Pulling to the left

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ccmt
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Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 4:14 pm
My tercel:: '86 4WD SR5
Location: Washington, D.C.

Pulling to the left

Post by ccmt »

Howdy folks,
My tercel has developed a nasty habit of pulling to the left. I took it in for a wheel alignment and that didn't fix the problem. The alignment guy said the frame might be bent and suggested I take it to a body shop.

The body doesn't look obviously out of whack and I'm not super excited about the walletectomy I'm sure to get at a body shop. Is there anything else that might cause the tercel to pull to one side?
Thanks
tercel4wdrules
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My tercel:: None
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Re: Pulling to the left

Post by tercel4wdrules »

A tire can cause a pull or if the caster is not within specs. Did they give you a print-out with the alignment specs?
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ccmt
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Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 4:14 pm
My tercel:: '86 4WD SR5
Location: Washington, D.C.

Re: Pulling to the left

Post by ccmt »

The alignment was done on new wheels and tires. The car was pulling with the old set as well.

I didn't get a print out of the specs. I can see if I can get them from the mechanic.
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: Pulling to the left

Post by dlb »

dragging brake on one side? bad wheel bearing? have you checked the camber adjusters yourself? i don't know if many other vehicles use a similar camber adjusting method so i would check just in case the alignment tech neglected to notice it.
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lannvouivre
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My tercel:: 2006 Pontiac Vibe
Location: Odessa, TX

Re: Pulling to the left

Post by lannvouivre »

Check your brakes and feel for loose or worn components by putting tension on them. There may be a guide on here, but here's also one I found with Google:
https://www.automd.com/155/how-to-check ... omponents/
But...did you try hitting it with a hammer?
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Pulling to the left

Post by Petros »

not likely the frame is bent, that would be obvious I would think.

check all the rubber parts on the suspension and steering rack, if they are beat and sloppy, one side could flex more than the other under certain driving conditions. This may not show up during an alignment when it is sitting still on a rack. I have had this happen when a strut upper mount was failed and delaminating (it did not look bad, but when driving it allow the top of the strut to shift with every bump).

good luck.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
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ccmt
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Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 4:14 pm
My tercel:: '86 4WD SR5
Location: Washington, D.C.

Re: Pulling to the left

Post by ccmt »

My money is on the rubber suspension parts. The sway bar bushings look pretty beat up so I can only guess what the rest of the rubber is like. I'm planning to do some front end suspension work later in the year (have to tackle the transmission and vacuum system first), so I'll
just have to put up with the pull for now.

Should the list of front suspension parts in this thread (viewtopic.php?f=16&t=3203) cover most of the potential culprates? I'll also check the strut mounts as Peteos suggests and probably swap out the CV axel assemblies while I'm at it (since the boots are shot).
Ridlbox
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My tercel:: 1984 Toyota Tercel SR 5 custom aluminum rims 4 a motor custom rims Bluetooth stereo system
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Re: Pulling to the left

Post by Ridlbox »

I think the smartest man in the world but if the frame was bent the body would be twisted or mangled in some way shape or form because the unibody construction on these vehicles
i will find a tercel in a music video
That's my new goal 8)
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