DIY Alignment - front toe

[92saturnsl2]

I spent some time reading the different threads going back a few years regarding DIY alignments. There's so many differing opinions it's hard to figure out how to approach this.

I'm replacing outer tie rod ends on my '96 Grand Prix, and also putting new tires on. Old tires wore fine, so I'm looking to just get the toe in spec on the front end.

The string line attached to jack-stands method seems easiest to me and makes the most sense, and I have the tools for this. Is the idea to get the front wheels parallel with the rear wheels? Or do the front tires just need to be parallel with each other? I assume measurements need to be taken with the car on ground and suspension loaded. If someone can give a quick rundown of how this procedure is done, I'd appreciate it.

I'm absolutely not taking this to an alignment place, so there's no point in comments about the wisdom of taking it to a professional.

 

[ripcord]

In the past, I've strapped a couple of straight pieces of 2x2 lumber to the outside of the front tires and used a tape measure to rough in the toe. Not as good as a rack, but worked better than just eye-balling it. It would be hard to do that on a car with little ground clearance, though.

 

[nobb]

I do my own toe alignment on vehicles with a fixed rear axle, because with the string method you can use the rear wheels as reference. Using a tight thin string and ruler, you can actually measure things pretty darn accurately.

However I would be hesitant on using this method for vehicles with an adjustable rear toe, or any other sort of independent rear suspension where there is a chance the bushing could be worn and affecting the rear toe. Since the rear wheel is the reference point, any inaccuracy here gets amplified in your readings. It's all dependent on the design geometry, but I think most economy cars use a trailing arm rear suspension so the risks of that are minimal.

 

[AutoMechanic]

You don’t have to do an alignment if you count the number of turns it came off and turn it back on the same amount then it won’t be out of alignment. It is always good to check the alignment afterwards but if you do that it won’t be out of alignment we always check it at work but rarely have to realign it afterwards.

 

[ka9mnx]

The string line attached to jack-stands method seems easiest to me and makes the most sense, and I have the tools for this. Is the idea to get the front wheels parallel with the rear wheels? Or do the front tires just need to be parallel with each other? I assume measurements need to be taken with the car on ground and suspension loaded. If someone can give a quick rundown of how this procedure is done, I'd appreciate it.

I used the string an jack stand method to get "close" before I went to the alignment shop. Guy at the shop said I was really close. it was very time consuming (took all afternoon).
You need to keep the steering wheel centered while making the front and rear tires parallel. With the steering wheel centered and the tires parallel now you can start moving the front right and left tie rods until you get the desired toe in. PM me if you need more details.

 

[mightymousetech]

You don’t have to do an alignment if you count the number of turns it came off and turn it back on the same amount then it won’t be out of alignment. It is always good to check the alignment afterwards but if you do that it won’t be out of alignment we always check it at work but rarely have to realign it afterwards.

Really? Often new tie rods are threaded differently than the old ones, which would cause the alignment to be way off. I have never seen a car within spec after tie rod replacement.
As for a string alignment, you can get it very close, but will never be perfect. On my alignment rack, I only have to turn a tie rod one wrench flat (so, 1/6 of a turn) to go from toe in out of spec to toe out out of spec. No way to get that accuracy with string.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Really? Often new tie rods are threaded differently than the old ones, which would cause the alignment to be way off. I have never seen a car within spec after tie rod replacement.
As for a string alignment, you can get it very close, but will never be perfect. On my alignment rack, I only have to turn a tie rod one wrench flat (so, 1/6 of a turn) to go from toe in out of spec to toe out out of spec. No way to get that accuracy with string.

I’ve never ran into that issue before. I was taught in school to count the turns and taught in the dealership training I had to do for work to just check the alignment afterwards to insure it being in spec but most of the time it would be in spec if you use the counting procedure. I have no idea what the string alignment is I have never heard that term also never have done a DIY alignment either so that’s probably why.

 

[92saturnsl2]

You don’t have to do an alignment if you count the number of turns it came off and turn it back on the same amount then it won’t be out of alignment. It is always good to check the alignment afterwards but if you do that it won’t be out of alignment we always check it at work but rarely have to realign it afterwards.

I'd always do that just to keep a car driveable in order to make it to the alignment shop, but this flat out doesn't work. Once I installed the new tie rod, my wheel was definitely toed in. It took about 5 turns to get it in a position that looked straight. Comparing the new end vs the old one, the new one has about 1/4" more thread on it where it slips over the inner tie rod.

I'm planning on doing more suspension work soon, so I'm not spending $100 on an alignment just to do it again. Gonna try my luck with the DIY method, beats paying $100 and having a shop botch the job every other time. Last time I got a car back from an alignment both jam nuts were left loose.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I'd always do that just to keep a car driveable in order to make it to the alignment shop, but this flat out doesn't work. Once I installed the new tie rod, my wheel was definitely toed in. It took about 5 turns to get it in a position that looked straight. Comparing the new end vs the old one, the new one has about 1/4" more thread on it where it slips over the inner tie rod.

I'm planning on doing more suspension work soon, so I'm not spending $100 on an alignment just to do it again. Gonna try my luck with the DIY method, beats paying $100 and having a shop botch the job every other time. Last time I got a car back from an alignment both jam nuts were left loose.

Oh yeah I don’t trust most places to do alignments luckily I work at a dealership so I can just bring in my stuff whenever it needs it and preform it myself. I haven’t ever encountered a problem with them not being aligned but I am sure it’s possible to happen I’ve probably just been lucky lol. Hope you can get the DIY one to work. And yeah I agree no since doing a professional one now if you are just replacing more parts later on to require it again.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Think I got this figured out, not without some head scratching though. Got my string line set up and parallel with the rear tires, but I became stumped right away. My front tires were almost an inch difference than the rear, the distance to the string line. Some internet searching later and somebody had some specs on this car ('96 GP) and low and behind there's a difference in the rear and front width. I guess just line the string up with the rears like they're supposed to be, and even up the front at this point?

 

[Too3zln]

What you could do is replace one side, take it for a drive and adjust just that side until your steering wheel sits straight driving down the road, or as close as possible to how it was before. Then do the other side to match. If you notice uneven wear or driving characteristics, then get an alignment.

 

[Dave1027]

You should align the rears too. All the wheels work together. Align all wheels to the body. I use fishing line and jackstands to get a very accurate alignment.

 

[92saturnsl2]

The rear suspension on these cars (1st gen W body) aren't known for going out of alignment (short of a collision,) and it's a royal mother of a job even on a new one, much less an old one with some rust underneath, plus requires a special tool I don't have. Not going to mess with it given the last set of tires wore down completely even. Even if I took it to a shop, 99% sure they won't touch the rear toe because of the amount of time/effort involved. I'm just going to align what I buggered with and that's the front toe.

Used the string line method to align front to rear, got the fronts within 1/64. probably not dead accurate, but I'm going to do some driving and see how it tracks, while keeping an eye out for unusual tire wear. Visually they look straight as an arrow. As soon as I get my other car back on the road, this one is going down for full out suspension refresh and I'll do a "real" alignment afterwards.

Thanks for all the input fellas, much appreciated.

 

[zzyzzx]

In the past, I've strapped a couple of straight pieces of 2x2 lumber to the outside of the front tires and used a tape measure to rough in the toe. Not as good as a rack, but worked better than just eye-balling it. It would be hard to do that on a car with little ground clearance, though.

The issue I see here is actually finding straight 2x2's, or any other lumber straight enough.

 

[zzyzzx]

You don’t have to do an alignment if you count the number of turns it came off and turn it back on the same amount then it won’t be out of alignment. It is always good to check the alignment afterwards but if you do that it won’t be out of alignment we always check it at work but rarely have to realign it afterwards.

I've done this on my beater car more than once and not had any issues because of it, meaning that the car doesn't pull and tires wear evenly.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I've done this on my beater car more than once and not had any issues because of it, meaning that the car doesn't pull and tires wear evenly.

Yeah I do it on all my cars at my work currently we aren’t allowed to bring our own cars in so I would have to pay someone to align it so that’s why I done the turn counting method on my truck and do on all vehicles.

 

[Trav]

I spent some time reading the different threads going back a few years regarding DIY alignments. There's so many differing opinions it's hard to figure out how to approach this.

I'm replacing outer tie rod ends on my '96 Grand Prix, and also putting new tires on. Old tires wore fine, so I'm looking to just get the toe in spec on the front end.

The string line attached to jack-stands method seems easiest to me and makes the most sense, and I have the tools for this. Is the idea to get the front wheels parallel with the rear wheels? Or do the front tires just need to be parallel with each other? I assume measurements need to be taken with the car on ground and suspension loaded. If someone can give a quick rundown of how this procedure is done, I'd appreciate it.

I'm absolutely not taking this to an alignment place, so there's no point in comments about the wisdom of taking it to a professional.

Spend less than $100 and get one of these, after the first one you are saving money.

G4008 Gunson Trakrite Wheel Alignment Gauge

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[Dave Sherman]

I aligned my MG myself after I replaced the tie rod ends. Used the string and jack stands placed behind the rear wheels to get them so they were both straight in relation to the rears, then built a jig out of a 2x4 with a short 2x4 attached at 90 degrees. Slid it in front and behind the front wheels with the short piece up against the 9:00 or 3:00 position on the sidewalls, and used the edge of a square pressed against the opposite sidewall. Took several measurements after rolling the car slightly to make sure the average toe was within 1/8" (that was the spec from the factory workshop manual). Must have done something right, the handling is fine, the steering wheel is true, and the tires are wearing fine.

 

[Cressida]

The two strings that run down the side of the vehicle must be parallel. In order to get there, you first must make a perfect square around your vehicle. That is how you are certain that your sides are parallel.

I use like a 10 pound nylon fishing line for the sides because it is so small you can't hardly see it. For the other two (front and back) I use steel pipe - anything that cannot flex or move. Run your two side lines very close to the rims and it makes it easier to measure. Then you must be careful sliding under the car to make your adjustments not to touch the side strings. It takes time but you can get a really good alignment if you do it correctly. I forgot but you need to be on level pavement too.

 

[tblt44]

I actually use string on to cinder blocks same as the Jack span to correct the bat alignment done at a shop twice.
My steering wheel was off and it pulled to one side a little bit after I was done it was perfect