mike850r Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 havent really gotten into it yet...but i can never seem to have my car properly alligned...any ideas before i start getting too involved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Do a 4 wheel alignment using professional equipment. Get a before and after print-out to compare to specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlausC Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 havent really gotten into it yet...but i can never seem to have my car properly alligned...any ideas before i start getting too involved?I finally gave up on the tire shops and paid the dealer for a 4 wheel alighment. The reason it would not hold proper alignment: both ball joints were worn in the front.I'm a little poorer now, the dealer can go on vacation, but the track is straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 There you go... Don't go to tire shops that can't fix the alignment problems. They just want to take your money.Good shops won't do the alignment, thus saving you money, when they detect any wear or problems that won't result in a good alignment. Of course, they prefer you stick around and let them fix the problem before the alignment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike850r Posted December 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 see its got new ball joints and tie rod ends....i actually had had it aligned at volvo when i worked there...still wore the inside...is it possable the car was hit and didnt coe up on carfax? ive been under there countless times and nver saw signs of structual damage...there have been hints that it waas in a front end colision though. :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlausC Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 see its got new ball joints and tie rod ends....i actually had had it aligned at volvo when i worked there...still wore the inside...is it possable the car was hit and didnt coe up on carfax? ive been under there countless times and nver saw signs of structual damage...there have been hints that it waas in a front end colision though. Carfax is a pretty neat tool, but it should not be construed to be a bible. My 1995 850 was hit twice, the previous owner told me, it had new bumpers front and rear, but never showed on Carfax. I think it has to be a significant sum to register there.You may have collision damage and that will be almost impossible to find. All it needs is to have a frame support off by a mm and the car no longer will track straight. But a 4 wheel alignment instrument should have pointed this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveO Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 I've been having alignment probs lately. The new control arms i had put in w/ my kw's already have a clunk, and one tie rod end was bad too. I got them from IPD, I think the quality of the parts is questionable. Is it possible that my suspension causes the ball joints to wear prematurly. I plan on getting my original control arms rebuilt w/ slater's bushings and new ball joints, in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike850r Posted December 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 the only suspension upgrades i have are sway bars and bilstein tc's....i wonder if those are whats making it funny...they do make it sit higher...maybe that could cause it???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 the only suspension upgrades i have are sway bars and bilstein tc's....i wonder if those are whats making it funny...they do make it sit higher...maybe that could cause it????I have the same set-up as you and everything is hunky dory. I'd say ball joints (control arm) and/or tierod ends (inner and/or outer). Could also be the rubber spring seat for the TC's, but less likely. Worn out axle shafts (doesn't necessarily have to have the clicking sound) can also contribute to alignment issues, or seemingly so as in my case one of my axle shafts was bad and I had a vibration at about 70mph that I could have sworn was bad tire balancing or alignment. Good luck figuring it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadeInJapan Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 That last was me...don't know why VS isn't automatically signing me in again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike850r Posted December 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 idk ...haha(a lil on the wasted side)....but i have new ball joints and tierod ends...OEM...ohh welll..looks like i have the mad negitive camber for the win...lol...or at least i cann tell people that :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmc Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Yeh, I still have no real good alignment. How do you know if your tierod ends are not good anymore?I inspected them yesterday but they looked fine. Where do you look for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Jack up the front, place it safely on jack stands, and let the wheels hang. Have one person shake a tire (one hand on each side of the tire and wiggle from side to side). Look for any motion in a suspension piece. A very small amount of motion in a part makes a significant difference. You might also have the person move their hands to the top & bottom of the tire and wiggle hard again. Check the other side the same way. There should be no motion lost (looseness) in any suspension or steering control part.Find a shop with a modern Hunter alignment rack and one that guarantees their work for at least 30 days. This gives you time to feel how things are working and get the work re-done, preferably by a different tech. The Hunter console tells the tech exactly where to make the alignment changes and even what tools to use. Front and rear toe-in are the only adjustments. I like to add camber adjusters and set the camber to -2°. Be sure they know that you expect a 4-wheel alignment, and that you expect an inspection for worn parts first. If there are worn parts, stop. Get the parts replaced before you get the alignment done.Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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