Real Time Help: Alignment

[SunTzuMD]

So, I'm stuck here in Japan and I have to renew my GOJ / JCI / Shaken on my 1994 Toyota Surf this month. This is the same thing as a 4Runner back home. My trucks been pulling to the left since I bought it 6 months ago and I knew it would need an alignment before it would pass inspection. (They test alignment here).

It's been at the on base auto shop all day. The manager there is a Landcruiser guy and has been pretty helpful in the past. So he just called me to let me know that they can't get it aligned properly. When they set the toe, the caster is thrown off, when they set the caster, the toe is thrown off. He just took it for a spin and said it's pulling hard to the right, which is into oncoming traffic here.

Any ideas what the problem might be? It's a stock 3.0 V6. No different suspension wise from a 2nd Gen 4Runner back home except the steering wheel is on the opposite side. The rear is nonadjustable. They even rotated the tires and that didn't improve things.

Thanks!

 

[liljlandon]

Wow, you got me! Id talk to wristy or 2ndgen. Theyd know best...

 

[Jukelemon]

All sorts of things can be wrong. Is everything stock height i.e. no cranked T bars?

If it is that bad, you don't just have alignment issues, you have a failure somewhere.

 

[SunTzuMD]

Everything is stock and the torsion bars aren't cranked. It's midnight here. Hopefully they will have it figured out tomorrow. Luckily they have two other Surf's in their junkyard behind the shop right now should I need some parts.

 

[missouriman]

kinda sounds like a ball joint issue.

 

[KLF]

Something has to be bent or worn out in the front suspension. Have them check the ball joints carefully.

Toe-in is set totally independant from the caster, they really can't effect each other.

 

[missouriman]

that is why I am thinking a egg shaped ball joint....

just not right.

one moves the top of the tire in and out. the other moves the tires right and left.

independent of each other. tie rod ends? some thing is really messed up..

measure the distance from the front hub to the center of the rear axle on both sides. as well.. maybe the rear end is jacked side ways enough to do this.

 

[SunTzuMD]

Update - nothing seemed to be broken, they just adjusted it a bit more and got her straightened out. Thanks for all the help/suggestions.