Vehicle pull only under power (1 Viewer)

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For those who are experiencing this problem, have you noted any change in steering stability under HARD or emergency braking?
 
Derek

No,nothing seems to wrong with steering under any braking situations.I did also have my parking brake adjusted but not really related.
 
I had this exact same problem after replacing my front diff with ARB front locker. Every shop and expert I talked to said such was normal, and like you I would not accept this. The place where I did the diff job worked diligently to fix the problem. We put the truck on a lift and ran it in gear to see if power train functioned properly. Everything was ok. When I sat the truck back down the problem completely disappeared. This happened to me once before. I think when the truck is lifted off all fours a strange torques may get built up in the drive line. Try lifting the truck and spinning all the tires. This has solved your problem many times for me.
 
Try lifting the truck and spinning all the tires. This has solved your problem many times for me.


Weird.

Well, I suppose getting it on loose gravel and applying suitable right foot would have the same effect...?

Weird.
 
For those who are experiencing this problem, have you noted any change in steering stability under HARD or emergency braking?

It's fine under hard braking.

Didn't get a chance this weekend to take out the mini lift, but will soon. I'm curious too if that may be part of the cause.

What do you think about this? The mechanic told me the PS axle was shorter and will have more torque under power. Plus, I do remember before I put the AHC sensors to the top, I had a half inch difference (lower on drivers side) and now I don't meaning there is more weight on that side of the vehicle now. I wonder if that in combination with the difference in the axle length has something to do with it? Maybe it's always been out of alignment and now it's just more noticeable.
 
Try lifting the truck and spinning all the tires. This has solved your problem many times for me.

Well, I suppose getting it on loose gravel and applying suitable right foot would have the same effect...?

I broke it loose this weekend on the wet roads around here. So much that TRAC kicked in. I suppose it's back in sync now:doh:
 
I tried spinnen tiers in mud and that did not work. Trust me, the first few times my truck began to pull I dogged the s@#$ out of it for about a week hoping that what was wrong would just break. That method always worked on my sports cars……I’m already one of those bad drivers you see on their cell phones swerving all over the road, and I have a lead foot. You accompany that with a bad pull under power, and watch out. (Note: I live in Houston). I fixed the problem in my driveway once by raising the front and free spinning the tires, then raising the back. My technique may sound like voodoo magic, but so far Jo-Boo has not let me down.
 
I feel like it's been going on for a while because now it seems like habit holding the wheel while at speed. It really wasn't until I noticed the problem went away while coasting that I thought it wasn't right. Also the fact, I think' it is severe under heavy pedal.

I just talked to the "master" tech. He said it is normal and didn't seem as bad as I was describing when he tested it.

I'll get it aligned somewhere else- I'm done with this shop.

That does not sound "normal" to me at all. Neither of my 100 Series Cruisers, nor my 80 Series, pulls like that under power.
 
Me too

A few weeks ago I noticed the vehicle would pull to the right during accelaration from a deat stop, much less while moving. I used to drive a front wheel driven car and it did the same thing so I assumed it must be torque steer. But since its a AWD vehicle, I didn't think this should occur and after reading the posts on this thread, I still don't. Maybe more torque is being sent to the left front tire upon acceration as weight gets shifted, I'm not savvy enough about mechanics to really know. But during my next maintenance visit, I'm going to have them take a look at it. In the mean time, I'll be checking back here for progress notes.
 
I took out the "mini AHC lift" yesterday and the pull has considerably decreased, so much, that now I'm not sure if it's still slightly pulling or if it's road curvature!! It was so nice driving last night I was beside myself. No pull and ride quality was greatly improved:)

When I did my Mini Lift (which was just adjusting the sensors) I did not do anything with the t-bars. This caused the vehicle to become "poingy" especially on the sport TEMS setting.

Regarding the pull- I didn't think the LC would be that sensitive in the front end:confused: There is a TSB that talks about Vehicle Pull and it mentions vehicle lean as a problem. I wonder if my 1/2 inch lean could be the culprit and it was really aggravated with the mini lift?

I need to figure out how to get rid of this lean with the stock components. I'm not a big fan of the trim packer concept because I think the vehicle should be right as stock.

If I crank the t-bar to level it out....... I wonder how that effects the AHC?
 
Cdug

I think the t-bars are the problem,Mine measured off by half in.From what I read here thought it was normal.Recently got new tires and my pull was gone.now slight drift the other way but thats a diff issue.Funny part is now the half inch diff is gone.Doesnt make sence because i didnt adjust bars.For now just going with it,drives much better and do not have to hold wheel to go straight. Good luck
 
I took out the "mini AHC lift" yesterday and the pull has considerably decreased, so much, that now I'm not sure if it's still slightly pulling or if it's road curvature!! It was so nice driving last night I was beside myself. No pull and ride quality was greatly improved:)

When I did my Mini Lift (which was just adjusting the sensors) I did not do anything with the t-bars. This caused the vehicle to become "poingy" especially on the sport TEMS setting.

Regarding the pull- I didn't think the LC would be that sensitive in the front end:confused: There is a TSB that talks about Vehicle Pull and it mentions vehicle lean as a problem. I wonder if my 1/2 inch lean could be the culprit and it was really aggravated with the mini lift?

I need to figure out how to get rid of this lean with the stock components. I'm not a big fan of the trim packer concept because I think the vehicle should be right as stock.

If I crank the t-bar to level it out....... I wonder how that effects the AHC?


Doug -

I think I saw you yesterday, were you at the corner of Glenn and Sibley? Looked like your truck.

Anyway, yeah, the Cruiser "lean" has been a "feature" on all the coil-sprung Cruisers that I have seen (quite a few 80 Series also had the problem). Usually aftermarket suspension was the fix. I did crank my stock T-bars on my '04 to compensate (especially after putting on the bullbar, when the lean became more pronounced). I still couldn't dial it all the way out, but it's just an interim solution anyway until I put on the aftermarket lift.

The AHC is nice, and you paid for it afterall, but I wonder if it's worth the hassle. I think you might have to look at an aftermarket solution, ala Slee Offroad (they seem to have done the most analysis and have the most experience with lifting the AHC trucks).

Glad that the troubleshooting is progressing.
 
Derek,

Wasn't me- I was working from home all day! Guess I have a look-a-like running around!!

So on your T-bar adjustment- Did you adjust before the bull bar or after? How many more turns did you give the DS than the PS? How much of a lean did you have?

After this weekend I still dig the AHC. Watched my brothers kids this weekend and along with my wife and son had a full rig. I used the low setting all weekend and it's amazing how much difference (2 inch drop) that makes in the back while loading/unloading.
 
Doug, did you ever get it aligned after the mini-lift? Whether it be AHC lift or OME lift, even just 1" of lift will produce more toe-out and less than ideal caster which can definitely make the cruiser wander or pull. This is likely correctable with an alignment job. If 2+" of lift, the caster cannot be aligned back to stock specs... or so it seems. I need about 2 degrees more caster to get into spec and I am maxed out on adjustments.
 
Actually I did not get an alignment. I wanted to take out my mini AHC lift first to see if the pull was there before. I drove it a lot this weekend and the pull I was feeling is not there. Now I have peace of mind and can attempt this again. I think I'm going to play with the t-bars first to get rid of the lean.

There is a TSB that discusses the "pull" and it mentions lean. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking if it's higher on the PS then that slight difference in articulation will cause that wheel to pull more.
 
With AHC, you can't get rid of the lean by adjusting the TBs. The AHC will "override" whatever you do. The lean must be balanced by adjusting the AHC sensors on the front suspension. Then you adjust the TBs to get the correct neutral-pressure in the AHC system, so that the TBs will do their part of the job, and the AHC/shocks/gas-springs will do their's. If you cannot get the pressures right after adjusting the lean away, you have a problem with one spring.
BTW, in order to get a good adjustment, the sensors have to be good, giving a stable reference for the AHC "computer". Good idea to test them before playing with adjustments, balancing and lifting.
 
I need to get a OBD reader that can see these diagnostic readings. I don't beleive the basic ones can see the AHC stuff, but I haven;t confirmed that.
 
The AHC hydraulic press. can be read manually by connecting e.g. an LPV brake tester to the bleed plug of each actuator. This actually gives a very accurate reading, better than the toyota tester. (just takes more time to do, not to mention to get an LPV gauge...)

The sensors are best to test by removing them, or undo the linkage, unplug the three pin plug and measure the resistance as you move the arm. Best way is to put a voltage across the two outer pins of 3 to 5 volts (e.g. 3x1.5 v flash light battery) and measure the voltage on the centre pin vary evenly and proportionally across the track. Midway you should have half of the applied voltage.
If you have an old (pre-digital) analog ohm-meter (remember those?) it could also be used. Anyhow, an analog voltmeter is better than digital for doing this particular test, but i guess we have to do with what there is.
The AHC sensors are prone to fail particularly if subjected to salt and water.
Ah, just realized that your's is an '06; your sensors should be OK, although I had one fail after 1 year, but in a harsher climate than CA.
 
Yeah, I need to get a LPV gauge if I mess with this again.

I'll have to search, but someone posted that if the AHC is in low you can adjust the t-bars to take the lean out. Although adjusting one side seems like it would mess up the pressure on that side and you would have to adjust it back with the sensor for like ride quality.
 

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