Do these trucks make right u-turns more sharply than left u-turns?

Is my truck abnormal, or is this how every 1st gen Tacoma is?

I swear this Tacoma makes a wide left u-turn, but it turns really sharply to the right.

What really gives it way, is when the steering wheel is turned all the way to the left until it stops, the wheel is "upside down" and when its turned all the way to the right, it's oriented the same as straight ahead. It's as if the wheel makes 2.0 turns to the right, and only makes 1.5 turns to the left.

Does anyone else experience the same thing? Does anyone know why these trucks are set up that way?

 

It sounds like one of your lower ball joints is from a 3rd gen 4runner, which has a different casting that physically limits your steering angle... @turbodb where's the blog post talking about when you found this out for us that the 3rd gen LBJ is different than the 1st gen Taco?

 

I dunno sounds like a steering linkage problem.

My old ‘85 pickup was similar but my drag link angle was wonky.

Maybe an alignment/steering adjustment issue? Rack and pinion adjustment maybe.

 

No. Either your tie rod is bent, steering box/linkage is bad, or something else is wrong. Mine was hit on one side, so it mimicked your situation only because the tire rubbed. I have a 2001 rack and pinion and full gear box out of my truck I’ll let go cheap. Shipping might be the drawback though.

 

I don't think this is the issue, but here's the post I made that you're referring to, just in case anyone is interested:

Slowly Turning the 4Runner into a Tacoma…New LBJs and OTREs
(Taco LBJ on top, T4R on bottom)

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Some difference in turning radius is normal. And half a turn of the steering wheel isn't really all that much (IMO). It sounds to me like your issue might actually be due to alignment - that is, to get the wheel to look centered, the alignment shop has your OTREs way off-center. The "fix" might just be to pull the steering wheel (see this post if you aren't familiar with how to do it) and re-seat it a few notches in order to get it "centered" when your turning radius is the same both directions...and fix the OTREs at the same time, bringing the wheel back to "12-o'clock."

But, that's just a guess. As others have said, it could be due to a previous accident and its side effects, etc.

 

Previous owner said the steering rack and steering box was replaced in 2018 because it had a lot of slop in it. I still have the receipt from that job. The steering does feel pretty tight, so unless the shop that did the work did a bad job, I don't see that being the issue.

Right after buying the truck, I got an alignment done at the dealer (they have competitive prices, don't maul me) and they didn't say anything was bad. I feel like they would have told me if they saw something was wrong.

I'm not in a rush to get it back to normal at the moment, so I'll forgo buying your rack and pinion and full steering box. Thanks for the feedback and the offer though.

It honestly looks like a lot of new parts were put on it. I'm afraid based on the fact that the hood doesn't quite line up with the front fenders, it may have been in an accident. Maybe it wasn't repaired from that incident. It still has a clean title somehow. IDK.

 

Help me out ... what does OTRE stand for?

 

LBJ is Lyndon B Johnson

Still trying to figure out the other one.

 

Outer tie rod end

 

I’m guessing they missed center on the rack and pinion replacement.

Take it back to the dealer who did the alignment and ask them to check it out. Maybe since you had the alignment done they’ll scope it out as part of that work.

 

Lower Ball Joint is easy ... OTRE just doesn't ring a bell.

Okay, Outer Tie Rod End makes sense.

 

If you want to really narrow it down, drive two separate circles at full steering lock. One fully to the driver, one passenger.

Measure the outside tire track diameter and compare it to the brochure specs that says "curb-to-curb" turning radius for an regular cab is :

This is assuming stock wheels and stock tire sizes and stock suspension. If you have any offset or extra tire width, adjust your measurement.

But basically if you measure the diameter of the outside tire on both directions of u-turn and they are the same, it's just a steering wheel alignment that you need as @turbodb mentions.

If they vary, then I may be right that it's a LBJ issue, or others are right that something is off with the OTRE or rack.

 

Just went out to a patch of unplowed snow and did two separate Uturns. When making a left Uturn, the outermost circle's diameter is 42.5". When doing a right Uturn, the outermost circle is 35.69". Between the snow and the 235 tires, that explains why the right turn circle is 4 or 5 inches more than spec, but that doesn't explain the 7 feet extra for the left Uturn.