Bob_98SR5

hey guys,

based on other people's recommendations here, i decided to get the firestone lifetime alignment. problem is, ive taken it there twice in two months and it still drifts to the left. attached is the most recent camber, toe, caster, etc numbers.

anyone w/ alignment experience and can decipher these numbers would be greatly appreciated.

also, these guys said it is possible that the lower control arm might be bent. i dont do anything that might even cause any damage to it. but it brings up another point: could the drifting be caused by any worn parts in the control arms, bushings, etc?

thanks,
bob

Paul S

Looking at the specs it should not be pulling. Try cross switching the front tires and see if it pulls the other way. How is the air? Some times tires cause a pull. Does it pull or drift when you let go of the wheel?

Bob_98SR5

hi paul,

i had them rotate the tires. air was adjusted to 38psi and for good measure, i had them balanced based upon their recommendation that two of the tires were really unbalanced and the other two slightly unbalanced. not sure i believe it now, but at the time, i said ok to it.

when i let go of the wheel it, slowly drifts to the left. even when i am on the right side of the road w/ the right tires on the declining side of the crowned road (thats how they lay road here in CA), it still drifts to the left.

bob

Paul S

You should have a little more camber on the right beacause of the crown of the road, so it would not drift to the right because of the road. Your print out looks like the camber and caster are the same both sides, If anything it should drift a little to the right. Some worn front end parts could cause a pull, if something was bent it would show up on the print out,,Camber being way out of wack or caster.
Is you 4runner lifted? The 99 we had had 1inch pp springs all the way around and bigger tires. It pulled to the left all the time. I made the all kinds of adjustments and it still pulled. I don't know really what to tell you, sorry I couldn't give you an answer.

PS

Unhappy99

From what I see, the jpg you've posted only has the specifications, and does not show the actual alignment numbers.

Please post the entire printout.

Something like this

Bob_98SR5

unhappy,

what i posted are all the numbers in the report

bob

Unhappy99

ICBW, but I read the printout as what it should be, not what it is. It needs 'actual' numbers, not just spec and range.

Bob_98SR5

unhappy,

ok, i just called the shop and he's faxing the report over. i'll post it soon

bob

ebelen1

Bob, did you ever get this figured out? My report has before/after actual specs and "specified range." I guess it doesn't matter b/c I've yet to get my truck back to the condition it was prior to the alignment. I now get a slight shake at 50 - 55 mph. Probably balancing but this was just done. I hate when these alignment guys can't get it right.

Ironmike4x4

Do you have a 3rd gen 4Runner? If so you might want to find a shop that uses the Haweka adapter Found Here.

Bob have you checked to see if the caliper might be sticking? I had the same problem and did my initial checks with the tire rotation, air in the tires, then my pre alignment inspections then the alignment at my old shop. Came to find out the right front caliper was sticking causing it to drift to the left when braking or driving.

ebelen1

I read a ton about the haweka adapter when I had issues with my old tires. I took my tire to an alignment specialist (the best in town) and they did a high-speed balancing and no issues. With the new tires mounted on new wheels, I went with the regular balancing at the tire shop. Call me silly but the high-speed balancing was $50 and I'm just being cheap...

Bob_98SR5

guys,

sorry i didnt complete the thread. turned out that the front left tire was seriously out of spec/range. this was done by the firestone shop! it was 0.6---way outside the range of the specs. i got the before and after results from longo toyota. now it drives perfect.

i'm still pretty pissed because of all the excuses and wasted time i got from the shop. the tech even advised me to go to a frame shop to check for a damaged frame. what a f####g idiot. i think i'd know if i had frame damage becasue there'd probably be some BODY DAMAGE

i would not recommend the firestone on duarte blvd in arcadia. ill post the numbers later

bob