alignment

fearingdark · Post by **fearingdark** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:39 am

my front driver's side tire is toe out just a bit, so it makes a weird humming noise that gets louder with overall speed.
i figure that it needs to be adjusted back to neutral, but i don't want to get a full alignment done until i get my DCR arms ordered and installed and my camber bolts put in.

what would be the best way to go about doing a front end alignment yourself?

and i know its probably not the best idea, but i need it for the time being...

neonslg09 · Post by **neonslg09** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:35 am

Unless it was causing super bad drag/pull/wear, I'd say buy the DCR arms, install them, and then go for an alignment.

Neon4Life · Post by **Neon4Life** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:57 am

^ what he said.

darthroush · Post by **darthroush** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 1:55 pm

"Poor boy" alignments can be done. I don't have time right now to type up the process for toe in/out, but it can be done and generally works pretty dang good as a "general" setting.

Post by **occasional demons** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:55 pm

Just be sure that the "humming" is not a wheel bearing. I have had to run with the toe off on the DS also, due to the oem tie rod not haveing enough adjustment. (Moogs cured that)

But there was not any noise generated by said condition. The steering wheel was out by about 1/8 to 1/4 turn. Pass side was in spec.

fearingdark · Post by **fearingdark** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:01 pm

i've done the things my dad told me about checking a wheel bearing and it doesn't seem to be that.

the DCR arms are for the back, i'm dealing with a problem in the front.

if anyonw could put up a short explanation of how to do it, i think i could BS my way through it.

and what kind of things would i need to see if my wheel was off centered? i was thinking like a rigid piece of plastic about 2 feet long held against the brake rotor

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:10 pm

Pretty much on you need to disconnect the tie rod from the wheel that you think is not running straight and adjust the rod to the right length till it "appears" straight. This can get pretty damn close by eye balling it. Though not necessary, making this a two man job is helpful for getting it straighter.

You'll need to first "break" the locking nut on the tie rod free (Adjustable crescent wrenches work well for this). Then disconnect the arm from the knuckle. Spin it around till you get the desired length and then put the arm back in the knuckle and tighten.

Oh yeah... and since it isn't "professional" it is going to be trial and error till you get it "good enough"

OB · Post by OB » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:23 pm

First off, if your toe was out "just a bit", you wouldn't be able to tell visually, and you probably wouldn't be able to feel it while driving unless you really know the feel of the car. I assume you measured it? If so....

The best way to do a ghetto toe-only alignment is to measure the lateral distance between the tires on the front and back of the tread, as viewed from the side. You must use a specific point on the tire tread as reference for the slightest chance at accuracy. I also recommend measuring using a set height off the ground, to further improve accuracy. Once measured front and back, the difference between the two is total toe. With the steering wheel straight, adjust both sides until the measurements are the same. Be sure to watch the steering wheel when adjusting, steer ahead needs to be as close to perfect as possible before making adjustments.

superdan · Post by **superdan** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:41 pm

fearingdark wrote:the DCR arms are for the back, i'm dealing with a problem in the front.

all i can say if you need an alignment in the back you have bigger problems...which leads me to a n00b question, are alignments not basically done to the front wheels? and toe and camber adjusted in the front and rear? or maybe im just

and confused lol

OB · Post by OB » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:46 pm

^Your question confuses me...

superdan · Post by **superdan** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:50 pm

hahha ok....

what i was trying to say was, when you go to get an alignment do they align the rear also? Wouldnt that be bad if you had to get your rear end aligned? And isnt the only thing they do to the rear is adjust the toe or camber?

any better? lol

neonslg09 · Post by **neonslg09** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:52 pm

I mean, you can get a two wheel alignment. and go back and get the second one done.

Sounds the easiest to me right now.

OB · Post by OB » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:56 pm

Yeah I got you now Dan haha.

This kind of depends on the vehicle, but in our case, caster and camber are non adjustable, period. Toe is adjusted in the front with the tie rod assemblies, and in the rear with the eccentric adjusters on the lateral arms.

When fully adjustable lateral arms are used, camber can be adjusted in the rear. To get front camber adjustment, either camber bolts must be used, the strut clevis must be slotted, or coilovers must be installed with camber plates instead of standard tophats.

It is just as likely for the rear toe to be knocked out of spec as the front. A good pothole can cause an eccentric cam or tie rod end to move slightly (or excessively in severe cases). Component/bushing wear is also a common cause of alignment issues.

darthroush · Post by **darthroush** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:41 pm

OB wrote:
The best way to do a ghetto toe-only alignment is to measure the lateral distance between the tires on the front and back of the tread, as viewed from the side. You must use a specific point on the tire tread as reference for the slightest chance at accuracy. I also recommend measuring using a set height off the ground, to further improve accuracy. Once measured front and back, the difference between the two is total toe. With the steering wheel straight, adjust both sides until the measurements are the same. Be sure to watch the steering wheel when adjusting, steer ahead needs to be as close to perfect as possible before making adjustments.

That's pretty much it. I was just in the middle of class, so I didn't have time to elaborate right then.