Unusual Alignment Issue

[amurp14]

I recently bought a truck and took it to an alignment shop because the steering wheel was pulling to the right. The mechanic called me today and told me that when he did his initial checks, the alignment was good which he thought was strange because he could see while driving it that the steering wheel was off center. So he rotated the tires, rechecked the alignment, and found an issue which he corrected by setting the front toe. He claims the steering wheel is straight and it drives much better, but I have not been to the shop to drive it myself yet.

I bought the truck with aftermarket XD wheels and Toyo A/T Open Country tires (don't recall the tire size off hand, but they are larger than factory)

My initial thought is that the tire circumferences are not matching left to right (because front to rear stagger has no effect on alignment), I have a bad wheel bearing/bent wheel, or the mechanic I went to isn't someone I should be returning to in the future (or a combination of these issues). I am wondering if there are any mechanics on here that have seen this type of issue before/can point me in the right direction of properly fixing this.

 

[JW2 Innovations]

There are tons of posts on 'steering pulling right' that you'll find on this as well as other forums. Check those out as well.

Personally, I had this issue as well on my 2016 2500 when I bought it new to me. Probably same Toyo tires too, though factory rims. I also thought my alignment I had done wasn't right either. Steering wheel off center isn't part of the pulling right or left issue. That's just not centered right to where you are on current alignment thing. My fix after alignment ended up being the tires. I've bought plenty of Toyo in the past, but shifted to BFG's and all my issues went away. My Toyo's were less than half worn but ended up with a weird issue with a busted belt inside the tire that led me to replace two, then when I saw the difference in ride an no longer pulling right all four tires on the same original alignment I thought was bad. No more pulling right for me.

You also might want to take a look at the Thuren link HERE that has a lot of good detail on how to align these Ram trucks.

 

[mtnrider]

Get it aligned to the Thuren specs linked above, not the factory specs. (ask the alignment shop if they will deviate from factory, some won't).

Could be tires causing it as well, not necessarily different wear sizes just some tire cause a pull.

As far as the steering wheel not being straight, that really has nothing to do with how the truck drives, that's a simple adjustment of the drag link to center it you can do at home and does not affect the alignment in any way.


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[JW2 Innovations]

For the drag link, which one do you have? Old style has one nut on each side of the adjuster sleeve. Newer style is just one bolt that tightens down to hold the adjustment. If older style, is it welded?

 

[Yardbird]

It could be a lot of things.

The steering angle sensor is supposed to be reset every alignment, most places don't do it.

You may need more caster in the right or less in the left, according to what the alignment sheet reads you should have been given.

It's possible to have something bent.

Rotate the tires on front side to side and see if the pull changes sides.

My truck pulled to the left. I had to out more caster in the left than right, which the total opposite of standard.

Centering the steering wheel is just a matter of moving one tie rod out and the other in while on the machine, with the steering wheel secured straight ahead.
Just because the machine says it's right, doesn't mean it's so.
I watched my last alignment, and got the printout.
It was supposed to be between 1/32" to 1/16" towed in, according to the machine.
I didn't think the truck drove as solid as it should, but figured it was a Ram thing, as it still drove good.
Almost a year later, which was last Saturday, I was feeling my tires when I felt light feathering on the inside of both front tires.
I set the steering straight ahead, got out my ruler and started measuring. The truck was actually towed out about 3/16" instead of towed in like I saw on the alignment screen at the shop.
The machine was out of calibration, or the sensors were not mounted correctly.
I set it myself to appx 1/32nd in, and now the truck drives the best it has.

The last alignment was the third from two places in the first year I had the truck. My new $1200.00 Michelins with inside feathering on the front tires have been moved to the rear.

The truck drives the best it has since I bought it.
I should have bought a caster and camber gauge set online and done it all myself. I did what I could with a ruler and level, and then went to shops to get the actual numbers I wanted, only to find their computer machines were spewing out false numbers.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I recently bought a truck and took it to an alignment shop because the steering wheel was pulling to the right. The mechanic called me today and told me that when he did his initial checks, the alignment was good which he thought was strange because he could see while driving it that the steering wheel was off center. So he rotated the tires, rechecked the alignment, and found an issue which he corrected by setting the front toe. He claims the steering wheel is straight and it drives much better, but I have not been to the shop to drive it myself yet.

I bought the truck with aftermarket XD wheels and Toyo A/T Open Country tires (don't recall the tire size off hand, but they are larger than factory)

My initial thought is that the tire circumferences are not matching left to right (because front to rear stagger has no effect on alignment), I have a bad wheel bearing/bent wheel, or the mechanic I went to isn't someone I should be returning to in the future (or a combination of these issues). I am wondering if there are any mechanics on here that have seen this type of issue before/can point me in the right direction of properly fixing this.

Back when my 8-ball worked, I could diagnose from great distances. LOL!
All kidding aside, I'd first suspect the offset of those A/M wheels. Their diameter as opposed to stock would be suspicious too. Has the truck been lifted? If so, good luck!

The person who sold you the truck also transferred the headaches which come from buying used. Maybe he/she couldn't get that issue resolved, either.

Finally "initial alignment checks", done properly will tell the "mechanic" all he/she needs to know as to whether these issues are germane to your problem. Things like included angle, S

 

[Yardbird]

You told it all when you quoted "mechanic". Unfortunately, I know more than the people I sometimes have to take things to. I just don't have the tools or I'm physically not able to do the work anymore.

 

[amurp14]

For the drag link, which one do you have? Old style has one nut on each side of the adjuster sleeve. Newer style is just one bolt that tightens down to hold the adjustment. If older style, is it welded?

yes the drag link is welded

 

[JW2 Innovations]

Reach out to @RamCares with a private message about getting it replaced for free. Theyll ask for vin during the process. Got mine done first before moving on to alignment and next steps. Alignment from dealer should come with it.

 

[Sherman Bird]

You told it all when you quoted "mechanic". Unfortunately, I know more than the people I sometimes have to take things to. I just don't have the tools or I'm physically not able to do the work anymore.

I responded in kind to what the OP called the technician. It's mere semantics, actually, however, there are more than a few people with tool boxes that I've witnessed through the years call themselves "mechanics", just because they can disassemble an reassemble components of machinery. I hired a guy who was referred to me from another shop, owned by a friend/ fellow shop owner back in the '80s.
He claimed to have knowledge and have training. These were dynamics which influenced his pay.

After he had been with me for a few weeks, I gave him an engine overhaul job on a Toyota Celica with the 22RE engine. He went through the engine and got it in the car. When he initially attempted to crank the engine over, it just clacked and would not budge. The engine was locked up.

He came and got me to help him figure out what the problem was. We discussed the process he had gone through to rebuild the engine, and he failed to mention cleaning the carbon from the piston rings. I had him pull the engine and disassemble it. We went through cleaning the carbon from the ring grooves and I watched him finish the job.

Wouldn't you know, it started right up and ran well. A road trip and recheck for leaks, etc. later, we delivered the car to the customer.

I counseled him about this fundamental problem, and told him that he was, in fact, at apprentice level in his development and that I could not afford to pay him at a rate condign with his improperly stated skill level. I offered to pay him apprentices wages and teach him, but he thought he knew more than his level, and quit.

Thus the quoted term "mechanic". His lack of this basic Auto Repair 101, put him at high school, project car in the driveway status, not professional wages level.

I paid my dues in the early years. I put in the time, attended the training, and developed my skill level without the avaricious attitude of smoking up my chimney. I never sold myself above my paygrade.

 

[amurp14]

Based on

Reach out to @RamCares with a private message about getting it replaced for free. Theyll ask for vin during the process. Got mine done first before moving on to alignment and next steps. Alignment from dealer should come with it.

I have contacted them in the past....and they have been extremely slow to reply and rather unhelpful. Any suggestions as to an alternate method of getting this done? My dealership has also told me that they can't replace the drag link.

 

[Scottly]

It's a 2016...9 years old. How many miles? First thing you do is check all steering components to see if they are within acceptable wear standards and set correct tire pressures. If they aren't, any number you get from the alignment machine is inaccurate If all parts are within wearable spec, set the alignment to factory spec and center the wheel. Not either side of the range, but exactly in the middle of range. Drive truck...If it pulls, note which side it pulls to and rotate tires from left to right(I know, this is a no-no, but it's a tell all). If pull goes to other side or stops, you have a tire issue. If pull stays the same, investigate a caliper drag issue. If those two items are not an issue, look at how fat the driver is. Seriously. Once you get it to drive straight, THEN you can look at Theuren specs....set the total toe to zero to save tire wear, and put as much positive caster in that thing as you can, being careful not to cross caster it. That's my $.02, and it's worth what you paid for it

 

[JW2 Innovations]

Based on

I have contacted them in the past....and they have been extremely slow to reply and rather unhelpful. Any suggestions as to an alternate method of getting this done? My dealership has also told me that they can't replace the drag link.

It does take some time with Ram Cares on this forum. Mine took a month from start to finish, but was done right. Best advice I can give is do NOT talk to dealership for answer on the drag link. No clue and sadly they only want to sell you one. Stick with Ram Cares using private message path and have some patience. Ram Cares has final answer on this one. Good luck!