Truck still pulls after an alignment

Hey all, so I have an 02 2.4l base model Taco that seems to keep drifting to the right after an alignment, and after I've rotated all of the tires, I've had in aligned three times and still not fixed. I just want to know wants wrong.

 

It's possible your tires are worn in such a way that it'll always pull... especially if you ran them a while on a bad alignment. Make the shop show you the alignment sheet. Camber should be 0, caster should be +2.4* or more. Toe should be near 0 as well. If it's aligned, its your tires or a brake grabbing. (sticking front caliper or rear drum out of adjustment)

 

Brake caliper could be dragging like stated above.

also ask whoever it is doing your alignment to take it for a test drive with you in it. They should fix it if its not right.

 

Not every shop that has a front end rack has any idea just what they are doing.

If they are good they tell you what needs to be fixed before even completing the alignment

You don`t mention mileage or what if any front suspension and steering linkage has been replaced

 

This. And yes, it can be wrong 3 times.

It's just like RoadForce balancing. The machines are great, but they still have to have a tech that knows how to us them correctly.

 

Awesome. Thank you all for the feedback!!!!!

 

So I ended up going to the stealership (against my best judgement) and had an alignment done there. This is the printout I got and they said it could've been my bearings causing the issue, STILL pulls to the right and this was after I paid $240 for an alignment and labor for repacking the grease on the bearings (labor costs), I just want the thing to track straight long enough for me to grab my coffee from the cup holder without running of the road....

 

So, you said base, and bearings packed, so 5 lug, right?

Take it to a real alignment shop. After which, they will be able to really tell you whats up. If its something simple, you can throw that in the dealerships face.

 

I've recently had alignment problems similar to this on both my 2003 Tacoma 4x4 dcab and my 2005 Lexus LX470. I'd had both of them aligned several times and they both still pulled hard to the right. I finally said no more of the tire-store chains and went to an alignment specific place...place that specialized in alignments for autos and RVs and big rigs. They charged me not much more than i would've paid at a tire-store chain (~$90 USD each) and they got *both* of my trucks just about dead straight on. (I did have to also rotate my tires and get the rears up to the front).

While I agree that it could be a dragging brake caliper or even a wheel bearing or low tire pressure on one tire... but I would definitely suggest finding a true, legit alignment shop to get you all squared away first. And be specific with them... tell them you dont just want it thrown on the rack, but investigated as to what is causing it to pull right.

 

You can try cross rotating your front tires so move your pass front to driver and driver to pass and see if the pull is still there. You also have a slight dog tracking in the rear with the toe being to the right. Unfortunately this can't be adjusted that's why it's grated out.

 

Since most all roads are pitched to the right for water run off .

Some way more then others.

My truck tracks straight but on some roads it will just drift to the right

At what speeds does this happen ??

Does this still pull hard to the right at 5 to 10 mph ??

It pulls brake application or not??

Does it still drift on a mostly flat parking lot??

It took me years to find a good alignment shop.

 

I appreciate the feedback y'all,

Wyoming09: in my case, it's very similar to yours, it doesn't seem to track to the right until I hit about 25-30 mph and Ive checked for brake dragging issues, no luck. If I'm driving in the left lane with the road crown going to the opposite way it will drive strive or practically climb uphill depending on the severity of the grade.

Wht95scort: ive tried cross rotating the tires every which way and still no luck, so I've ruled out a radial pull completely.

Digitalferg: I've been to 2 well known alignment specific shops in the area and they've both completely messed up my truck, the dealership is the only place where ive gotten them to get it the closest to tracking straight, I'd just hate to have to go back in and tell them that something's not right, and it be this much later, because I know for a fact they would charge me again, and I'm already $300 in the whole JUST for an alignment.


Also does anyone know how caster/camber shims work and where they are placed? I've read that caster can cause a pull to the side with the least amount, and by the print out, the front right side has the lesser amount of caster. I was thinking I could put a shim in and see if it changes anything depending on the involvement of doing so. I've also read up on camber bolts but idk if those change caster at all. Just curious on others thoughts, I'm still learning how to work on my truck. Haha

 

My opinion,

camber to low on left front wheel and caster lower on right front wheel, The combination of those 2 can cause what you are describing. camber as you see is at the bottom of the spec. should be equal to the right side. caster should be the same. vehicle can drift/pull to the lower side of caster. On the print out, those arrows should be centered for the optimum alignment setting. If it were me, camber set to 0.1+ both wheels, caster left front 2.0+ and right front 2.1+ then set toe accordingly. I worked for Toyota and based on that print out, that alignment is wrong......

Ed

 

Ed,

That makes a whole lot more sense, and thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it brother!

Also considering you said you've worked for Toyota, do you have any knowledge about caster/camber shims. From what I've read that seems to be the only way to adjust those two factors.

 

No problem,


Shim thickness has to be determined as to what degree of adjustment is required. I would take the your truck back to whom you paid and have them fix it right. It's pretty obvious based on their own provided print out, that it's not right. They always say, "It's in the Green" so it must be right, The numbers tell the truth, Not the color. Yes, 15 years, total 35 years in the business, recently retired from them. Does a 2002 have lower control arm cams for adjustment? looks like this right?



Ed

 

Yes sir, that's the set up I have. The mechanic at the dealership that did my alignment said that camber and caster on these model trucks weren't adjustable which I found hard to believe. He said they were set from the production line and toe was the only adjustable part, which I've monkied with quite a bit. Is it true the caster/camber combination that you're explaining can cause a drift/pull?

 

Also I think the LCA cams are fixed, but you can buy adjustment cam bolts for around $20-30

 

Absolutely.

 

Ed,

Would you recommend getting caster/camber shims and inserting them myself if it's a fairly easy job? Or just risk having to go back to alignment shop, bite the bullet, and get it done by someone with the tools to do so.

 

I thought the 2wd had some form of camber bolts like the 4wd? it would be weird but idk the 2wd as much.

got any pics of the front of your LCA/UCA, Colin?