Seriously help… idk what happened and if I should be worried

So I got an alignment 3 months ago. Everything should be good. I was just backing out of a parking space and as soon as I turned my wheel to full lock I heard a loud and bad sounding pop followed by my steering wheel being completely off center. Steering wheel float feels worse now too. Is this an alignment issue or a steering issue and have you ever had this happen? Also should I not drive my truck now?

 

Sounds like something broke from your description. I would be very hesitant to drive it. In the parking lot, if you let go of the wheel while going slow, does it track straights? Any play or slop in the steering wheel? Is there a mechanics shop close by you can take it to and have the front end looked at?

I'm not a mechanic, so that free advice is worth about what you payed for it.

 

Steering wheel feels tight still. When I let it go it has tilt and when I turn it back and forth I can feel it like shifting or something. Idk how else to describe the feeling

 

Turn the steering wheel far right or left and get out to see if the actual wheel direction is the same for both wheels. The pop could be from a broken tie rod end…if so, don’t drive.

My dad convinced to drive with a broken tie rod end before, much ditch surfing ensued.

 

You need to crawl under and do a visual inspection. Don’t for get to inspect the intermediate steering shaft joints too.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-2005-2015-intermediate-steering-shaft-replacement.541884/

 

Something broke or came loose. A 3 month old alignment is hard to put the blame on them. Check the lower control arm for play or the tie rods/steering rack. Those directly affect the steering wheel off center. Snap some pics to get more insight on what’s wrong. Either way take it to a shop and avoid driving it if you can’t fix it.

 

Full lock and pop on a r&p steering is usually rack seals. Check your PS fluid level.

 

Get pictures of the tie rods and steering hardware.

 

I would expect loose eccentrics.

Good to catch, needs to see a shop asap.

 

When the alignment cams get loose, they make a huge terrible popping noise when reversing in a turn. Sounds like something breaking but it's not. Commonly happens weeks or months after an alignment because most shops don't adequately torque the alignment bolts. I believe it's 100 ft lbs or more, I will check and edit in the correct value here. (Edit: yes, 100 ft lbs)

Check everything else of course, but if nothing is obviously broken, I would suspect loose LCA bolts. Has happened to me a few times.

However, the amount of steering error from this would be small. Like, 12:30 to hold straight vs. 12. And you wouldn't feel the wheel "shift" as you turn it... maybe it would drive a bit sloppier but the wheel wouldn't feel loose.

So you should make sure there isn't a bigger problem as others have suggested: broken tie rods, rack bolts, or intermediate shaft. Have someone turn the wheel side to side while you watch from below or either side to look for motion. Maybe you skipped a tooth on the rack, although I've never heard of that happening, in that case the steering wheel will jump without turning the wheels. These are all dangerous problems and could also break your clockspring if not quickly and properly repaired.

But if loose alignment bolts are the only problem, then get a new alignment and torque the alignment bolts yourself with a torque wrench immediately afterwards. This is the only way to do it right I'm afraid, otherwise there's a chance they'll come lose within weeks.

 

I also suspect loose alignment cams. Do yourself a favor and once you get it aligned again, get a silver sharpie and mark each of the alignment cams and onto the frame where they should line up. That way if they come loose in the future you can adjust them and tighten the cams back up

 

Yep, in case it helps here's what those look like. I used red paint instead of silver though...



Oh and it is indeed 100 ft lbs torque spec on these. My notes say you need a 19 and 25mm socket for this. You will have to pay attention to the eccentric assembly design to make sure you're tightening the bolt, not turning the cams.

 

Rack is good and fluid levels are good

 

Could a loose cv axel on the drivers side have anything to do with the popping? I noticed it a little while back and it has some back and forth play but I was assured this was normal on 2nd gens. I was told if it bothered me then I could do an ecgs bearing

 

No it is not the ecgs bushing. That is a known issue, I have fixed it on my truck, and it might be an issue on your truck, but it is not the terrible problem you are begging for help with here.

Please, to help us all make better use of the forum, do at least one of the following two things:

1. Post photos of your rack, tie rods, spindles, CVs, and anything else potentially noteworthy related to this issue. You can post dozens of photos if you want, but you should definitely post more than zero photos. Use the "Upload a File" button below to post photos. Perhaps there are already photos on the phone you are holding in your hand. If no such photos exist, use your feet to walk out to your truck first, then use your phone to take the photos. Then use the Upload File button.

Make sure you have used the Upload File button to upload some photos before clicking the Post Reply button.

2. Apply 100 ft lbs of torque to each of your LCA bolts using a torque wrench. Like I said, I'm pretty sure you'll need a 19mm and a 25mm socket to do this, but you'll need to figure out how specifically to apply the torque to tighten the bolts without rotating the cams. The rotating wrench should go on the free bolt head or nut, and the stationary one should go on the opposing nut or cam adjustment plate. Even if you're not sure how to tighten the bolts, just try your best until every permutation has been torqued to 100 ft lbs. Worst case you tweak the alignment, but it sounds like you already need to realign.

Do the bolts rotate before you reach 100 ft lbs? Did the cams rotate with relative ease before you tightened the bolts? If so, your alignment bolts were loose, and this might be your problem! Drive around a bit at low speed while turning (especially in reverse) to see if the problem is fixed. If so, you can go get an alignment, then before driving anywhere else, torque the LCA bolts to 100 ft lbs right there in the parking lot. This will fix the loose LCA bolt problem and prevent it from recurring.

If you don't have a torque wrench, don't worry, just use regular wrenches and sockets to tighten your LCA bolts. If you can get a turn or two from the LCA bolts before you pop a blood vessel in your eye or suddenly need different underwear, then they were probably loose.


Sorry for being such a condescending ass hole, but I do genuinely want to help you fix this problem. Please go out to your truck and either take photos or tighten the LCA bolts, otherwise we are shooting in the dark.

 

drivers side

 

Passenger side and steering column

 

Took it down the street a bit and wheel stayed pretty straight except when coming out of a turn. It would be off while going forward then level a bit. Not as off as when I first posted.

also here’s a video of a quieter version of the noise when turning. It’s not as loud or prominent as what propelled me to make this thread https://youtube.com/shorts/tbxISch3lkk?feature=share

 

Getting some wrenches to check if the lcas are tight

 

Do either of your tie rods wiggle when the truck is under load?

If you have access to a GoPro they can be pretty helpful in diagnosing steering/suspension issues. Use the highest frame rate your camera has so that you can play it in slow motion.