Inspection and Alignment but still pulls slightly to the left???

I just recently had my truck in for its annual inspection and emissions test. While i had it in i wanted them to check/adjust my alignment, because its been pulling slightly to the left. If im going down a straight road and i let my hands off of the steering wheel, the steering wheel will remain straight ahead but my truck will gradually start to veer to the left into the opposing lane. Im always having to either correct to the right or keep the steering wheel cocked to the right to keep it straight. Now on some roads the pull isn't as bad as other times, but with my commute to work and driving the same route the majority of the time its fighting me and in general i feel like im always correcting the wheel. Iv had it to two different mechanics (including the current one) and iv even seen them doing the procedure and see everything going into spec and it still tracks to the left and its frustrating as hell. So anyway I get it back and its still pulling?? The guy i take it to is very reputable and has worked with me in the past so im not doubting his work, but what would cause my truck to continue pulling even after an inspection and alignment from two different mechanics? I should also note that there is no abnormal tire wear to be found. This has been an ongoing issue for awhile and i cant seem to figure it out. So far i have done the following to eliminate any possible culprits:
*Swapped tires around to see if tire is faulty (NONE)
*Checked for dragging caliper (NONE)
*Tire Pressure Good
*Tires Balanced
*Inner and Outer tie rods replaced about a year ago
*Rack and Pinion bushings replaced at same time as tie rods

Now i have noticed some things (ever since iv owned the truck) while visually inspecting components on my own. One thing that iv noticed is that the driver side forward most alignment adjusting cam is maxed out while all the other 7 are around or close to the same positions. I asked about that to both mechanics and they both said that it was because of the lift kit (Fabtech 6") and as long as the readings are in spec it shouldn't matter. The other thing that i noticed is that all the lower control arm bushings are extremely cracked and dry rotted. While my initial assumption is that the bushings are causing the pull, i couldn't find anywhere in my searches that pulling to one side was a symptom of shot lower control arm bushings. Yes i know they need to be replaced but could this be the reason? Could it be that the alignment could be in spec but when im driving that the worn bushings are causing the alignment to go out only when driving? Im at a loss

 

have you checked if the back brakes might be dragging from a stuck cylinder?

I suppose a low tire could do it but im assuming you would notice that since you are trying to sort this out.

also the same with the wheel bearings, I assume you checked those with the calipers.

are you perhaps a big guy? if the suspension leans enough it can change the front end enough to cause drifting.

does it do it with your mechanic driving?

how long has it been pulling like this and what can you think of that happened to the truck just before you started noticing it pulls?

 

I cleaned and checked the rear breaks when i had my axle shafts out and just recently had the rear of the truck off the ground and gave each side a good spin and everything is smooth.

Its been pulling like this for close to a year and when i noticed that i was pulling was when i somehow knocked the alignment out trying to get myself unstuck from the snow, i honestly dont know how i could have knocked out the alignment just by getting stuck in the snow but i did. However he realigned it and it drove straight again and it was perfect. Now just last May/June i regeared and i pulled the front diff. I also disconnected the outer tie rod ends from the spindle to replace the boots. So after that project i had the alignment redone and its been slightly pulling to the left ever since. I quadrupedal checked all my bolts and nuts and all are tight and to the right torque.

As far as the wheel bearings go i had a new driver side pressed in while i was doing my gear swap. I noticed that when i let the wheel free spin it was noticeably loud and rough so i had a new one installed.

Im an average sized guy, 160lbs.

 

you have to be wrong about the tire wear then

the solution is to turn the tie rod one turn, if its the drivers side then turn it in out one turn to move the front of the wheel to the right and straighten the tracking out, if its the passenger side then turn it one turn out to move the front of the wheel to the right and straighten the tracking out or maybe you need to turn both tie rods one turn.

the way to tell which one it is or if its both is the thread wear so take some chalk and color the thread on the front wheels all the way from the inside edges to the outer edges and see how the chalk wears off.

to do this get on a straight road like the interstate where you can drive straight several miles, pull over to the side and chalk your wheels then pull up and get the rest of it and then trying not to turn the wheels at all drive for about 5 miles then pull over to the side and check how each tire wears off the chalk. this tells you exactly how the tires are rolling down the road and you will see if its the edges wearing on one tire or both. do this and then you will have something to base your next move on because you don't want to just start moving tie rods around blindly.

also, I don't know all of what is all done with an alignment, but check the rear end alignment with the frame in case it has shifted. if they align the front with the back wheels but its not straight with the frame you go down the road crooked but I don't know if that will has drifting.

 

Well, it seems you have covered all the bases except the dry rotted bushings which could cause a pull if they were bad,,definitely. You might have just enough bushing left to show a good alignment, but once you get the truck off the rack and up to speed the toe changes on that side.

Evil snow,,,stuff hides under there that one cannot see obviously. If they(or you) yanked you backwards,,or forwards when you were pulled out you could have very well snagged the suspension on something as you were getting unstuck and pulled the alignment out. I don't know if a winch was involved,,but those are frame tools to begin with at some shops.

Bad swaybar bushings and end links could cause your pull with one side loaded and the other not. Especially on a crowned road with a lifted truck. Some guys remove there swaybars with a lifted truck,,which creates a whole new dynamic set of problems. Once you do that all bets are off and you just live with whatever track you get with the truck then. Basically a trailered rock crawler.

 

I called the guy today that did my alignment and inspection and he to agrees that the bottom bushings could be the culprit. He also said he looked very carefully at all the steering components and everything was in very good shape, he did not look at the bottom bushings for the soul fact that it is not part of inspection, nor a safety issue and therefore was overlooked. He also mentioned that he looked and measured my tire depth and wear pattern and everything was wearing evenly. Im going to be pricing out new lower control arms with bushings and possibly lower ball joints installed, im not fighting to press out/in new bushings.

When in got stuck i was not pulled out, i was able to maenovar myself out by giving it gas and turning the steering wheel from right to left (lockout to lockout) for more bit. Beings it was a wet heavy snow its possible the back side of the tire got packed with snow and as i was locking out the steering the snow was preventing the wheel to lockout and therefor tweaked something.

 

Sounds like a plan. Bushing and ball joints, realign, then go from there if it still persists.

Your alignment guys might be able to dial in a degree or less of right hand toe to correct it. That's a band aid fix that I have used in the past with a lifted rig that pulled,,but one none the less. Some align folks will look at you with distaste from that suggestion and it's understandable,,goes against all that some of them know. So long as you are not grinding away tires at a spectacular rate and it's not trying to toss you in the ditch, you should be fine. Personally, I would rather have a pull to the right, than one to the left. The ditch is sometimes softer/usually, than a loaded 50 ton commercial truck you have drifted over to meet head on at a closing speed of roughly 120mph. Pick your poison there, and to each his own.

The only other thing as per your post,,is the new driver side wheel bearing causing a pull somehow. New fresh tight bearing on one side that pulls and a sloppy loose old high mileage one on the other. Just throwing out a chin scratcher there. Unless the hub is blued from a smoked bearing,,and the thing is howling, I don't see how it could cause it a pull. Not a top of the list thing,,but it was replaced, then the pull started.

 

Thats what im thinking, replace lower control arms and MAYBE the lower ball joints. Not sure yet because it did pass inspection and he did say the ball joints are still good and tight. Im with you on that one as far as the wheel bearing goes... it really wasent all that tight, i mean if you spun the passenger side then the drivers side you could notice that the driver side was tighter then the passenger, but i honestly dont think it would be that tight as to cause a pull.

 

I will add this, I just replaced a lower ball joint that had absolutely no in or out or side to side movement yet would move up and down in its socket by hand a good 1/4". just something to think about and take a good long look at the sway bar bushings and ends

 

Your right there,,looking at the removed arm,,ball joint is practically off. Definitely if it was a 2nd owner rig and they installed the lift. People tend to test out that lift right after install, who knows how hard they pushed it. Zero out that ball joint to your odo reading if the wallet allows.

My line sig "if it's not broke,,don't break it" can be overlooked at that point of disassembly. Just makes sense. And if you plan on wheeling waay out there,,one less thing to worry about. Toss the spares in the Junk box in the back.

Hope they can get some of that pull out.

 

How many miles on this vehicle?

 

Kinda leaning this way as well, the tie rod ends have got to be almost "dead nuts" perfect to previous ends position..

I wouldn't say it's a "new set of problems" It's not a problem really just a "new dynamic" in the geometry of steering/handling since removing it allows less restriction to the articulation of front end components

 

Good point and as noted by MOD, im probably going to bight the bullet and do both lower ball joints as well with the lower control arms. There easy to replace.

 

Truck has 108000 miles on it. And im sure that these are the original lower ball joints... or original from when the truck had them replaced from the Tacoma lower ball joint recall.

 

Its funny you mention this because i am actually planing on removing the sway bar entirely to see what it feels like and if it improves anything. Depending on how it feels i may just leave it off permanently.

 

I can't imagine you not liking it. Feels much better(kidneys will thank you) and the truck is now much more off road capable! Due to the front end no longer being so restricted...allows the rear to not have to flex out as hard on obstacles that would have previously had you with a rear tire hanging in the air!

 

Good luck.

 

yep its all real easy, I just did all 4 ball joints of mine and spent I think $13 for each top and $30 for one bottom and $40 for the other one so I spent just over $100 for all of it. unless you just replaced them, for the extra $26 why not replace the top ball joints too while you are at it since they are so cheap to buy?

once you get your stuff replaced and then your all new and can get it realigned and see if everything is driving straight and good again

by the way I want to change my mind on how far to drive on the chalk, do like short sections of 1/2 mile then a mile until you see how it wears and if need be go up as high as 5 miles but only if you need to. I later realized there is a much easier way to do in your garage by using another trick, you lay newspaper on the ground and rub something wet on your tire like soap water then roll over the paper and see the pattern it leaves or drive it into the garage and see what the thread pattern left on the concrete from the front tires looks like

 

As a consolidation,,your swaybar setup might be the root of your evil,,but were not there yet. Those links can be tweaked enough,,say,,getting unstuck(by you or previous),,to cause the issue. Those are some bullet proof pieces,,but still able to fail. When they work right and are set properly,,you can corner that 6" lift pretty good. But hey, I'm more of a fan of the Score trucks who blast across the plains and down the circuts,,,tossing money out the window at everything.