Hello all,

Vehicle is: 1998 4Runner V6 4WD Auto - All Stock

I've been searching through the threads and haven't been able to find an answer.

I have been having a really bad vibration (the whole vehicle not the steering wheel). I recently got new tires, lower ball joints and outer tie rods ends, sway bar end links and an alignment but I had the vibration before the new parts/alignment.

My alignment came back fine with everything except the driver's side steering axis (SAI) which is way off. Here is what it is:

Front left SAI normal range = 9.8 to 11.3. Mine = 19.7! (before and after)
Front left included angle normal range = 9.3 to 12.3. Mine = 20.2! (before and after)

Cross SAI 8.7! (normal is -0.5 to 0.5)

Front right is 11.0 and 10.9 respectively and in range.

Something is obviously wrong here. My research tells me that bad SAI is usually something bent or out of whack. Can someone please help this noob out as far as what I should check and look for? I'm guessing it is something specifically on the left side.

Thank you!

 

im suprised the alignment shop didnt tell you why they couldnt adjust it. the shake could also be the drive shafts but with the alignment that bad it porbollay isnt.

 

wheel bearings? probably not but check anyway

 

Yea I didn't know when I made the appt that it was grand opening weekend, the place was swamped. If I can't figure it out first, will go back in (I have lifetime alignment)

 

OK so went underneath to take a look and found grease spilling out the front U-joints and lower ball joints. Also found the rear sway bar to be missing a top bolt on one of the brackets. This did NOT look like this the other day (had caked on grease but not like this) when I was checking the newly installed ball joints and changing the oil.

This is what it looks like...

Dropped it off for timing belt stuff this morning and asked my mechanic to take a look and let me know what he thinks...

 

Shop said all the extra grease is because they pumped some in when installing the lower ball joints/tie rods. ??? Does this sound right and would it have taken 4-5 days for it to seep out like this? Would it hurt anything to do some degreasing of the outside so I could better see what's going on?

 

degreasing the outside wont hurt the ball joints but i wouldnt do it to the driveshafts. and yes it is normal, when i grease all my joints it does the same thing.

 

Thanks for the reply!