Truck at the alignment shop, was told the camber washers in the adj kit I ordered are too big to fit

Title.

Thinking it was maybe RockAuto's fault, the tech had another set sent over, it was the same part number and the same issue. He says the current washers (maxed on adjustment and still not enough to fix my camber, which is wearing my driver front inside tire tread out a little too quickly) are 25-50% smaller than the correct part # washers are. The surrounding area wont allow the new washers to seat. He's not sure if P.O. did a 4wd conversion or put in some other front suspension from something else. Says to contact Toyota and see if this was a problem for some people. My other option might be to order the 2wd adjustment kit and see if those are smaller and would fit instead. I figured I'd ask here, if anyone has any ideas what might be happening, and if theres anything I can ask/do while its still in the shop getting put back together and going up for alignment (which wont be perfect, but will probably be better than before I brought it in). Maybe I can get some pictures too if that would help.

PICS https://imgur.com/a/ky6wZre

and https://imgur.com/a/xbyyQMI

I had new lower tie rod ends I ordered beforehand put in as well as they were getting worn.

Not sure about much else on the truck, seems it has slightly bigger tires than stock, sits a little taller than stock so I think it has a bodylift at least but my ex-mechanic buddy said its stock suspension last time he looked at it.

95.5 4WD 3.4L Tacoma.

Thanks

 

We said this before and we'll all say this again -

PICTURES

Not sure where you're getting at with this whole 4x4 or 2WD parts mixup; a 4x4 and PreRunner (if your truck was indeed converted) would use identical parts.

Don't go ordering parts for a 2WD specifically in the off chance that you end up with 5-lug parts; you'll only give yourself more headache.

It's best to use OEM for these types of things. Hell, I even threw away my brand new in box SPC cam bolts cause I heard negative things about them.

 

Just repeating what the mechanic said. He wasnt sure either so I think I conveyed that aspect of it fairly well.

In the newly ordered alignment/bolt adjustment kit, from rock auto, correct part # for my truck, the washer with the offset hole is bigger than the old one already on my truck. He's not sure why, thought it was a fluke, had another washer/kit sent over to the shop, correct part # also, and it too was oversized to seat correctly. So he put the old washer back on, which wont adjust enough to fully fix my visible front wheel camber issue.

He cant see why that is happening. Searching through the parts/ordering list on his computer he cant see why it wouldnt fit, they should be the correct item for the application.

He think previous owner did something weird, as the correct part # for the truck is not fitting the actual truck. And to contact Toyota to find out if theres more to know about it, to get some idea of whats going on.



I will take pictures of what I can, and take any notes when I get back to the shop in about 30 minutes/1hr.

 

SPC? Not sure what that means. I ordered SKP SK100127Kit. The issue is the washer size, not the bolt's durability. We're talking 1/2 inch or more 'off' in sizing for the offset washer. It wont fit in the space allotted to it.

Where should I order OEM version, and can I be sure that the OEM version will be correct size for my application?

 

A dealership, buy Toyota parts and then you can be sure they will be the right size for your Toyota

 

Fair enough. Didnt think a washer needed to be OEM to fit but I'm still learning. I'll let the mechanic know thats what I intend to do.

If the OEM washer had the same issue, what could the problem source be?

https://imgur.com/a/ky6wZre

 

Added pics

 

OEM won't be an issue.

And for many parts, you should only use OEM.

 

Apparently the issue is there isnt enough degrees of adjustment though. Wouldnt the OEM kit present the same problem as what I have installed now?

Would something like this be enough? Toyota OEM Front Suspension Camber Adjust, NO.1 48190-60020 (yotashop.com)

Maybe two of them? I'll make sure to get the 1st gen version though.

I still dont see how that fixes anything in my mind, its the same thing just shinier.

Is this the correct part? 1995 Toyota Adjust Cam 48409-35040 | Toyota Parts (mcgeorgetoyota.com)

 

Ok I missed an important detail here.

You're saying you could absolutely use the cam bolts you have currently, but run out of adjustment to get it aligned?

I'd go to another alignment shop; but before you do that, confirm that you don't have a bent spindle or something. If you do, you'll be chasing it all day only to end up frustrated with a lot of time and money wasted, when a replacement spindle could've solved your issue.

This is assuming your vehicle is factory height too.

When our trucks are lifted at 2.5" or higher (varies between trucks), you run out of caster needed to achieve proper alignment. That's where an aftermarket, adjustable upper control arm comes into play.

 

I dont think my truck is lifted, mechanic buddy said it looks stock and the alignment shop didnt say anything about it.

Right, I dont understand why I needed new camber adjustment kit. Last time I brought it in they said I needed that, tie rod ends and didnt charge me anything as they couldnt do the alignment.

They put the old bolts back in when they realized the new part didnt fit, so its not like the bolt was broken or seized or anything. They put it up for alignment and dialed the toe in, it doesnt pull to the right anymore at least. It does need more adjustment room to get the camber correct however. Is that something you can see if I take pictures of?

How can I confirm or... disconfirm a bent spindle or something?

 

No clue what can be done to trucks this old.

Tacoma Suspension thrown under a Pick up.

I have seen all manor of very interesting things done in the name of improving things.

Just because a Tech has a fancy alignment Rack does not means he can use it.

Good Luck

 

Well, does the camber washer looked maxed out to you? I have a slight amount of visible negative camber, and the tire wear to prove it. Do you need other pics to help give input?

Can you confirm the part # of the OEM part that might be needed?

I just want my camber corrected so I dont go through a drivers front tire every few months.

 

Even with a 2.5 inch lift, my stock cam bolts were only a few tenths of a degree out of spec for the caster Everything else was brought into spec no problem. What condition are the control arm bushings in ? Maybe the cam bolts are just spinning around at a certain point.

 

We keep going back and forth, which is a waste of time.

You never posted pictures of your vehicle's suspension.

Until then, all talk is a waste of time.

 

I was actually replying to the person above that comment, Wyoming. Sounded like hes seen things before so I wanted him to at least explain what he sees in my pics and help make some progress towards something, like a part number or anything.

I added pictures up close of the bolt/washer. Do you not see them? You want pics further back of the whole front? I can do that. I wouldnt have asked anyone if it looks maxed out if I didnt have a picture I was referring to! The imgur link is in the orginal post where it says "PICS", here it is again Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Sorry if you feel I'm wasting time, I'm trying to get to the bottom of this problem as quickly as possible.

@Niz86 , not sure what to look for or how to test it. I imagine a mechanic would look at things adjacent/related to alignment if they were going to do an alignment. They noticed the tie rod ends at least. All I know is that they tried and cannot add more camber (or take negative camber away) as it is and wanted a new adjustment kit. Can you see the pics? Does it look maxed out? I cannot tell these things.

 

I don't know where the reference point is to know if it's maxed out enough trhough pictures, sorry. If the cam bolts aren't bent , then something else is definitely the problem. What the cam bolts go through when you install them are the bushings, and they're made of rubber which break down over time. I replaced mine and I got some adjustment back, as well as responsiveness.

 

As always up close and in person is the only way to know for sure.

From the few pictures you posted it looks like that control arm has taken lots of impacts to the point of being impossible to get proper adjustment .

Where you the one driving the truck so hard??

This could get very expensive till it is finished.

A good tech would have spotted this going in and stopped and explained the issue.

In cases like this the more pictures you take it helps us see what is going on.

We still have no idea what has been done to your suspension other then used hard on the picture you posted.

 

No I bought the truck about 10 months ago and only have driven on highways and roads (some roads were unpaved and rutted but always at a slow speed). Things like the diff breather valve being clogged with mud and lots of random stripped/wrong bolts so obviously the P.O. didnt take great care of it.

To date I've replaced radiator (noticed some metal cracks in radiator/core support that will need to be welded at some point), almost all gaskets/seals for the engine besides head and oil pan, flushed front diff with hand pump since the drain plug is stuck (tried heating with torch, cheat bar and everything), some drivetrain seals due to leaks, belts etc. Water pump is coming up but timing belt teeth looked fine. I think theres an o-ring bearing going out in one of the diffs because every now and then it makes a grinding noise on deacceleration that goes away if I shut off the engine a couple times, but never when a mechanic is around to hear it lol. Sometimes it wont do it for weeks, and then its every other time I start it up a few times in a row. Cant seem to reproduce it, cold/hot starts, having to reverse first might be a factor but not consistently. I need a transmission mount and a new cab mount for passenger side for sure, its leaning good.

Pretty early on I had a mechanic buddy look it over, try to spot serious problems so I dont sink money into a pit. He's taken it apart enough to replace wheel/hub bearing seals and never said anything about suspension being f'd.

Safe to say the suspension has likely been used hard, for sure. I just need it for getting to work and back and some highway trips so a 80% fix to most of the problems would be enough. It will never be restored to mint condition I gather

More Pics: https://imgur.com/a/xbyyQMI Imgur: The magic of the Internet



Not sure what angles you specifically want so I just took a bunch. Sorry for the caked dirt, my street just got paved so it was dirt and mud for over 4 months. And I never fully degreased the underside after fixing some engine oil/diff fluid leaks.

 

God dammit just post pictures in the thread