some handling issues Options

[Zimluura]

so a while ago i got a wheel bearing fixed. and my car re-aligned. but the alignment shop couldn't get things 100% perfect.

Front : Right caster is stuck at 1.0 degrees when it's specified range is 1.3 to 2.8.

at first my car pulled to the right, and then they adjusted something else to compensate for the caster being un-adjustable. and after that it was only a very slight pull.

i've since been in a front end accident which the insurance company repaired (minor frame damage they said was fix-able). and the alignment seemed a little bit better.

so now it's like 4 months later. and the alignment is not horrible, but still a slight pull to the right. and i'm noticing a slight shudder in the steering wheel on braking. so i'm sorta worried that i've warped a rotor (again) and that it could be indicative of another bad wheel bearing (yikes, hoping that's not the case) and want to get some opinions on what i should do regarding repairs.

furthermore, i was planning this year to spend a bunch of money with dr.tweak for an awd conversion and a 2gr-fe engine swap. i love my car and want to drive it until i die, but if somethings messed up permanently it might be a better idea to get another...just saying that makes me tear up...

any advice??

[alltracman78]

Jack your car up and see if you can wiggle that wheel.
Make sure you lock the steering first [take key out and turn wheel until it "clicks"].

If there's no wiggle it's not going to cause the rotor to go bad.

Most likely it didn't anyways, that's an extreme circumstance.

Brake rotors warp, it happens.

Even if it is a wheel bearing and a rotor[s], IMO it doesn't mean you have to get rid of the car. These things happen to an older car.

Regarding your caster, is your car lowered?
Have you considered replacing that strut housing? If it's slightly bent it will throw caster off. A bad strut mount could also do this.
The chassis itself could also be slightly warped where the strut mount sits, or your control arm.
It's unlikely the axle carrier [steering knuckle] is bent, though that is possible as well.

If this is a problem [if it and/or the correction doesn't cause tire wear, :shrug:], you might want to consider checking that stuff...

2GRFE is a pretty adventurous swap...
Are you planning on running a stand alone or the stock ECU?
You might run into problems running the stocker, it a lot more involved with the other chassis ECUs [CAN interface if you care] than your current ECU.

What AWD system are you planning on using?
A Highlander or Sienna? Either way it's auto only I believe. I don't think the Highlander has a manual AWD, and I know the Sienna doesn't. You'll need the trans ECU [if it's separate] as well in that case.
Or does an older one bolt up to it?

[Zimluura]

cool, going to see my mechanic tomorrow. will do the wheel bearing test.

not 100% sure on the engine + awd swap plan.
tweak made a post saying he wanted to do some very ambitions swaps last year. i was quite interested...but
a) wanted a 100% legal car (i'm quite paranoid with regard to the law). thus no simple 3s-gte for me
b) was concerned about taxes. which turned out to totally suck for fy2006 since i sold stock to buy a house. this year things are looking better, but i'll know more by april 15th.

thought with the 2gr-fe there was an awd lexus. sorta assumed that would be the basis for the powertrain. looking at wikipedia entries i don't see something that's definitely manual. hmmm, since i've bought a 5spd truck i'm staring to like driving manual more. something i'll ask about when i'm 100% sure how much cash the government will leave me with this year.

hmm, if there are no wheel bearing problems i might get the drilled slotted rotors. iirc there's really no real benefit anymore, but i think i can get them with a lifetime warranty.

[LewFX]

pulling while braking is 90% a warped rotor but it can be caused by a bad bearing too

[alltracman78]

Please take the time to actually read the post if you're going to give advice. Stuff not relevant to his problem only causes confusion....
Nowhere did he say his car is pulling when he brakes, he said his car pulls to the right and the wheel shudders when he brakes.

thought with the 2gr-fe there was an awd lexus. sorta assumed that would be the basis for the powertrain. looking at wikipedia entries i don't see something that's definitely manual.

I don't know if Lexus has a AWD powertrain for the 2GRFE, but if they do there's no manual option for it.
Currently the only manual Lexus is the IS250.

You can always keep the car FWD and do a 1/3MZFE swap.
Or a VZ block [cast iron instead of aluminum].
Both will still give you decent power and you can get a manual trans for them.

[Zimluura]

thanks a bunch. my mechanic thinks i probably shouldn't do the awd thing. but i'll still ask tweak a few more questions about it when i _know_ that i'll be able to afford it.

got some slotted drilled rotors on order (lifetime warranty). and going to try to get some strut bars to stiffen the body up.

the parts database only has listings for the bar: 53605-20020, and not the trim. i coulda' sworn i saw the 2 trim pieces listed on here somewhere. currently looking around, but if anyone knows em please post or drop me a pm.

thanks again
ny