1996 Dual Cab wheel Alignment problem

[stampy4x4]

Looking for some help with this..
Ongoing problem with the hilux wanting to go left constantly. I have to steer right and so the car is crabbing along the road and chewing out my front muddies. Not road camber, not tyre pressures..
Have had two wheel-alignments done in the last year and on the weekend put in new hub-seal-kits and wheel bearings etc, yet the problem has not gone away and I'm getting tired of wearing out tyres too early.
Any suggestions...??

[teambullet]

What sort of lift u got? What model lux?

[stampy4x4]

Fairly standard 1996 LN106 2.8 Diesel Dual Cab power steer etc..
Has 2" spring lift, adjustable diff locator, rubber bushes - nothing too flash but flexes really well but cant sort out the wheel alignment and steering prob..

[teambullet]

Well was going to suggest spring bushes spring centre pin and spring bushes. Mate my hilux pulled to the left all its life. Have u tried rotating the tyres round? Do u know the history of the truck?
Denny

[Yumsylux]

I've had my lux for around 50,000kms. It's done 299,000 kays now and it has always pulled left. I've replaced the springs last year and just got a new set of D694's last friday. Wheel aligned and it's still pulls left. Most solid front lux owners i've spoken to has said theirs pulls left too. I've pretty much replaced everything over the years and it still pulls left. I think it's something that'll happen forever. Just have to get used to it.

[stampy4x4]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I've had my hilux three years and put about 40,000kms on it in that time. All up its done around 240,000kms. Dont know much about its history.
It's been steering worse for probably the last 18 months and for the last six months I've been rotating the tyres with each oil and filter change (5000kms) trying top maximise their lifespan but the damage has already been done.
How bad do your trucks go to the left? If I let go of the wheel mine takes an immediate and fairly sharp turn to the gutter. When driving straight I have my wheel turned to the right at about 40 - 50 degrees and I can feek the tyres pulling back against the steering.
Had this particular set of tyres (Sumitomo Serengeti M/T) on for about 25,000 kms and I reckon they've got maybe 10,000 left in them.
As you say I might just have to live with it.

[sparehead2]

I have a ln106 95. Mine pulls a little but nothing like you are saying.
On a dead flat road it will even go straight.
I have 32" tyres and have moved the front diff forward 2 inches,
and I took off the stering wheel and moved it so it would look straight when driving straight. It can also track right depending on the road.
With the big tyres they just want to follow the road camber and mostly they go left.

My tyres do not wear badly either. You have someting wrong. Something is bent. maybe your diff.

It sounds like you have replaced everyting else.

[trains]

Can you post up the wheel alignment specs of when you had it aligned.
On the solid axle, you can only adjust the toe. and if you have caster plates, you can change caster.
However most times cam and cast are factory set, and not adjustable.

I would be thinking along the lines of bent diff housing putting the cam out.
With these sized tyres, I have found they respond to small camber adjustments, especially on the ifs ones where its easily adjusted.

Trains

Edited to add.

Also, how are the rear springs mate, have they sagged on the drivers side??
If drivers rear spring is lower, the natural movement of the diff center line will go backwards, thus causing the rear diff to want to travel towards the center of the road, thus causing the car to pull left, and require correction at the wheel in the diretion of the right hand down you mention.
Ive come across this alot in the older leaf spring rear fords before.

The opposite spring at the front will cause this problem also.

Let us know the rideheights at the 4 corners too.

T

[Sic Lux]

For it too be that bad i'd almost lean towards something being bent. Rotating tyres left to right will show tyre pull so it isn't that it's not play in the front end by the sounds of it as you've just about replaced everything. Take it back to where the wheelaingment was done and ask them what the camber was/is if there not adjustible i don't bother to check it (Time and boss cracking whip) but can eaily be checked this will show a bent diff.
also jack up frontend and just spin the wheels to make sure you don't have sticky caliper pistons causing brakes to drag this will aslo show up by uneven pad wear/ maybe a tight wheel bearing but by spinging the wheel should easy show up the 2 above

[stampy4x4]

Well, after going over the front end again I ended up bolting in a new

steering damper and what a difference it has made. Still going to the left

a bit but nowhere near as bad. Who'd think the damper could make that

big a difference (Put in a Tough Dog Heavy Duty EXT5500). I also need to

replace a few bushes that are worn and adjust the steering box and

hopefully that will improve things some more.