Caster Alignment Issues (6 Degrees of Caster)

Hello, my second gen 08 Tacoma 2DR Base RWD has a 2 inch lift. I placed it on an alignment rack and I'm wondering why my caster is off so much. My left front has 6 degrees of caster and the right front has 1.5 degrees of caster. I am unable to change these caster numbers. They stay in that general area and I cant make them any higher or lower and my steering wheel pulls to the right, hard. I have not crashed so shouldn't be any bent parts.

 

The problem is obviously on the left side. There is no way you should be able to get 6 degrees of caster with the factory adjustments with 2" of lift. So, has it always pulled hard to the right since you've owned it? If not, what action preceded this effect? Do you have aftermarket upper control arms?

The 1st step to diagnosing this is to measure the distance from the tire to the back of the wheel well and compare side to side. If the left side is closer, then the upper ball joint is too far back. If the left side has a greater distance, then the lower ball joint is too far forward.

 

if you are on stock upper control arms, this is right, no way you'll get 6deg caster unless something is bent or broke.

which actually happened to me. not saying this is your issue, but mine was a failed (stripped) rear LCA cam bolt. truck on the rack with wheels unloaded, if you can move the control arm forward & back that will show. but these bolts don't fail unless abused, so it's likely a bend somewhere else.

 

The events the preceded me discovering these measurements.
Vehicle was driving straight and does not pull, I place vehicle on alignment rack to check alignment specs.
Specs are good with about 3.5 degrees of caster on each side. I loosen all cam lobe adjustment bolts to make slight adjustments.
Front Left wheel spins slightly on the plates on the alignment rack.
I reset the vehicle, I re-do the rolling compensation and re-do Caster Sweep.
Now caster on front left is 6 degrees and caster on front right is 1.5 degrees.

 

ugh. I'm not sure, but just one more thing to share. with my failed cam bolt, the LCA would seat when on the rack and give consistent numbers even with a sweep. but as soon as forward/backward motion puts force on the LCA it would move its position, because the bolt wasn't holding. it would unalign itself as soon as you came off the rack.

this issue took 4 shops and almost $3,000 to diagnose. hope yours is easier.

 

I'll take a look at those cam bolts, thank you.

 

You mentioned that you can't change the caster much. Are the cam tabs flattened out? Post pics of the left side cams.

 

Ok I took some photos of both sides of the Left Front Cam Bolt and the Left Rear Cam Bolt.

 

If everything was good camber, toe and caster . Why did you loosen all the cam bolts at once? Why the need to adjust?

 

OK, so nothing looks out of the ordinary there. The cam tabs are in good shape. I see no reason you can't just turn the cams and get the alignment back where it was before you loosened them.

 

Also you should always mark the original settings so if this happens you can put everything right back to its marks.

 

Camber and Caster were technically in spec, but I was attempting to get them slightly closer to spec.

 

You realize these are all marked wrong. Look at the pics.

 

No, I don't believe they are marked wrong.

 

Oh my bad I see how you were referring to them.