Rear Alignment in 4x4 Tacoma

I will definitely check this first before doing anything else.
I hope this is the problem, although I have had this misalignment issue for about 5,000 miles. I would think that the breaks would give up by now.

 

Well this certainly does poke a hole in my dragging brake theory...
If the tire is going flat, the added rolling resistance will have a tendency to create a pull, and if the tire was significantly low on air when he did the alignment that could throw the reading off...

Depends. If the pivot points or the slides are sticking but not jammed then they probably aren't getting red hot, but they might be dragging just enough to cause a bit of a pull and cut down on your MPG's.

 

I really hope so, it would make my life a lot easier. But it is my right rear tire that gets flats, and the truck pulls to the left. Either way I will check all the breaks tomorrow during the day.

 

Used springs? That's where I would drop some cash and get new, I understand money can be tough to come by, but that is a major component that could fail and cause more than just truck or property damage. If this happened after the spring broke, and you replaced with used, "rebuilt" springs, I would get those off first and and go from there. Bent axle will get you a wobble, vibration at least, not a tracking problem. $100 bucks says it's the springs. If your axle housing is bent, you will be able to see cracking paint on the tubes where it's bent, massive vibes. My .02. Good luck op, be safe

 

It seemed like the guy just didn't want them in his garage any more. Found him on Craigslist and he met me in a brand new GL550. Unfortunately, I think you might be right.

 

How fast were you going when it broke?

 

The original leaf spring? I didn't notice the exact moment that it happened. Most likely due to heavy load. The main leaf never broke, so I only noticed it after hearing a rettling notice (at first I thought it was the bumper lol). Only the second largest leaf broke, at the spindle. When I noticed it I decided that it was best to replace both leaf spring doth something stronger. Then, to compensate for the lift in the back I installed Bilstein 5100 in the front. And here we are today. To be honest, I am not sure when I notice misalignment fist.

 

Ok, so no harsh jolt or mishap that would or could bend or screw things up... What are your billies set at?

 

I'm at 2.5".
Speaking of jolts and mishaps.... Lol I was T-Boned into the rear quarter where the spring broke ( I was parked). BUT it happened years ago, and was fully repaired. I had perfect alignment for years.

 

A lot of people will lift the truck from the center diff or under the springs, most people do not have jack stands tall enough to hit the frame if you have big tires or lift.

SO you can jack it up from the center axle diff, the spring or frame, all 3 have different loads and points.

 

IF the axle was bent it would change all the time.
if the housing, then it would be the same.

Try this, lift that side, get a wood block or brick, and a punch, big one.
Set the brick or block 1" away from the rim and tire, spin the rim, hold the punch on the block so the point in pointing to the rim at the bead/rim inside of any weights, hold as close as you can see if it push the punch away and how much.
That will show a bent rim or bent axle shaft.

 

I had a bent axle on my first gen. An easy way to tell is to set a block of wood or even just a spray paint can right next to the tire with a small gap in between. Then jack up tire and spin it. Look to see if the tire gets farther and closer to the can. If it does its bent.

 

I just did that! Thank you very much! Both wheels, even took videos. No wobble what so ever. So that rules out the axle. It could still be the housing (although I don't think so) them breaks, bad alignment, or what I think it is most likely at this point.