Truck pulls to left (1 Viewer)

[pawnthatdude]

My Cruiser always pulls slightly to the left. The freeplay of the steering wheel is about 1.5", and I basically have to hold it at the right edge of the freeplay all the time (if that makes sense). If I let go of the wheel, it will go left. I've done my reading:

• It's not tires. Any number of rotations would basically have the same effect. My old tires didn't have any uneven wear, and I just got new ones this summer with the same pull.
• I rebuilt the front axle with new wheel and trunnion bearings last year, but the pull has existed before and after.
• I had an alignment done, which brought the toe-in back to spec but didn't really have an effect. Caster is .6 degrees (L) and .9 degrees (R). Camber is .5 degrees (L) and -.1 degrees (R). Alightment is attached.
• My truck was in an accident 10 years ago that I don't know any of the details for beyond the Carfax which says "Vehicle involved in a front end collision, Involving right front impact, Airbag deployed." Could that be why the right camber is out of spec, enough to cause the pull?
• It happens anywhere, not just crowned roads (how would that make it pull to the left?).
• Tie rods feel good, but I've never replaced them.

So I guess my question is, since I've been driving with this pull for 10s of thousands of miles with no uneven tire wear (to my eyes), why shouldn't I just adjust the relay rod to correct it rather than going on an expensive wild goose chase (steering box? spindle bushings? another front end rebuild?). Maybe that's a stupid idea. What is the difference between pointing my steering wheel 1" to the right all the time vs just adjusting the relay rod to do that for me?

 

[Cruzilla]

I have two sets of wheels and tires for my rig, the BFG K0 2 do not pull to the left but my GY Duratracks do..
The KO's are E rated with stiffer side walls and the Duratraks are D with softer side walls.
My theory is that the softer tires are following the contour of the road and "climbing" the high side of the road surface much like a Bias-Ply tire does.

 

[Shoredreamer]

Have you checked your brakes lately? Piston may be stuck or uneven wear of some sort? Also not sure but the rear axle thrustline is a little off maybe causing the pull? Just some thoughts...

 

[Heckraiser]

.5* camber is definitely not causing the pull, though the front end collision may have had a hand in that reading. FWIW, negative camber generally improves overall handling/turn in. At any rate, if your tires are wearing evenly, camber is very likely not your issue. Your caster is definitely less than I would want, and though that wouldn't cause a pull to the left, it probably does contribute to that dead spot and general crappy steering.

I would also start by looking closely into the brakes. If verified all good, then get caster correction and go ahead and adjust the drag link if the steering wheel position bothers you. Mine has been pointing at 1:00 for five years

 

[jonheld]

Adjusting the relay rod will have no effect on alignment. All it does is center the steering wheel. When you let go of the wheel, the vehicle will still pull to the left. Your steering wheel will just be in a different position.

 

[pawnthatdude]

I have two sets of wheels and tires for my rig, the BFG K0 2 do not pull to the left but my GY Duratracks do..
The KO's are E rated with stiffer side walls and the Duratraks are D with softer side walls.
My theory is that the softer tires are following the contour of the road and "climbing" the high side of the road surface much like a Bias-Ply tire does.

I have Duratracs but I don't think it's the crown since I have noticed it in many conditions.

Have you checked your brakes lately? Piston may be stuck or uneven wear of some sort? Also not sure but the rear axle thrustline is a little off maybe causing the pull? Just some thoughts...

Thanks for reminding me about the brakes. I am going to take a closer look at them.

Adjusting the relay rod will have no effect on alignment. All it does is center the steering wheel. When you let go of the wheel, the vehicle will still pull to the left. Your steering wheel will just be in a different position.

So in my mind, adjusting the relay rod is equivalent to adjusting the toe-in of both wheels at once, right? Right now my toe-in is equal at .05 degrees. Let's say I turn the relay rod such that the toe-in on the right would be 0 degrees and the left would be .10 degrees (for example). Wouldn't that cause the Cruiser to go slightly right, all else equal?

 

[mudgudgeon]

No. It will track the same, but the steering wheel will sit in a different position
You have almost zero caster. Without caster the truck will wander.
Caster plus toe in keeps the wheels tracking straight.
With minimal caster, any play in TREs, bushes etc will cause wandering, or pull one way or another.

Fix your caster, recheck TREs

 

[BILT4ME]

The other possibility is a bent front (or rear) control arm. A RF collision could cause that and your truck is continually "crabwalking".....

 

[shocktower]

Like said @mudgudgeon said nearly no caster your dog will hunt, you need to adress this and it will behave

 

[Tedward]

My dog used to hunt alot more until I tightened the wheel bearings.

 

[vipergrhd]

My advise based on your reading is get your frame measured, look at your SAI and IA they are way out of specs. and over a degree spit between the two. I would guess that one or both of your knuckles is bent or a combination of the frame, i don't know how much is the cost of having the frame measured but i think it's worth finding out.

 

[jonheld]

So in my mind, adjusting the relay rod is equivalent to adjusting the toe-in of both wheels at once, right?

No. The tie rod adjusts toe in/out. The tie rod lives behind the front axle and "ties" the 2 steering knuckles together. Adjusting the tie rod changes toe.
The relay rod (drag link) simply adjusts steering wheel position relative to the pitman arm. It has no effect on anything else.