You could try that, make sure you go in the opposite direction on each wheel though and be aware that if you don't get the alignment just right you are going to wear your tires out quickly.

 

If you have VSC you may need to calibrate the steering angle sensor.

 

Highlander_1:
2003 V6 AWD 368k miles, original owner and chief grease monkey.
I have done my own front wheel alignment using the "string method" and I have corrected the crooked steering wheel syndrome too. It can be done as a DIY. Takes patience and lots of trial and error.
FYI- The HL has only toe adjustment unless someone has installed camber adjustment bolts to the strut mounts.
BTW- top tip. To make wheel adjustment easier and more accurate, position the front tires on two layers of (slippery) cardboard so as your adjustments are made the tires don't "stick" to the garage or driveway surface and throw things off.
There are a whole bunch of How-To's on the string method on YouTube so I invite you to check these out. It works and is surprisingly accurate.
Best of luck and let us know how it goes, Haya....

Edit: I added a link to a video, there are many others,

 

Thanks!!
Does anyone know the alignment specifications for an 04 4wd?

 

The factory front spec is 0.00 degrees with tolerance of 0.08 degrees toe-in.
A toe-in stance promotes truer tracking, less wander.
I was able to get a toe in of 1mm on each wheel, i.e.. a total of 2mm. The car drives straight-straight with no odd or detrimental tire wear. 😎

 

If the front wheels must remain on the ground for accurate measurement, then how to access/adjust the tie rod ends?

Also, since my steering wheel is off center, my understanding is to keep the wheels straight before the operation and not the steering wheel. Am i correct?

 

Long arms/wrenches...

 

Like this.

 

Where is that guy when the socket rolls under the car, right to the exact center?

 

The only way that i see the most logical.

 

I like the idea of putting the car on something slippery. I've been making adjustments then backing and pulling the car up 10 feet before measuring again.

 

Since my steering wheel is crooked to the right, the important thing to know before starting the alignment is, do i straighten the steering wheel or the front wheels?

 

If the steering wheel is off to the right then you need to move the wheel to the center with the front wheels in the same position as they were when the steering wheel was off. Every car needs the tie rods to be the same length to steer properly and that can not vary much.

What event or events led to the off center wheel?

It's possible that you adjust something only to find one tire has more rolling resistance than the other, so it might be a good idea to swap the front tires to see if that makes any difference.

If there was any "EVENT" that happened and then the wheel was out of whack then you need to make sure there was no damage that should be repaired before any adjustment.

If there are no other reason to need any repairs PRIOR to the adjustment, then with the rack behind the ball joints, you would need to make one tie rod longer and the other shorter. I think the longer rod would have to be on the left so the steering wheel would move to the left when the front wheels were in the same position, with the shorter rod on the right.

Break the lock nuts loose, without turning the inner tie rods and remember they are left handed on one side and right handed (threads) on the other side.

Basically make the rod on the left side shorter and the rod on the right side longer, which will point the front wheels straight ahead with the steering wheel centered. I an so damn dyslexic it's hard for me to visualize it but I think I got it right.

 

I always liked to take a triangular file and file a groove across the threaded portion of the tie rod and the outer tie rod, then you can always go back to where you started if you get mixed up and it's not hard to get mixed up. I don't think you would need to turn them any more than one revolution and the different threads make that easy to happen.

 

If this condition is after an alignment that you are confident is correct and you had it done recently maybe the shop would adjust if for you.

 

Thank you!

 

Pictures:

Just a 6' length of 1/2" conduit, a bolt nutted on both sides, a pointer and some collar that you can slide along and then secure. Helps if bolt and pointer are painted white, red or some visible color.

The principle in setting toe is to compare distance between tires on one side, to distance between tires on the other side.

This was designed for one person operation, although two makes it somewhat easier.

1. Choose a tire block section that is identical all the way round the tire. Outermost blocks tend to be that way. The inner blocks are often serrated/wavy. The idea is to measure between same location on front and rear of tire. To make the tire block edge visible, rub chalk on the edge of the tire block on both tires, front and back.

2. With the pipe in front of wheels, and yourself lying directly in front of the tire the pointer will be at, lift the bolt end of the pipe and snag the gap in the tread block at the far tire. Keep tension on the pipe so the bolt doesn't' fall out but not so much pull that the tire block or bolt deforms.

3. Move the pipe up until the bubble level is "level".

4. Adjust pointer until it is right at the edge of the tire block. Double check that the pipe is level. Carefully tighten collar.

5. Carefully jockey the pipe between the wheels so it is behind the wheels. Don't disturb the pointer.

6. Jockey yourself around to the back side of the wheel.

7. Snag the far tire tread again, bring the pipe level and NOTE where the pointer lands on the near tire block (the one by your head).

9. If the pointer falls short of the near tire tread block edge, then the wheels are farther apart at the back than the front (e.g. you'd have to move the pointer farther out on the pipe to reach the edge). The wheels are TOED IN.

10. If the pointer is past the edge of the chalked tread block edge, then the wheels are TOED OUT.

11. For my HL the spec is 0 +/- 2mm. I would adjust BOTH tie rod ends in 1/4 turn increments IN or OUT (depending on what your measurement revealed) until the front of wheel and back of wheel measurements were within 1 or 2mm of each other.

If the wheels are toed IN too far, you make the tie rods SHORTER, to bring the rear of tires closer together. For too much toe OUT, lengthen the tie rods to move rear of tires farther apart.

If the steering wheel is crooked when driving straight, adjust tie rods equally and in the same direction as the steering wheel error. E.g if the steering wheel is off center to the left, then BOTH wheels are adjusted to the left, with the driver side tie rod shortened and the passenger side tie rod lengthen by same amount.

Note that it's better to be slightly toed in than toed out. Toe-out much past 2mm or so will make the car very darty and nervous, but turn response will be great. Too much toe in make it sluggish and heavy feeling, and may make bump-steer worse (the tendency for steering wheel and car to pull one direction over rises or bumps)

Last, it's best to drive car back and then forward between tie rod adjustments, otherwise the suspension bushings set with the new tension from your adjustment and give false subsequent readings unless you move the car and equalize things again.

Thank you!