Pull to the left

[WayneM]

My 2001 4Runner has a slight pull to the left. I really need some ideas from the forum to figure this out.

Last fall, I upgraded a bunch of suspension components. OME 880/906 w/Bilstein 5100, 13WL TBU, EnergySuspension poly bushings, etc...
Then, I got a 4 wheel alignment.

However, I have noticed a slight pull to the left. It's not much, but on most roads I need to hold just a small bit of right pressure. And, under moderate braking, I need to give about 5-degrees of right steering wheel correction.

- I have jacked it up and all wheels spin freely. Nothing is dragging.
- While up, I manually tested just a little brake, and they seem symmetric left/right. (well, as best I can tell by manually spinning wheels)
- Air pressure in all tires are the same
- I rotated tires F/B and L/R
- I went back to the alignment shop (twice) for checks/re-alignments.

I'm thinking of trying a different alignment shop, in case the first shop's equipment is maybe out of calibration But, even so, would that affect braking?

What should I dig into next?

 

[Hungryhawk]

I have found alignment is a mix of science and art. It takes talent to get it right. I have watched technicians using their body weight to bounce the suspension in order to settle the suspension components.
Find a shop that does suspension upgrades and talk to them first about your concerns and needs.

 

[Ripper238]

 

[Hungryhawk]

Regarding the pull when braking-have you considered upper & lower A-arm bushings? How about ball joints?

 

[WayneM]

Thanks for the ideas.
Yes, I need to discuss with a shop. I discussed why I was returning for alignment checks. Sadly, I think the manager thought his tech kid was messing up.
I did replace the LBJs, but not the upper/lower bushings. I'll keep that in mind.

In other aspects, it's riding nicely. The symptoms seem like a stuck LF caliper. But when I jack it up, it spins easily as expected. It's really irritating me

 

[phattyduck]

Did the shop give you a printout of alignment specs? If they did, post it for interpretation... even a shop that does things by hand (old school!) should still have a notes sheet that will give you clues.

That said, pulling differently during braking events is a fairly clear sign of a bushing issue.

-Charlie

 

[WayneM]

Here are the results from the most recent (3rd) alignment. I did notice, from checking the series of previous "current" to "before", that they may differ by fractional degrees. I assume that's within tolerance of driving-off and setting-up.

Just so I'm clear on which bushings you mention... those in the pic?

Thanks so much for the input!
Wayne

 

[phattyduck]

Depending on your front height (2" lift or more...), the stock front alignment runs out of adjustment range. Assuming the tech knows what they are doing, that's likely what happened.

~1* of cross-caster will cause pulling issues even with correct toe, which you are experiencing. Such low average caster will also likely make it feel pretty poor at speed and lose some self-centering.

Check those lower a-arm bushings for looseness and get new upper arms with corrected geometry. You really want 3-4* of caster up front (matching within a few tenths side to side) and near 0 camber, also matched side to side.

-Charlie