Alignment is off

Hey guys,
For a while my truck has pulled left and right when i hit the brakes. I did a full rotor job on the front and it didn't help any. When I'm going down the road it switches which side it drifts to. The roads here in WA are pretty sloped so Ive taken that in to account but even on flat road it does the same thing. I. Keep the tres rotated so they are wearing evenly as well. I've taken a look underneath and I don't see anything super loose or out of place. Any idea what would cause this?? Could it be a shock/control/tie rod issue?
Thanks for any help

 

Everything about our WA roads suck! Start wiggling and shaking and look for slop in bearings, ball joints, linkages etc. Take a hard look at the pitman arm.

 

Lift front end in middle so both front wheels are offthe ground and do the above^^.
If something is loose you should notice it

 

Can confirm wa roads suck. The farther you go east the worst they get. Some are at the point of turning back to their gravel roots, others already have.

 

When was the last time you had an alignment

 

^^^^^^ This. Sounds like you need one to me.

 

Too much toe-out! Get it properly aligned.

 

I did UCA, LCA and still had same issue

my frame rotted out in the end

 

Worn control arm bushings will do that. Also calipers with a sticking piston or lots of rust that prevent the pads from clamping evenly

 

Can I have a shop adjust my caster forward to help clear the body mount? Has anyone done this/ have an experience with it? Also looking just for some basic alignment specs to look for.

Thanks

 

Geeves, I had an alignment done about 9 months ago. I paid Firestone for the lifetime alignments thinking I was gonna need them often. The tires are wearing evenly so I figured the alignment wasn't off.
When it quits raining I'll jack up the front end and have my wife crank the wheel to each side a bunch and see if I can hear/see anything going on. The only thing I haven't done brake-wise is replace the calipers.

 

FWIW - the Firestone lifetime alignment does not apply if there is anything not stock....even down to tire size.

 

So I would suggest while the vehicle is on the ground have your wife hop in and with the engine off purposefully rock the steering wheel back and forth. Not fast (think to the tempo of that "staying alive " song) but hard enough that she's trying taking up all the play in the wheel trying to steer with the engine off. Get under the front and all put your hand around all joints and the knuckle. You'll feel it very distinctly if something is loose. If nothing stands out then jack up the front but ***have the weight of the truck on jack stands under the lower control arm as close to the wheel as you can get it with maybe a 1/2" gap from the wheel*** thats very important because sometimes the suspension can bind a bit with everything hanging and you wouldn't find something loose that is. Once thats set then do your classic shake test. If everything is tight there (be mindful of if the wheel is steering you don't read that as play.) if everything is good there inspect your steering rack and control arm bushings. Minor cracking is normal but the rubber separating from the sleeves is a trash bushing. If all that is good then find a new alignment shop. Sounds like as mentioned about it's toe'd out, has low caster and/or alot of negative camber