean will it hurt anything?

 

Thanks guess I will have to get them...

Is there a setting on them to "get" you to a shop? I have a 900 mile road trip in two weeks so would like to get them done before the trip.. but I should be fine driving without them

 

Understood, but the caster isn't going to effect tire wear correct?

"Caster is a weird angle because it doesn't affect tire wear directly. It's greatest effect is on steering stability, steering effort and steering return. So it is often the most ignored angle."