Hey guys - pretty sure I bent something up front. (1992 4Runner IFS)

After getting back on the highway from the trail the steering wheel was off about 5-8 degrees to the left when going straight. (And of course it was a little joke of a trail, more like a dirt road with some big puddles )

I checked it out and the tie rod looks bent, but I am really curious about the angle of the knuckle arm, it looks like the end where the tie rod attaches is a bit too high (towards the engine)

Can someone take a look and see if it matches what you have?
I really can't imagine that arm being the weakest link in the system and bending, it just looks a bit off. Any thoughts? Here is a pic:

 

Looks wonky but after looking at my truck its hard to say. The angle should match your passenger side if you compare them

 

Awesome man, thanks for checking!

I went out and checked, I bent a piece of rebar wire to match the drivers side (the one I thought was bent) and it matched exactly to the passenger side. I'll take this as good news lol.

The (kind of) bad news - I was so sure the tie rod end was bent that I went to the local Pick-n-Pull and got the whole assembly, inner+sleeve+outer, and when I compared them just now they were also identical. Not sure what else it could be, relay rod looks good (had the recall done a few years back), passenger side knuckle/tie rod looks good I guess.

I really haven't had alignment problems in the past so I am kind of unfamiliar with this. I mean, it kind of seems that the problem is as simple as "the alignment is a bit off", but I'm wondering why? The components seem to check out. Can someone shed some light on some small things to look for?

Either way, the best news of the day is I found out the local salvage yard has five 2nd Gen 4Runners and trucks just sitting there. I went to town, got two power window switches, rear window switch, rear window on/off switch, a ton of panel clips and door lock trim pieces, tweeters for above the rear window, tie rod assembly, a replacement air intake hose, a set of Yazaki plug wires, and a much needed spare tire 31x10.5x15 Mesa AP on the aluminum rim for about ~$100.00

 

Sweet score. It could be you just knocked the alignment of. It happens. Ive been pretty lucky ive align my truck 3 time by eye and still drives straight. Check the adjuster cams and see if they may have shifted. Next time you get a shop to align it, mark the adjusters for quick reference.

 

could have tweeked your idler arm......

 

Lmao..... I'm not the only one experiencing this ˟˟˟˟.... I swear I think people think I'm crazy when I described this and posted pics......

I bet $100.00 if you lock ur truck in 4wd and goose it your front tires will toe in.... Please check that for me ASAP.

Here's what happened to me....

I replaced my frontend. Every single part was replaced except for the a arm bushings. Went and got a computerized alignment and went on my way. A few days later I hook my truck to my 16' car drag that was loaded with 1.5 tons of scrap. My yard was wet and slippery so I locked my truck in 4wd. I pulled the trailer with ease then I got spinning. I gassed it a little to gain traction. Then I was fine. Once I was back on level ground my steering wheel was a quarter turn off. I checked my whole frontend and it was fine. Not a single bolt loose nor tierod, BJ or anything. Went back to alignment shop had it Re aligned. Everything's fine. If I lock my truck in 4wd my dam front ties toe in for some reason. I haven't figured it out.


So please check yours and let me no if we're in the same boat

 

Thanks guys.

I'll check the idler arm tomorrow when I have someone else around to turn the wheel for me.

Toyota~Boy - I have ADD so they are always locked, but I drove around like a maniac in 4WD anyway and everything still runs the same, sorry. But hey, there's nothing wrong with being crazy