'08 not holding alignment after ft end rebuild

[inscarguy]

Hi all. I've got an '08 4runner that will not hold an alignment. It was fine for about 4 years until I had the rack, outer tie rods, steering shaft and lines replaced. All replaced parts are OEM new toyota. They were replaced by a very reputable shop near me. It was aligned at that time and did not hold. I have had bad experiences with misc shops getting the alignments right so I go to the dealer. I changed the lower control arms with superpro adjustable ones with OEM cam bolts. Took it to the dealer to have it aligned on Aug 11th and it lasted about a week. I was getting a loud snapping- bang noise when the wheels were turned, each time it would affect the steering wheel position. Took it back to the dealer on Aug 24th and they were able to duplicate the noise but could not find the cause. They realigned it, caster and camber remained the same, toe was way off. They also found the control arm cam bolts loose. They admitted it was their fault and off I went. On the way home the steering wheel was off at about 1:00. Took it back today Aug 28th and the toe was off again, way off. They looked for the noise again but could not find it, realigned it and I went on my way. Each time the vehicle drove differently. This time steering is nice and tight, wheel is centered, no drifting. Everything is torqued to specs, all suspension and steering components are brand new or within the past few years. They are blaming the small Bilstein lift I have in it. This all seems to have started when the rack, tie rods and control arms were installed but they all check out good by 3 different techs including the shop foreman.

Any ideas on what the issue could be? I normally do all my own work but I just had another surgery and I can't do much until I get the ok ( 6 surgeries in 5 years)

 

[inscarguy]

Wow, 180 views and noone has any ideas on what it could be?

 

[Cezar]

Wow, 180 views and noone has any ideas on what it could be?

Your post is a bit hard to follow especially because you end it with " This time steering is nice and tight, wheel is centered, no drifting. "

But by and large, if a car won't hold alignment it is because something is loose that shouldn't be (or less likely, just broken). If a shop can't figure out which item it is then you need a new shop. It's not rocket science.

That said, 4runner suspension is very simple so you can always get under it and poke at every single connection point until you have run through the list. There's basically nothing on the rear that gets adjusted so the possibilities are all in the front end. I'd check all connections, especially the alignment cams, full tie rod assemblies, ball joints and ball joint nuts and cotter pins etc. Once you have run through everything then it might be time to suspect the steering rack itself or perhaps the steering linkage.

 

[inscarguy]

Thank you for the reply. That was my first thought since it's basically the only thing that controls the "toe" adjustment. I hate to think that the new OEM rack is the issue seeing that it's so much in money and labor.

 

[rdruss]

So let us know if your last trip with 'steering nice and tight' deteriorates quickly. Do you off road, or are you street only, like me?

 

[SocalSam]

...something is loose that shouldn't be (or less likely, just broken). If a shop can't figure out which item it is then you need a new shop. It's not rocket science...

This. IMO likeliest culprit is steering rack and or cross member frame bolts. The frame itself might have damage.

 

[Buckaroo]

All I have to offer is the lift will change the geometry so you can't just go with factory settings. Someone who is experienced enough to understand the impact is required. Loose, worn or sloppy suspension components will cause the alignment to wander. Get under it and have someone turn the steering wheel from side to side while you push & pull on components looking for movement. This is standard assessment before alignment and many shops offer alignment specials just to get the opportunity to replace these parts so would think it was done at the dealership.

 

[SocalSam]

All I have to offer is the lift will change the geometry so you can't just go with factory settings. Someone who is experienced enough to understand the impact is required. Loose, worn or sloppy suspension components will cause the alignment to wander. Get under it and have someone turn the steering wheel from side to side while you push & pull on components looking for movement. This is standard assessment before alignment and many shops offer alignment specials just to get the opportunity to replace these parts so would think it was done at the dealership.

When something was good before work and not good after work, something went wrong. Whoever worked on it last (not the owner) bung-ed it up, IMO.

 

[inscarguy]

When something was good before work and not good after work, something went wrong. Whoever worked on it last (not the owner) bung-ed it up, IMO.

Thank you. It was at 2 shops, the original and dealer. Original did new OEM rack, OEM lines, OEM tie rods, OEM steering shaft. Before those were done, it drove fine except for a leaking rack. I have " while I'm in there" syndrome. They could not get the alignment right. I took it and put in Superpro lower arms and new OEM hardware. Took it to the dealer and they did a good alignment then the snapping started, took it back, "toe" was way out, took it back and they found the cam bolts were not tight ( their mistake ) and realigned it. Now the steering wheel was off at about 1:00. Took it back and "toe" was way out again. They redid it. This time they blamed it on the lift. It's Bilstein 6112s with 600lb coils set at 6th notch for a 2.5 lift( didn't get 2.5 but whatever). All was good before the rack and tie rods. Both shops said everything was torqued to spec after the 3rd and 4th alignment. IDK!

 

[Parks Junkie]

I'm not sure how, I don't know these trucks that well, but

I changed the lower control arms with superpro adjustable ones with OEM cam bolts. Took it to the dealer to have it aligned on Aug 11th and it lasted about a week. I was getting a loud snapping- bang noise when the wheels were turned, each time it would affect the steering wheel position. Took it back to the dealer on Aug 24th and they were able to duplicate the noise but could not find the cause. They realigned it, caster and camber remained the same, toe was way off. They also found the control arm cam bolts loose.

would seem to be the problem. Yes I know, there's lots of trucks with aftermarket parts and lift kits, so to many of which do just fine, but between a lift and aftermarket control arms, to me it just screams to be the problem.

 

[inscarguy]

Thanks for the reply but theloose bolts were done by the dealer. They admitted fault on that. Besides control arms would not cause a "toe" problem. Caster and camber never changed on all of the alignments.

 

[<<<<]

Lift on no-lift should not make alignment inconsistent. Once aligned it should stay there unless you have crucial components with play or torque values below specs. Good alignment tech should drive you vehicle after job done and recheck. Also, check your ball joints and wheel bearings up front and both upper and lower trailing arms in the back. GL