Alignment Nightmare

New Ltx At2s ,3 alignments and LCAs replaced ands pulling to the right. This is driving me nuts what's missing?

 

Your rear thrust angle is off side to side...did you have new leaf springs put on before the pull happened? If they weren't centered on the axle or the ubolts were tightened down at an awkward angle it can skew the rear axle to one side and create a bad pull

That's my unprofessional opinion anyway. Would make sense because your front numbers look fine

 

Nope nothing changed, I had new tires put on took it Toyota for initial alignment they had it for a half day and it came back with a horrible right side pull.

 

Hm well that's a mystery then... alignment shops don't usually touch the rear of a truck. But your rear numbers certainly coincide with the pull you describe, at least to me. I would have Toyota try and make it right since it happened after they messed with it. Be sure to point out those rear numbers.

 

Well it's been three places now last two determined cam bolts were seized we replaced Lcas it has improved but minimally.

 

Could be the tires. Try moving the front tires to a different position. Either front to rear like a rotation or simply switch the front 2 side to side. See if something changes

 

Swap the front tires side to side and see if it pulls to the left.

 

Ok, that's my next try this is literally driving me nuts got 38k perfect miles on it until Toyota got ahold of it , it's been downhill since.

 

So if it does pull to the opposite side bad tire?

 

Yep.

 

Even a reputable brand like Michelin can have a crap tire slip out the door from time to time. Its not common but it does happen

 

This is how I received it back from Toyota initially

 

That's acceptable

 

Ok I wondered that was the first try the most recent alignment was in OP which was done after Lca replacement. If the tire swap doesn't work idk what's left honestly. I'll follow up and let you guys know.

 

Pay close attention to the torque of the LCA / cam bolts. They need to be 100 lb/ft. If they loosen up it can cause the vehicle to wander, feel unstable and grab grooves in the highway

Those alignment numbers look good so all i can think of is either tires or something got left loose. But its probably tires

 

OP, I rarely get an alignment done on any of my vehicles, unless it’s pulling badly to either side. I’m guessing your tires/wheels need balanced. Do you feel any movement/vibration in the steering wheel?

I just had winter tires put on at my trusted tire shop that I’ve been dealing with for over 20 years. Had to take it back the next day to get them balanced again...it happens.

 

hang in there, it will get better

 

Nope no vibration just the pull, used to drive straight as an arrow now I'm constantly counter steering.

 

My truck has had a pull to the right forever. I finally looked at the rear thrust angle and found it off similar to yours where it made sense to be pulling to the right. I swapped the springs left to right and the numbers looked better but still pulled. I found a "tech tip" that said if it pulls right to increase left front camber and decrease right front camber until the pull goes away, not to go more than 1* cross camber. I adjusted the camber to 0.3* cross as well as increased lf caster and decreased rf caster to 0.3* cross. My truck drives amazing now. Perfectly straight. If the road crown is severe it will pull right but that's expected.

 

I had a very similar issue with my previous pair of tires. As soon as I put on new tires and got an alignment, it went away. My guess based on what you've described is that your tires are unevenly wearing on your drivers side. I'm leaning towards Cupping Wear, this tends to be indicitive of a suspension related issue. If you get a moment, take the front left tire off and roll it with your hands on a flat spot over concrete. The tire will look like its wobbling top heavy. Cupping wear and uneven wear can look very similar upon initial inspection. Uneven wear can be mitigated by rotating your tires every 5k but it could be masking a worn out suspension on your drivers side. You mentioned that your cam bolts were seized, was this on the drivers side? I would inspect your tie-rod ends and bushings with a fine toothed comb. Check droop of your LCA's to see if both sides have similar travel. Lift your left tire off the ground and check for slop in your wheel bearing. Just because you cant hear anything from the bearing, doesnt mean it's not going bad. Grab tire front and back (9 & 3 o'clock) and rock tire, if it has excessive play in this axis, it might be your tie rod ends. Grab tire top and bottom (12 and 6 o'clock) and rock tire, excessive play here could point toward wheel bearing. With your vehicle suspended, utilizing a pry bar, wedge between frame and forward/aft lca mounting locations and pry down. You're not trying to use enough force to bend anything but if your play is spongy or soft, it could be a symptom of your lca bushings going out. They should be firm not spongy. Lastly, and this one is a long shot, but your shock on the drivers side might be going bad too. It wouldn't hurt to clean it up as best as you can and check for leaks around the seal. Additionally, check the bushings for cracking/failure.



-J