Doing your own wheel alignment?

[Rock_Hudstone]

Anybody do their own wheel alignment adjustments?

2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with an inner edge wear issue on the left from., Viewing the vehicle straight on the problem wheel noticeably tilts inward more than the right side, everything else okay, no pulling, feathering, etc.

There are adjustable camber bolts installed so there is some adjustment possible.

 

[Nick1994]

Your alignment doesn't just change in it's own. If it wasn't wearing before but it is now, something is either worn out or bent.

 

[ET16]

As far as I know this isn't a DIY item.

 

[LotI]

Inner edge wear on one front tire is a camber issue. You can buy a camber gauge but if you change camber, you will change toe.

Can you set it to one hundredth of a degree? Thats what an aligner does.

 

[Alex_V]

I only mess with toe. Anything else, especially a misalignment that can be seen with the naked eye, really should have the root cause diagnosed and, after that's been fixed, aligned by someone with the right equipment.

 

[jhellwig]

You can rough toe in but that is about it.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Your alignment doesn't just change in it's own. If it wasn't wearing before but it is now, something is either worn out or bent.


I think Firestone never got the alignment quite right in the first place when I had new tires installed about two years ago and it was not very noticeable until the tires were down to around 50% tread.

 

[WobblyElvis]

I have done my own alignment on a 99 Caravan. Something doesn't sound right with your vehicle. If the drivers side front tire is leaning in at the top [negative camber] the van should be pulling to the right. Normally you don't need camber adjustment bolts but it is good that you have them. Are sure nothing is bent and/or there is no worn parts?

 

[ATex7239]

The machines alignment places use measure to 1000ths of an inch. There is no way you could ever be that accurate manually...

Better to paying the pros.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
I have done my own alignment on a 99 Caravan. Something doesn't sound right with your vehicle. If the drivers side front tire is leaning in at the top [negative camber] the van should be pulling to the right. Normally you don't need camber adjustment bolts but it is good that you have them. Are sure nothing is bent and/or there is no worn parts?


Well, when I had the tires rotated last week Firestone said it needed a right side inner tie rod but that wouldn't cause the ongoing RH negative camber issues? Everything else is fine, steering wheel is centered, no pulling or other unusual tire wear.

My thinking is if I add a little positive camber that has to be an improvement over where its set now. However, I don't want to throw the toe out.

 

[Lubener]

Rough in yes but there's no way someone can get an alignment right on without the proper equipment by using plumb bobs and tape measures.

 

[SatinSilver]

I had an alignment tech tell me to bring it in with half a tank of gas. So yes, pretty precise.

 

[WobblyElvis]

Usually the suspension is designed so that as the camber bolt is used, the wheel/steering knuckle will pivot on the remaining [knuckle to strut] bolt. This bolt will be at the same height as the outer tie rod. In other words adjusting camber should have minimal effect on toe.

Toe is the easiest adjustment to make yourself. So that is nothing to worry about.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: ATex7239
The machines alignment places use measure to 1000ths of an inch. There is no way you could ever be that accurate manually...

Better to paying the pros.


No, but this was supposedly professionally aligned less than two years ago and they obviously didn't get the camber right even with camber adjustment bolts installed.

Not the first time in my life I've run into this situation either, i.e.. four new tires installed and alignment performed, then after a period a time (usually after the warranty expires) tires begin to show signs of uneven wear.

 

[eljefino]

I do them all the time.

You want to focus on one wheel at a time.

If something bent on your typical macpherson setup that threw your camber off, it will have also thrown your toe off, unless you bent the top of your knuckle between the wheel hub/bearing and strut-- fairly unlikely.

So if you assume you started with a clean slate, fix the camber so you get the toe right and also so you cure the pull. You should, again in theory, not have to adjust the toe adjusting sleeve, but you should measure toe as it reflects on how "off" you knocked your camber.

The other use of adjusting toe is if you replace any parts-- even control arms are made to inaccurate sizes and will throw off all your readings, toe being by far the most important though.

So we've established you should fix camber before toe. Eyeballing the front tires in relation to the rears is a start but you have to trust one frame of reference, and this just shows you "something's wrong". You can also go off of tire wear and how the car pulls. A negative camber front tire will push a car away from it while a positive one pulls.

Do all your measurements on a truly flat surface. It's best to do them all then turn the car around 180 degrees, eg backed in, then average the readings if they're close but not identical.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: LotI

Can you set it to one hundredth of a degree? That's what an aligner does.


I have never seen an aligner do that good of a job. Most I see are worse than what I can do at home.


There used to be a good youtube video...
a couple wooden yard sticks, some tape measures, duct tape, square and a level and that's it.


There's no more real "Science" taking it to somewhere and using a "special machine". We used to do aircraft wing/tail alignment/measurements & adjustments with plumb bobs and a surveyor's transit, for Pete's sake! The Lockheed manuals **still** (to this day) show how the procedure is done.


Concur on looking for worn parts.... I have seen a LOT of shims in vehicles over the years by aligners that "weren't looking" for worn suspensions components.

 

[cappilot]

After replacing one tie-rod end and struts plus ball joints on a well-used Grand Am, I used a steel tape (toe-in) and a smartphone with a level app (resolution to .1 degree). Parked the car on level concrete, put jackstands under each ball joint, checked to make sure the car was level laterally, and used the phone held against the rotors to set the camber. Installed the wheels/tires and used the tape to check toe-in. Repeated the process for better accuracy. The car drove and handled beautifully and the tires showed no unusual wear over the following thousands of miles. Obviously not as accurately measured as professional alignment equipment, but good enough and perhaps better than some of so-called professional alignments I've paid for over the years.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
There used to be a good youtube video...
a couple wooden yard sticks, some tape measures, duct tape, square and a level and that's it.


I think I saw that one as well. It was from the Red Green Show I believe.

 

[maverickfhs]

Can anyone please share a link for that video? Planning to replace suspension components and then alignment would be needed.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: LotI
Can you set it to one hundredth of a degree? That's what an aligner does.

I have never seen an aligner do that good of a job. Most I see are worse than what I can do at home.


Thats what I'm thinking. The techs (and the service managers) charge the full price but try to spend the least amount time on it as possible.

I once had an alignment done at STS on their shiny high dollar Hunter alignment rack, drove away and the car is pulling to the right. I go back and the old man at the counter waves the alignment print out sheet in my face and says its within specs. I had to take the car elsewhere and pay for another alignment to get it corrected. Last time I ever stepped foot it that dump.

Thanks for all the good info.