idanity

1988 toyota 4x4.
While driving 0-5mph it drives straight, but over 10-60 it pulls to the left and I have to correct it by steering right and keeping pressure to steer right.

top of wheel has to be at 2:00 o-clock to correct the pulling.

However, today, I was turning left, heard the CLUNK and drove home. It was perfect the entire trip of 20 miles.

I get home, and back in the driveway, and hear the CLUNK again, and it's pulling hard left again.
The CLUNK is always a single clunk, and happens often when I have to reverse and turn, or turn sharply in either direction. It clunks while the truck begins to move, and not stationary.

- only clunks once, when beginning to move and tires start to roll
- hard braking doesn't increase the pulling to the left,
- pulling to the left is the same effort to correct at all speeds from 10-60mph
- going very slow 0-8mph it drives straight, stops straight at low speeds.


Anyone experience this or know what I should be looking for?
I looked underneath on the right side (where I hear the occasional clunk) but it all looks tight.
I brought it to a les schwab but they don't have time for a few days. I'd like to fix this myself if possible.

akwheeler

It sounds to me like your lower control arm is just loose enough to shift once in a while. (it is an IFS right?) That is where the cams are located for camber/caster adjustment.
you need to shake down your front end for loose parts/bolts etc. and get an alignment.
the only way you should get a pull "sometimes" is if something is shifting position (this is excluding changes in the road and wind or hitting puddles and such)

RAD4Runner

LOOKS tight or FEELS tight?
Have assistant gently turn steering wheel back and forth and observe how steering and suspension (if control arm is suspect) components move. Anything that does not go with slight movement of pitman arm?

RJR

I would agree that the LCA bolts are suspect. Because of that, you're getting free "on-the-fly" alignment changes. And, just because when you jack it up and pull on it nothing moves, doesn't mean it's tight enough for driving purposes. Even with a pretty long crowbar it's hard to duplicate the forces that your 2400 lb front end puts on the suspension joints.

The LCA bolts should be torqued to 120 ft-lbs or so. That's long breaker-bar tight, so get a big torque wrench and check them out.

I had that same clunk, and it indeed was an under-torqued LCA bolt. I couldn't move a thing with a pry bar, but when I checked the bolt torque it was less than 50 ft-lbs.