Got an alignment, still pulls right.

[shane96ranger]

I had new Moog radius arm bushings put on today as well as an alignment. They told me they checked the wheel bearings, ball joints, etc., etc. They also did an alignment because it was "way off" they said. Well, the damn thing still pulls right just as hard as it ever did. The only thing I can think of that maybe didn't get checked by them is the steering box. I have probably 1.5 to 2 inches of play in the wheel before it actually starts to move the tires. Is that normal? And would that cause it to pull right? Anything else to look at?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Incorrect camber or caster settings will cause it to pull one way or the other depending on the split.

Do you have a print out of your alignment results? If so post up the numbers.

 

[shane96ranger]

According to the ranges, it's within spec. But it still pulls. Thanks!

Left _____________Right

-1.0 Camber_____0.1 Camber
4.6 Caster______4.6 Caster
.04 Toe_________.04 Toe

Total Toe = .08
Steer Ahead = .01

 

[davecarr414]

swap the front tires around, i bet the pull will change sides. if so the tire is causing the pull. (the tire that the side its pulling on). just put that tire in the rear you should be fine

 

[RavoHimself]

my dads sport trac pulled also. when they gave it back the numbers were off just a little bit like yours and it still pulled. it wasnt a lot but it was there. he took it back and made them make it the same. haha. so if it's only a little dry what dave said and if that doesnt work make them fix the allignment

 

[shane96ranger]

They did a rotation before they did an alignment because the front tires were cupped. They said it was a combination of the radius arm bushings and the shocks are the originals from 96. They wanted 450-520 bucks (depending what shocks I chose) to replace the shocks, so I said hell no. It was 450 to do the damn radius arm bushings, including the removal of the rivets.

Should the camber numbers be the same then? I Would rather it pull left than right because the slope of the road would absorb some of that.



Left _____________Right

-1.0 Camber_____0.1 Camber
4.6 Caster______4.6 Caster
.04 Toe_________.04 Toe

Total Toe = .08
Steer Ahead = .01

 

[hondaxr650]

If those numbers you posted are AFTER the alignment, you need to make them do it again or find someone who knows what they are doing. That much negative camber on the left, combined with slightly postive on the right will make it pull right. Also, it should have 1/2 to 3/4 degree more caster on the right to compensate for road crown. I'm not surprised that it pulls.

 

[4x4junkie]

^^Agreed.
It's still way off from what it should be.

Play in the steering box isn't the problem (well, it is a problem, but not what's causing the pull).

 

[shane96ranger]

I took it back in to Big O and told them it was still pulling right. They had it for 3 hours and called me and said they couldn't find anything wrong and that the numbers are within spec. He also said "I drove it and the owner and mechanic drove it and all of us can't get it to pull right". So I went down and picked it up and mysteriously it no longer pulls right. I'm sure they put it back on the rack and fixed it, why else would it take 3 hours? The gearbox is my next fix, it looks like it's going to be fun. I'll have to check the tech section for a how to.

Thanks for helping me out guys. I thought the numbers looked goofy before I even drove it.

 

[JohnnyO]

It's a stupid little thing, but if a front tire is low it will pull to that side. IMO the chain shops are often in too much of a hurry to check stuff like that. I go to a greasy old frame and alignment shop that looks like it's a notch above blacksmith and the first thing they do is check the air in all the tires.

A few years ago they got a fancy-shmancy laser rack but you'd never guess it to look at the outside, or even the inside, of the shop. My shit's always right when I leave though.

 

[legoms013]

For the play that you are talking about, check the joint on the drag link (the longer tie rod, the passenger side one) that connects to the pitman arm. When mine started to go I got huge amounts of play in the steering wheel and it was visibly shot when I had someone wiggle the wheel while I crawled underneath. Something to check...

 

[shane96ranger]

I will check that tonight. How much play can it have? If it's where I'm thinking, I can move it pretty easy on the ball joint part.