Alignment toe-in suddenly wrong

Okay: New issue. sorta. I need to get new CV axles, because: why not. The OEM ones that are on it are the 'green labels', but they're kind of binding up, just a little. They have grease in them, but their rotation isn't that smooth. They feel sloppy. The taco's got 235K+ on it, so one would expect this. I'm trying to order new half-axles and Amazon shipped me a couple of Cardones that won't fit. Made me angry... The new ones have a shaft diameter of something like 35mm, whereas the old ones are 33mm. Something like that. I'm on OReilly's site, and they want to know for my 1999 Toyota Tacoma Manual Transmission Limited V6 4WD, if I have locking hubs or not.

Now that I think about it, I am not sure what locking hubs means. I thought locking or non-locking hubs meant the front drive shaft spins all the time and you can connect or disconnect the hubs to the differential that is attached to said spinny driveshaft. But my taco has a transfer case, and the front hubs are just Plain Vanilla Hubs. They don't lock, manual or automatically, as far as I can tell. OReilly doesn't have a part for that designation.

I looked on toyota dot com, and I see a reman axle, designated RZN161, or VZN160. Dunno how to cross ref that to a cheaper CV axle.

Any suggestions?

 

auto hubs dont have the dial you turn on the wheel to lock the hubs. the auto hubs use a actuator on the diff, which by the sound of it, you have the auto hub

 

I kinda think my hubs are just hubs. Not auto hubs, just run of the mill hubs. The xfer case disengages the front driveshaft…

 

Yes. And then the differential also disconnects internally. The cvs are always spinning. They’re just disconnected from each other when not in 4x4 so the pinion doesn’t rotate.

this is the ADD system

 

I thought there were 3 types of hubs. For vehicles with transfer cases, the hubs are just normal. The wheel is connected to the cv axle at all times. For vehicles without an xfer case there are locking (auto or manual) hubs that connect and disconnect the wheel from the drive shaft.

so - am I wrong? And I presume I call my taco an ADD (automatic differential disconnect) system? I wouldn’t think it would be called ‘automatic locking hubs’

wonder why stupid cardone axles I got from Amazon that supposedly fit my vehicle have an axle diameter 2mm wider than my old axles?

 

My luck with remans has been terrible. 40% of the time they simply send the wrong ones

but yes your truck has ADD of it doesn’t have the manual lock outs. The only Toyota 4x4 systems without add or lockouts are full time AWD

 

This is what you’ll see by the bell housing, a actuator for the add tube on the diff

 

Well I figured it out... why the toe-in was wrong. One of the 4 adjustment bolts, was completely loose. Damned Goodyear in Monroe, WA, forgot to tighten up the bolt? Can't figure out why else it would have slipped. It's a BIT rusty, but it's not that bad....

Can/should I buy new alignment adjustment bolts/bushings? I can't even find what to buy on OReilly's site. Not sure what it's called that I'm looking for. Very different than my Bronco I normally work on. I see upper and lower control arms + alignment stuff for sale on the car parts sites, but I dunno why, but buying aftermarket upper and lower arms makes me wary.

 

ahhh the good ol days, oh how I do remember hitting a curb or four when I was 17...

 

I guess I don't understand why you'd replace the front diff unless you had to... The internal components only spin when in 4WD, so even though the truck itself might have 230k+ miles, the front diff probably has less than 10k on it and just needs new fluid and seals.

The upper arms aren't as much of a deal as the lowers. But at your mileage, you should at least replace the bushings on both.

On the lowers are a few options- you can, as you've seen get new non-oem lower control arms with bushings already in them (this is your best option if you don't have access to a press or are unwilling to try the bottle jack method), you can get replacement OEM or poly WhiteLine bushings which will need to be pressed out and in... or you can burn (heat to 350f and push out, you don't really burn them) the oem ones out and put energy suspension poly in.

While the same is essentially true for the uppers, I'll say that MOOG K200077 bushings are nearly identical to stock. I didn't read the energy suspension poly bushing instructions before pressing the OEM bushings out and needed to get new metal sleeves, so I turned to MOOG to get just the sleeve (burned the new bushing out) without an issue.

The only reason you should do new cams is if your current cams are seized (in which case, you'll have to cut them out).

This video details the process if you're willing to take it on:
https://youtu.be/kmaZNBp1gZM

You should get the cams from Toyota (order online from a dealership or warehouse once you know the part numbers). I think wheelers off road might also sell some. But OEM would be recommended here.

Edit:
here is a diagram of the cam bolts for visual reference. The video above does a great job of explaining how they work, so I won't go there.


I will say though, that adjusting the rear cams is a huge pain, and I'm sure the alignment shop you took it to would have had difficulty adjusting them. You basically need a flare crows foot wrench to be able to torque them to spec (96 ft lbs) as it's impossible to get a socket on them without moving the steering rack outta the way.

 

Yeah, I hate it when they toss me back the keys and say (your 4 cylinder 3rz with AT and 33" KO2's + 3" lift) "It still goes 100 mph after climbing rocks."

 

The front differential is SHOT. I don't know what happend to it but when you turn on 4WD, the front locks up and makes a groaning noise. I pulled the front diff out and the pinion shaft is rattling around in there. Seems like the bearing split or shattered. you guys keep mentioning not lending your keys to other people, esp kids. This is my kid's car, not mine. But I'm pretty sure the alignment bolt wasn't tightened, not him hitting a curb. We don't even live in an area that HAS curbs.

 

Ahhh, the joys of IFS

 

Was the front differential issue preexisting to the alignment issue? The only thing I could think of which might cause damage to the front diff like that would be some aggressive gas pedal off road tactics, or differing size tires front / rear.

 

Curb, ditch w/e. The truck was fully sent lol the taco is known for loosing alignment driving it hard

 

the differential problem was there when I bought it.
So if the taco is known for losing alignment, what can I do to help it lose it less quickly next time? Rough up the back of the camber bolts? Buy better ones? sand the camber bolt bed to ensure it's not rusty? etc.

 

I just went over this in a different thread. Look at the diagram of how our factory cam bolts are assembled. To adjust these bolts:
Step 1 hold the nut in place and break the bolt loose to unlock it.
Step2 turn the nut to make the cam adjustment.
Step 3 hold the nut in place and tighten the bolt to lock it down.

How to adjust common, USA made, aftermarket, any other name brand than Toyota that I know of cam bolts.
Step 1 hold the bolt in place, and break the nut loose to unlock.
Step 2 turn the bolt to adjust the cams
Step 3 hold the bolt in place and tighten the nut to lock it down.

Read it until you understand that our factory cam bolts work opposite “or backwards” as any other cam bolt setup that I have ever seen!!!!!!

Any reputable alignment shop should damn well know this, BUT ALL TOO OFTEN THEY DAMMIT DON’T!!!!! Most state of the art alignment machines even show the tech how to adjust the bolts, but there’s always the “I know everything there is to know “ tech out there somewhere.

My cam bolts were destroyed by an alignment shop trying to adjust them the conventional bolt way. I think your truck came victim to this same fate.

I replaced mine with conventional bolts so I wouldn’t have to deal with this again in the future. I now always tell the technician that it has conventional cam bolts in the truck, which are easy to identify, they have a flat edge all the way down the bolt that connects them with the cam washers.
OEM Bolts

Conventional cam bolts
See the difference?!?!