LC200 Alignment Question (8 Viewers)

[Mingus Dew]

Yes, all 4 torque the same. I can screen grab the specs from the FSM so you can print it off for whatever shop you go to. I’m at the point to where I’m bringing my own torque wrench, a few FSM pages with torque and alignment info and the promise of a monetary contribution for good service.

Thanks man. Shouldn’t be necessary to go to all that trouble. I have a body shop I trust I will see if they can quickly check this at some point next week. I’m also going to ask them who they use for alignments when they do frame work (or if they do it themselves, which would be even better).

 

[Artie]

Shouldn’t be necessary to go to all that trouble.

100% but this forum is filled with examples of straight up f%ckery on the alignment rack.

 

[Artie]

Here are the FSM pages.

 

[Mingus Dew]

Here are the FSM pages.

Very much appreciated.

 

[Mingus Dew]

Spoke to my body shop. They're going to take a look at the printout tomorrow and drive it. Will go from there.

I'm going to specifically ask about the high thrust angle and report back. I cannot see anything bent or damaged in terms of the rear suspension. Will get it on the lift tomorrow and go through with the tech.

 

[Mingus Dew]

Alright, not much to report. Spoke to a mechanic at the body shop and he took the car for a drive and looked it over.

Basically, there's no uneven wear on the tires as of yet or any visual indication of damage/disorder with the rear suspension that would cause the elevated thrust angle.

He thought the car drove quite well and he didn't register any slight rightward pull as being an issue in the ordinary course. His advice was to drive the car as normal and then diligently inspect the tires at my next oil change for uneven wear.

So yeah, somewhat reassuring in that a decent mechanic gave me the all clear, but a bit annoying that I still have no explanation for the thrust angle.

I suppose this may give me an excuse to upgrade to Total Chaos UCAs and LCAs in a year or two

 

[linuxgod]

I’ve had alignment specs that look good and my truck pulled hard to the right, like “change lanes in a few seconds” fast, where I was holding the wheel at 11 o’clock all the time to keep it straight. No adverse tire wear, but on long trips it sucked. I’ve had the same alignment specs where the truck drove (drives now) straight as an arrow. Seriously the same specs… 3.7* caster p/s, 3.5* caster d/s, 0.1* camber p/s, -0.1* camber d/s. Toe-in was set to 1/16”.

Mine got a lot better after my shocks were replaced. Then it got worse and eventually I had my LCAs replaced. First shop couldn’t get the wheel straight again though the specs looked good. Second pro alignment shop sorted it out. It’s straight now. I don’t entirely understand why this happens TBH and agree that any shop should be able to align our trucks but often they screw it up.

 

[TLC2013]

I have had similar experiences to @linuxgod in regard to pulling to the right….no rhyme or reason that I can pin down.
About the thrust angle on the alignment Printout, I wouldn’t sweat it to much. I have multiple print outs over 6 years that all list drastically different numbers with the same suspension lift on my Cruiser. On one alignment the number (before and after) jumped from -0.30 to -0.17 with nothing more then toe being slightly adjusted during the alignment. Since adding the panhard drop bracket the thrust angle seems to have stabilized at -0.05 over my last couple alignments.

 

[Artie]

It’s really tough for anybody to jump in the drivers seat and experience exactly the same thing you are. A number of factors are at play here, throttle input and roll off can change how mine behaves and who knows how the mechanic drove it.

At least it’s not anything obviously wrong. Not that it helps getting it sorted any easier but at least there’s not a repair you have to do right away. However, I’m dealing with pulling to the right and it’s very annoying and I’m trying to solve it as soon as I can.

As far as the UCA/LCA shopping goes. I’d keep the OEM LCA’s. They can be sourced for $350ish each, are silent, and can take a beating. While the Total Chaos ones look amazing, I’m not sure they solve any problems past aesthetics. Suspension is a rabbit hole I’m currently trying to claw my way through…there are always compromises when jumping from OEM to any “upgrade” and some just aren’t worth it.

 

[Artie]

Alright, not much to report. Spoke to a mechanic at the body shop and he took the car for a drive and looked it over.

Basically, there's no uneven wear on the tires as of yet or any visual indication of damage/disorder with the rear suspension that would cause the elevated thrust angle.

He thought the car drove quite well and he didn't register any slight rightward pull as being an issue in the ordinary course. His advice was to drive the car as normal and then diligently inspect the tires at my next oil change for uneven wear.

So yeah, somewhat reassuring in that a decent mechanic gave me the all clear, but a bit annoying that I still have no explanation for the thrust angle.

I suppose this may give me an excuse to upgrade to Total Chaos UCAs and LCAs in a year or two

It’s really tough for anybody to jump in the drivers seat and experience exactly the same thing you are. A number of factors are at play here, throttle input and roll off can change how mine behaves and who knows how the mechanic drove it.

At least it’s not anything obviously wrong. Not that it helps getting it sorted any easier but at least there’s not a repair you have to do right away. However, I’m dealing with pulling to the right and it’s very annoying and I’m trying to solve it as soon as I can.

As far as the UCA/LCA shopping goes. I’d keep the OEM LCA’s. They can be sourced for $350ish each, are silent, and can take a beating. While the Total Chaos ones look amazing, I’m not sure they solve any problems past aesthetics. Suspension is a rabbit hole I’m currently trying to claw my way through…there are always compromises when jumping from OEM to any “upgrade” and some just aren’t worth it.