2017 Camry - alignment problems been to dealer twice and still bad

Maintenance/Repairs
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41

I too concur on this.

The components in your steering and suspension system all operate around arcs. The steering wheel being out of center means that the links connecting your rack to the steering knuckle are not adjusted sufficiently equally. As the suspension lower control arm moves through its arc, the steering knuckle following, the steering link should move through its arc in a coordinated manner. If one side is adjusted shorter than it should be and the other side longer than it should be, neither will follow the up & down movement of the knuckle the way they’re designed to. That can manifest itself in unstable handling, poor tracking, and/or “bump steer”, a condition where when a wheel hits a bump and moves up & down it actually induces an unwanted steering action.

The steering wheel should always be put straight before doing the toe in. Someone on your car did the toe in without ever straightening the steering wheel. That’s an action of either ignorance or laziness. Either way, it’s not a proper alignment. .

NOTE: as I sometimes do, I’m finding my points hard to articulate. Any help with the description of the system dynamics is appreciated. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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42

Are you claiming that you have had success with the outcome of 100% of your wheel alignments? Do you perform wheel alignments daily?

With the brake depressor in place one must sit side saddle while centering the steering wheel. Some steering wheels appear awkward and are difficult to find the “center” position.

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43

This seems convoluted from the beginning. While the technician may have been expected to see a leaking strut on the first visit, replacing a leaking strut won’t satisfy a “pull” complaint.

Replacing a leaking strut while not solving the original complaint can initiate a lemon law case. If a technician does not observe a pull, a repair should not be performed.

It seems that your main complaint after that tire pull was corrected is that the steering wheel was off-center, not that the steering pulled.

44

Agreed, Completely convoluted…

Here’s the whole series of events:

Original problem was: consistent (but not excessive) pull to right at 11K miles. I guess this is when the strut started to fail?

After 1st dealer “alignment” it was worse (even more pronounced pull to right). No alignment report provided. Steering wheel not centered.

After second alignment it appeared as if everything was OK (no pull) but steering wheel 1-2 degrees off center (when car drives straight the steering wheel is titled to left, car steers right when wheel is straight/level) also had some squirliness in handling during driving . Received alignment report showing some ‘before’ values off including right front toe. All values good in "actual’ report. Did not return to this dealer to fix steering wheel since the service guy told me I was being overly-sensitive and road crown is what I’m mistaking for wheel being off-center. He assured me wheel was straight - and it wasn’t - as before when car drives straight wheel is tilted to left, when wheel is straight/level, car steers right.

Shortly after second alignment I swapped front right and left wheels to see if it changed anything in regards to steering wheel or handling squirlieness. At first it seemed to affect the steering wheel position a little bit (only slightly, in a good way) but that soon went away (as tires wore in and/or strut continued to fail?).

Then a vibration/shimmy developed over time becoming worse as 15K miles approached. Couldn’t say that it localized to front-right but that would be my assumption since the strut was still bad at this point.

At 15K service, the second dealer replaced defective strut and alignment done. Report showed something wrong with front right (before) due to the act of replacing the strut(?). All ‘actual’ values good on report, Alignment seems good. Steering wheel still at 1-2 degrees off center. Steering wheel is titled to left when car drives straight and steers to right when wheel is straight/level.

Noticed less intense shimmy/vibration at some speeds above 55mph (consistent atbove 75mph),

4-wheel balance and extra alignment to straighten wheel. no shimmy. alignment good. All values OK prior-to and after alignment - wheel still 1-2 degrees off center. When car drives straight wheel is titled to left. When wheel is straightened / level, car steers to right.

About the steering wheel:

After each repair attempt I’ve tried driving the car on crowned and non-crowned roads as well as driving down the opposite side of the street and the center of the street (on a noticeably crowned road) and the wheel is never straight/level. Left part of steering wheel crossmember (not the logo!) is lower than right, It’s still titled to the left (less so but not straight!) when driving down center of the crowned road, and titled to right a bit when driving down the opposite side (wrong way) of the street (expected I suppose). The crowned road I tested this on is a very long city block. Road is in excellent condition. Tested at different speeds up to 25mph with no passengers. I weigh 220lbs.

I think the important bit is: When car is set on a staight line drive (no input) wheel is tilted but car drives straight. When I straighten the wheel the car steers right.

So, since wheels are essentially pointing slightly to right when the steering wheel is straight and level, the left inner tie rod needs shortening and the right inner tie rod needs lengthening?

Is this adjustable on 2017 camry - if adjustments can only be made via the outer ends, I won’t attempt. I’ve watched some youtube vids that show some cars designed this way while others have both. I’d say and equal 1/4 turn to each in the correct direction would solve my problem.

45

OK, If I look at the alignment numbers you provided;

A 1 deg camber on the left front with a 0.8 degree on the right would cause the car to pull left. Are you sure those aren’t negative camber?? That would cause it to pull right.

The Caster numbers show 2.5 left, 2.4 right would cause a pull right.

The rear camber at -2.5 left and -2.4 right would cause it to steer left and these numbers are quite large, by about 1.25 degrees! The additional left rear toe would also cause a left steer condition. Maybe it was set this way to fix your compaint.

I cannot find the alignment specs for this car, only earlier Camrys. Based on that the camber setting for the front should be negative, not positive so the combination of caster and camber at the front would cause a right pull. Even though they may be in spec, they aren’t correct.

And Yes, tires variations and wear can cause this as well as make it worse. Tires are just rubber and string so variations happen.

46

Ah, yes, another snide comment. You can rest assured. Your reputation is intact.
It’s unfortunate. Those times when you choose to focus on the subject at hand and attempt to contribute, you can actually do so. But you too often look for a reason to attack an individual rather than offer insight into the subject of the thread.
It’s sad.

47

Just my 2 cents, but a bit more negative camber on the RF and a bit more positive caster on the RF to offset any pull due to road crown is desired and often set when possible…

The off-center steering wheel (on a level surface with no pull) should be easily correctable by adjusting the tie rods a little bit.

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48

I would not be too concerned about 1 or 2 degrees. If it drives straight with no input. I’d leave it alone, just watch for any unusual tire wear patterns to emerge. If the tires wear evenly, then carry on. BTW, did you check the tires to make sure the tire pressures are balanced side to side?