How to Perform a Front End Alignment Yourself - Easy and Free
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 พ.ค. 2024
- Here is a quick video on how you can adjust your front wheel toe alignment yourself and save a bunch of money. You should always do an alignment after you replace any of your steering components, inner or outer tie rods, rack n pinion etc but if all you need to adjust is the toe on your front wheel here is how you can perform the procedure yourself with very little effort.
Please Consider Supporting My Channel at : / rnwyou may also find these other video's helpful:
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Ratchetsand Wrenches, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. Ratchetsand Wrenches assumes no liability for any property or personal damage that may arise from doing a repair on your vehicle after watching any of my repair video's. Due to factors beyond the control of Ratchetsand Wrenches, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Again Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Ratchetsand Wrenches. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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Fix a mans alignment, and he’ll he driving straight for a year. Teach a man to align, and he’ll be driving straight forever. Thanks for the vid, you got a new subscriber.
Why not babe ?
@_____ 😭🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@ironfistarrival bc teach someone this and they will put their toe out for drifts
this is 2020, not everyone is straight anymore
Stella smith they should be, lets overpopulate epic style
“And we’re running a red light... but that’s ok we are making a very important video” 🤣🤣🤣
Now I know what to say in court after running a red light. Hopefully No accidents tho
Lmao
🤦♂️
😂😂
Thanks 😊 important video so ok to run a red light 🤣🤣🤣🤣
It's a good thing I was sitting down while watching this video, because I nearly fainted when I saw how easy it is. The more videos I watch on auto repair, the dumber I feel for having spent so much money with mechanics. Thanks (6 years later) for this video, sir!
this is not precise enough for long distance tire wear this is only for a rough estimate of alignment.
The thing of it is there's definitely a learning curve but the longer it take to start the longer it will take you to become proficient
Atleast I'm not by myself. My son & myself changed rods, sleeves, headers, cam.... everything! On a Silverado 5.3 LS swap... 700hp gang. All by watching TH-cam.
Couldn't agree more Peter
Yea... no kidding. I'm 67 yrs old now. If TH-cam existed when I was younger, I would have saved thousands of dollars and retired even earlier!
This was uploaded 8 years back and has to be solid so still here. You potentially have saved me $200! Thanks.
MEE too 👌
For anyone attempting this one thing to point out is when you make these measurements and adjustments. make sure the car is 100% on the ground with something under the wheels that will allow them to pivot. Also when you set the car on the ground make sure to give the car a few good shakes on each corner to make sure the suspension has settled. There's a reason alignments are done on a 4 post alignment lift that you drive up onto and not a 2 post lift where the tires leave the ground. The reason for this is the cars suspension geometry is totally different from when it's sitting on the ground compared to when it's lifted off the ground and all the suspension components are stretched out. Aligning the vehicle with the wheels off the ground can and more than likely will throw off your alignment. Im not saying the method in this video can't be used because it definitely can, it won't be as 100 percent accurate as an alignment system but it will work to get you by, you just have to make sure that all four wheels are touching the ground and the cars suspension is settled 100%. The reason I know this is im a ASE Certified Auto Technician. Good luck to anyone doing this method and take your time recording measurements and making adjustments, don't rush along.
good looking out mr smith your wisdom is greatly appreciated. im pretty sure this young man has learned his lesson at this point and make some good cash in the process :)
He says in the video if you place a jack under the suspension it compensates for it being in the air. Is the true? Just want to make sure before I begin
@@derekmedina6475 yeah if you jack up the suspension on both sides
The way I’m thinking of it is you can do it in the air like this for easier adjustments, not having to raise and lower it so many times. Once it’s in spec in the air drop it have it settled then do the same process again but on the ground and it should only take a few adjustments to be “spot on” no?
Cool method being used, 100% for sure you need to keep that on the ground while adjusting, so the weight of the car doesn't offset toe once you put it back on the ground.
went to three shops and no one would fix my alignment. "We are just to busy." Went to a fourth and they made me an appointment. Showed up for the appointment and they said they couldn't do it, could they give me another appointment two days later. Walked out and searched for a DIY and found this one. Went home and did it myself. Thanks a lot. Subbed and liked.
Where do you live
How did your alignment turn out?
Did it work is the question?
So you lied and then lied and lied more. Idk where u live but if you took to a shop that couldn't do for this or that aka lack of experience they would have told you a place that could more than likely. Plus if you went home and did this you did have an alignment. This dude doesn't know shit about alignments. First get the rear inspects you can't use a string to set front toe if rear toe and camber is out
Death is coming
A quick note... if you need to turn the tie rod more than about 1/4-turn, it's a good idea to loosen the clamp on the boot so the tie rod can spin without twisting the boot. Just remember to re-tighten it when you're done.
Cracked me up that there was 5 seconds of driving and he broke a law😂😂
DIdn't actually break a law, as he was in the intersection before it turned red. He was just joking, in the end.
Actually two law. Distracted driving. Electronics usage
@@craigslaunwhite579 Does it really matter?
You are cool because you use tools that WE can afford and you use techniques that WE the people can easily do.
Mechanics are people they just have nice tools
All you need a wrench set. A wrench set is less than $10 on HBF.
If you think you will be able to do this, get your head out of your ass.
Lol all good
Sugarsmaxx thnx for the encouragement
I am glad everyone liked the red light comment, didn't think it was gona be that funny when I made it.. lol.
+RatchetsAnd Wrenches Red light; important video. Both true!
+maxmeranda I saw that light turn yellow and I'm my head I was like:
"RUN THE LIGHT! DO IT!!!" *runs red light* "YES!!! :D"
*****
I always try to put my foot down when the light turns yellow. If it's too far, then I don't even bother.
Sometimes I know when a light is about to turn yellow and put my foot down before.
+RatchetsAnd Wrenches it was a late amber, you're good :)
+RatchetsAnd Wrenches this is helpful, but how do you know that the line you used is level with the wheel well?
Honestly one of the most clear and simple videos I've seen for explaining it thank you
Dude thank you for this video. So helpful. I woulda never thought you could do this. In the back of my mind I always think alignments are something you will have to have a shop do no matter what. Thanks again brotha 👊
The next time I get pulled over for running a red light...
"It's okay, officer. I was filming very important videos."
lol
officier. i do aligment for you free of charge.
that made my day. thank you
Haha, loved that comment
Skrapeg0at lol
this guy comes across as a very honest man, it's becoming one of my favorite channels
Brilliant, thank you. I am a fabricator and mason line once again has proven to be one of the most versatile/useful tools in my toolbox!!
Thanks sir for a wonderful presentation with no unnecessary gimmicks and silly jokes only straight to the point. I have seen a lot of presentations on wheel alignments all of them were not very clear but the moment I checked your presentation I have now thoroughly understood the process. Thanks a lot 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Great tutorial. Just performed my own alignment after replacing tie rods, runs smooth and straight as an arrow. I recently had a professional alignment, so what I did was to measure the distance before I removed my old tie rods and then aligned the new tie rods/wheels to my original distance. Also, I used folding chairs and tied the string on the same height on each of the chairs to ensure the string crossing the same part of the wheel on front and back. Worked perfectly! You saved me $100 from having to go in again.
just logged in to say this was the best video about getting your wheels aligned at home. I'm changing my tie rods, so need to get this right, no need to pay $50 for an alignment.
Why even watch a video like this if you're just gonna take it to a mechanic?
Steve Vento
The tie rods cost me $30 and it took me 10 minutes to install them. To align the car it took me 20 minutes. And the car is just fine (passed inspection).)
So for $30 and half an hour of work I got the job done. The mechanic wanted $150 for everything.
Now do the math.
Nathan Oliver
True. This is for diyers or people that need to do an alignment at home, or even for "emergencies" for instance if you changed your inner tie rods, or struts at home. Then, if you want, you can take the car to the mechanic.
@@mingosmoreira yes but if your settings are slightly off tyres are expensive.
Hey man I just wanted to say that's probably one of the easiest explained videos I've seen in a long time I've had a lot of problems with my alignment just want to let you know I appreciate it thank you
Love how he teaches you the fundamentals and detailed explanations on why he does the things he does in his video
Not shown in the video. Use a second wrench (spanner) to hold the tie rod (track rod) end when tightening the lock nut. Tightening against the tie rod ball joint may damage the joint, plus the lock nut may remain insufficiently tightened. The tie rod end normally has flats provided for this purpose, as can be seen in the video. This method also allows the ball joint to be held level when tightening the lock nut. Hope this helps.
petcatznz first bit of constuctive feedback ive seen on this vid. everyone else is just complaining that this method isnt the most accurate
petcatznz I was thinking the exact same thing. You'll turn everything if you don't hold the inner tie rod with a wrench. If you noticed, he never took his hands off the wheel when test driving afterwards...
Yeahhhh man 👍👍👍
Tienes mucha razon or as the old white yippies say: correctomundo! -Sandy
That's the thinnest rope I've ever seen, I think you're just stringing me along.
How long is a piece of string?
Twice the distance it is from the middle
😎
LoL
RnW would never steer you wrong
man this vid had my hands tied!
lmao!!!
You are the first one that wasn’t click bait to sell some alignment tool lol thanks again 😀👍🙏🏻
I had no idea it was that easy I love it when people like you make videos like this it helps people learn to fix their vehicles themselves and save a ton of money thanks for posting this video
I just did it by eye and I'm happy with the results.
thanks for the video. that tip about turning the wheels in 1/8" was perfect. I had them both straight and took it for a drive and just as you said, the wheels wandered. Went back and fixed it right up.
front wheel drive should toe out, rear wheel drive should toe in.
Awesome video. I've heard about this method before but wanted to see how it was performed and find it much simpler than I'd imagine
u give some of the best point blank explanation walk thru's .. thanks man
I have to give you props for some serious skill! I consider myself somewhat mechanically inclined but never considered a DIY alignment, well done!
Thanks for this video !! I saved a lot of money just watching your videos. I started following you a couple weeks ago and it was the best thing I have done . Great job and very clear explanations . Continue please . Cheers !!!
Richard Hornos Very happy to hear the video's have saved you money! I shall continue :) cheers
Awesome video! I just changed an inner and outer tie rod. I'm doing this tomorrow. Thank you.
The perfect video I was looking for when I lack alignment tools. Cant wait to try the string method 👌🏼
lol running red lights to make important videos that made my day
+Robert Smith :)
"An we're running a red light, but it's ok cause we're making very important videos." I'm subscribing just for that, youtube gold. 😂😂👏👏
An also thanks for the video, it helped me alot.
Watching in 2019 and its a great help. Thanks for making this video!
Thanks man I really appreciate this video as it is going to save me a lot of money on taking it somewhere to get it done. your videos are very helpful to someone like myself who needs to save money
ANNNNND we're running red lights BUT ITS OK because we're shooting videos. lmao
00700556 :-)
RatchetsAnd Wrenches That qoute just gained you a sub :D
RatchetsAnd Wrenches I think that was the funniest thing I've ever seen on a diy video. Hahaha
he said we running red lights, but we're ok we doing very important videos LOL NICE...
That was the best part !
Sam Duran that shit made me laugh hella hard haha
+Sam Duran F-YEA
+Sam Duran best part ever...
Sam Duran 😂
Hey you got a good sense of humor and your videos are clear and concise. Thanks for the help
Straight, detailed, not overly wordy. Bravo! You got a new subscriber. Oh, and watch those red lights. It was yellow as you hit the line. You're good.
I took a shot everytime you said "okay", I'm now drunk
😆
Been 2 years. Still drunk? That was a lot of “okay’s”
@@groove269 okay
6:11 we are running red lights it s ok because we are doing very important video... lol
I learned this about a yr ago from watching TH-cam , good knowledge my friend thanks for sharing 😉
This is another under-rated channel.
Glad I found it!
Great content; Keep it coming.
A few things here that I need to mention.Do not adjust your toe-in with the front of the vehicle off the ground like R&W did in this demonstration.Your vehicle may be susceptible to "bump steer".This is a change of toe-in/toe-out as the suspension moves from full droop to full compression,due to differences in the arcs of the tie rod and the lower control arm.
When you adjust the toe with the vehicle on the ground,use turn plates under the tire or something to break the friction between the tire and the ground,as you may get a false toe reading due to a slight tire slip angle through the tread.That is,the rubber is twisting.
When centering the steering wheel,if the vehicle has power steering,start it up,center the steering wheel,then switch it off.This equalizes the pressure in the steering rack/box.
jimmy mushman I was watching this video and fully understand steering as I have been a car mechanic for 50 years, I looked down the comments to find what you said, otherwise I was going to say exactly the same thing ! also a lot of cars do have adjustable rear tracking.
gstree iv been a mechanic for over seventy five years (im 95) and i agree.
why can't one just do what's done in the video then lower the car and remeasure? If it's off jack up the car once again and adjust. Keep doing this till measurement is correct when car is on the ground? Also how does one adjust camber?
@@raczyk bc it will never be right if you jack it up. think about it...your tires sit differently with fhe weight pushing your suspension out
Thank you for sharing this video, man. I agree that letting a pro do this job would give you the best alignment, but if you do it carefully, I believe you can get it roughly perfect as well. I would not have to pay $100 alignment if I had seen this video 2 weeks sooner.
Great video. Clear and concise presentation. Good camera work. Clear images. Love it. Thank you.
dude! you rock! We really appreciate you making this video and including great detail. you just saved us $80.
Share the love man!
Saved me 500$
In the court, "your honor, I ran the light because I was making a important video, therefore *I'm not guilty* "
The judge: case dismissed
Me: W*TF
In the end, he didn't actually run a red. It was still yellow when he got into the intersection.
For anyone trying to do front toe adjustments at home I would recommend going to harbor freight and getting a set of their professional long pattern metric wrenches.It comes with all the common adjusting lock nut sizes even the 24mm and 26mm, also the long 21mm is perfect for control arm camber bolts.
I've been doing this for years. Works. Make sure the tie rod ends do not have any play or you wasting your time.
Just used this guide, worked great!. Both wheels were found to be out of alignment. After adjustment car drives straight again. cheers.
I didn't know that guideline about wanting a slight toe-in of 1/16" on each side. Do you find that having wheels off the ground doesn't affect the numbers very much?
Most people recommend doing it on the ground, I personally havent had much problem raising the car and adjusting the tie rods then. Thanks for your comment.
Slight toe-in makes the car want to go straight, like when you snowplow when skiing. Otherwise the car wanders and does not return to "straight" after a turn or when you let go of the steering wheel. Stay gold
*****
Sorry commented before viewing whole video. Stay gold.
Every road has a crown which is why you don't put the alignment perfectly dead on straight. The degree of the crown depends on the state you live in, here in Florida we have a 5 degree crown so you'll pull to the right more often, so adjust accordingly.
Lifting the tires was the first in a string of mistakes made in this process. It can affect the tow as much as 2 degrees. That may not sound like much but what feels good on dry roads can land you on a ditch when the weather turns bad.
And on next week's video "how to fix a fender after running red-lights" lmao...... great video and hilarious ending
I watched a few of these videos. Yours was the best!! You got to the point quickly and everything was explained well! Much appreciated!
🔴 thank you, you just saved me $98. i had to buy a vice grip for $21 but i always needed one
I left a like just because you ran a light in the video.
Engineering Nonsense same lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣 i left a comment because this comment is also funny 🤣
6:06 omg your funny bro. Thanks for the vid. I'm mechanically inclind. I just never done a front in alinement.
I had no idea it was that easy to align the front wheels. Great video.
Loved the last comment about running red lights cos "we're doing something important"! Cracked me up! Cheers from Brisbane Australia
haha we are running red light's but it's OK because we're making important video's lol that was a good video buddy... made me spill my DrPepper laughing....
Wade Willson clucking2
lexis2006clicking
lexis2006clickingsound
drivingpretest
lol making important videos, Nice video will try this Thankd
+Erick Rojas np, thanks for watching.
Awesome video. I've heard of this but never seen it preformed. Thank you.
Thanks for the knowledge. You've saved myself and other money and time. Keep doing it my brother your appreciated.
In the video, after he was done adjusting the tie rods, he locked them with only one wrench on the lock nut. This resulted in movement of the tie rod, which throws off the adjustment. So, when both unlocking and locking the tie rod, two wrenches are required. One wrench to hold the tie rod in place without twisting it out of adjustment, and the second wrench to turn the lock-nut. Flare-nut wrenches, commonly used for plumbing, are best suited for the job of holding the lock-nut, because these hold the nut on five of the six sides of the lock-nut.
and next are the Camber and the Caster adjustments. Waiting for that video. Thanks.
( could your next video also explain concepts such as Ackerman Steering and the correction of front wheel drift during cornering. Thanks)
So, if my tires aren't aligned I can''t run red lights? Dammit.
Dloweification 😂😂😂😂😂😂
No you can't.
Got it have aligment first
You probably run red lights anyways 😆
I'll just spend the 50 bucks and have someone do it. Then it is done right and if a problem, I take it back.
You also need to check your rotors they could be slightly bent enough to make your steering wheel shake.
Everything there looks exactly like the Mk 7 Fiesta. Exactly what I needed. Perfect :) Thank you!
Thank You , Thank You , Thank You , I followed your directions and was able to complete the toe alignment on my 2006 Chevy Aveo Ls....
I like the video.
My only tips would be to:
1. Put front wheels on the ground--use something like baking tins, leafs, dirt, to reduce friction, when measuring for toe.
2. When you get the steering wheel centered, but books between the steering wheel and the seat. You don't want it to move. I am going to use a rope, and lash the steering wheel to the rear view mirror.
3. A shop manual helps too. If you have the time/patience, and know caster/camber/toe you can get a pretty good alignment. If insure about caster/camber leave those adjustments alone, and just concentrate on Toe.
i use contractor bags under the tires , leave them folded up.
Good idea on the books!
@@greggzavorotny7872 Good Idea!
🤣.. running a red lights Its OK -you made my day ! Thanks
Very nice. Thanks for this. I have some tie rod work to do & was dreading the cost of an alignment. I think I can handle this.
Bless you man, ill try it and thanks to your instructions I believe I can do it.
people seem to really be over-reacting about this... yes, it's not the most perfect solution. But it is better than nothing and if you're on a budget I see no problem with this. Professional alignments aren't exactly cheap.
+Peter Schmidt Oh thats usually those people that drive a 70 thousand dollar car and pay someone to check their oil level when its low that usually put videos down like this not realizing that back in the day when we had no machines this is how it was done,its simple math and checks,i have a brother thats a engineer and he would have a coronary if he saw a video like this ,lol, i have done this before but i do like to take it to the tire shop just so they can recheck my work but if i was broke at that time i wouldn't have a issue driving it as is
alignments made for the racetrack are done with this method becuase its more accurate. machines need calibrations
+half burrito bullshit...machines don't need calibration......it's like saying gravity need calibration...
+Dan dd Actually, lots of machines need calibration done routinely. Anybody who has used industrial shipping scales for freight know they need calibration.
+Dan dd bull shit!!!!! i have my alignment machine calibrated once a year
Suggest you loosen your rubber boots on rack when adjusting tie rods so you don't twist boots! James
lol,finally someone mentioned this alot of videos don't mention the boot ,the boot twist with the rod happened to me had to keep turning it back to shape
+Josh Tapuro Thankyou!
James Sasse tell me..learn tge hard way😅😂
Fuck....I just did an alignment and forgot to loosen boot....
love your low mile Mustang.
I have same model 03 with 140, 000 mile
so I like your videos!
Wow. Another TH-cam certified mechanic. Keep real mechanics busy fixing DIY projects.
You must have all the wheels on the ground when an alignment is done.
Toe changes with suspension movement.
Very true I was going to comment the same
Or you put the stands under the lower control arms. Like he did.
It appears the jack stands are on the pinch welds not underneath the lower control arm. You could place a jack underneath the lower control arms and jack the arm up to load the suspension.
I did this a couple of times and put 12 x12 vinyl tiles under the wheels ,but either way it's only meant to get temporary drivability until you can get it done at a shop
@r laze you measure at all 4 points on the rims
We are running red lights but it’s OK because we’re doing very important videos LMAO
Thank you for the video. It was very helpful. Didn't know it was so simple, you just save me some money.
first guy who explained it VERY Good, thank you so much!!!
Toes measurements have to within a couple of mm's measured at the tread so when you set the rims 1 mm toe at tyre tread will be larger so accuracy is vital and the weight has to be on the wheels or it wont be accurate.
You cant align the rope along the car or rear wheels as it simply will be out as the rears are always slightly out.
To do this i use thin fishing line so i can see each mm on the ruler- 6 pound line is ok
I set the steering wheel as straight as possible driving the car forward then lock of the steering wheel with a steel pole through the doors windows clamped to steering wheel- It must not move at all!
Then some jack stands beyond the front and rear of car along sides and tension line with some weights at rear so line is taught. Now the critical step. You need to align one side line first and use that as your master line. Use ruler on RHF rim and move line till front and back of front rim is exactly the same to a mm! dont touch that line or stands anymore. Now get the left hand line close to car side and use measuring stiff rod to measure between the L & R lines at the stands front and rear till the line are exactly the same distance apart front and rear. now the 2 lines are precisely parallel. Try to get this as accurate as possible and make very small movements in the left side ONLY stands till it zero diff if possible.
Now you will have already loosened off the left tie rod and now for eg ZERO toe, you measure same as right side get the left rim same front and back really accurately to same distance from left line eg 41mm and 41 mm- now 2 front wheels are exactly parallel with each other if not with car direction , but does not matter as they both turn sightly together when you move forward and stay aligned to each other.
Accuracy- any small error in say 2mm 16 feet between front and rear stands between lines will be 1mm half the length and only less than 1/2 a mm for the metre width of tyre which means that you only be out that much if adjust to zero diff on ruler. Allowance is upwards of 1-2 mm on toe usually so set up is critical to success and thin line for accuracy of reading- dont use fat string or do when windy or line will bend.
Rear wheels only have to be out of alignment a mm or 2 and that angle will be multiplied if you run lines to wards front and do you alignment off that so you toe could be out my 5-10mm! You can align rear wheel to each other using lines but CANT align to body direction as they stay fixed when car moves forward unlike front wheels. So rear wheel alignment is impossible without shop alignment machine that read the wheels turn as car is pushed forwards and backwards and can see if they roll same direction precisely as car body using mirrors or laser/cams ect strapped to each 4 wheels .
So lines only possible to do on fronts accurately , rears cannot be done accurately using lines or used to align front wheels using rears.
My rears are ok and camber out a little but effect is not noticeable and my car drives dead straight with dead still steering wheel. For an old car it not matter but out of alignment rears will affect the thrust line crooked to body line and in some case throw everything out making front alignment waste of time.Shop work will be necessary.
Just measure the distance between the jack stands at the front and the back where the string is attached example 67 in vs 67 in and make sure the number is exactly the same! Then the lines will be perfectly parallel
ooooohhhhhh so that's how i run red lights! i've been doing it wrong for years, thanks for the tip. =D
There’s something about you man that I like. Subbed buddy 😎
Love the description and basic understanding of what he doing....
Assuming your rims are not bent at all. Next time do the measurement to the tire instead, The rubber should give way to any small inconsistencies in the rim's shape. Or just spin the wheel and see if the distance remains unchanged as it spins.
That's a good point thanks
Where did u get that crescent wrench vise grip tool?!
i wondered the same
@@claponclapoff6 Walmart!! Stanley brand.
Thank you for very informative video. God bless you for all the things that you do!
thank you sir!! you r my life saver!!
i've just finished doing my alignment by watching your video & it works! tqsm!
This is really cool! It does beat having to spend 60 bucks getting an alignment after changing a 20 dollar tie rod. But Im still a bit wary of the possibility of whipping a 300 dollar set of tires. You use this method regularly on your cars and have had no issues with tire wear?
yeah definitely make sure your tires are aligned properly. I learned this the hard way today. I knew your tires had to be aligned and balanced, but I had no idea that the rear tires of my car weren't. I have to buy two new rear tires a little sooner than expected along with a new rim. I hit a pothole pretty hard and it bent my rim causing a leak. I think the previous owners had their son rotate the tires himself and probably didn't bother aligning it or their mechanic didn't bother to do it. Either way, I still had to spend about $260 :/
Jesse Hooton Yeah. no one aligns their car after a tire rotation, only when buying new tires and hell only if the tires are already wearing significantly on the outside or inside of the tread due to too much toe in/toe out/camber +/- . A pot hole ate your rim dude, and the reason why you bent your rim is probably because your tire isn't properly sized to allow for proper clearance from the face of the rim and the sidewall of the tire. So if you have a wider tire, you offer your rim more protection when it comes to hitting pot holes and parallel parking. Also my sister and my mother can properly rotate tires, and I'm sure you could teach a chimp to rotate tires too.
do i see cracked tyre rubber about 2.42 in?
I knew all this already except the string method of measuring.. Wich is an awesome idea and really simplifies things. I will say on a 4x4 its easier because your inner and outer tie rods are connected with a threaded rod that basically adjusts them twice as fast : D and I think the twin lock nuts are easier than the single big nut on a 2 wheel drive. PLUS its high off the ground so no jacks required for 4x4 vehicles.
When you lift the vehicle, the toe angle changes. Toe must be adjusted with the vehicle on the ground.
Keith Bickford Exacty what I was thinking
Keith Bickford unfortunately I agree.
how about if you set the vehicle down onto cinder blocks
Truth Time TV better make sure your parking brake is on and you put blocks in rear . But yeah it should work
@@truthtimetv4575 or ramps?
The only issue I have is what makes you think that rope is plumb or completely straight. If it’s off 1/16” there goes the whole procedure. A much better way to do it is with a tape measure and a mark on each steer tire. Usually making the mark in the center of each tire. Then you put each mark facing forward and measure the distance between them then rotate wheels 180 degrees so marks are painted to the back and do the same this way you have a constant reference and don’t have to rely on your eye and a string. Set your tow between a 1/16-1/8 in and you’ll be good unless you’re rear end is out of whack but then you have bigger issues to deal with than a front end alignment
By far the best video I found. Thank you so much!
Thanks! Helped me get down the road to an alignment shop
When tightening the locking nut, hold the tie rod from turning..... you’re so usually right, I hesitate to point this out, but you undid the correction by 1/8-¼ turn
I was thinking the same thing and you don't want to put undue pressure on the knuckle so hold the tie rod when locking.
Good point, I noticed that too. C Luek! And also the whole car should be on the ground too. But everything else he did was pretty good. I can appreciate the tutorial and your catch, Thanks :D
@@pgo301 Im not knowledgeable when it comes to this stuff, but is there any reason why it has to be on the ground?
@@mojakhaha You want the air pressure correct and lug nuts to correct torque. Plus the tires should be on the ground to show the full driving suspension as normal as possible. If the vehicle is suspended then you don't have the true normal driving conditions. Honestly, if you aren't really accurate with doing the way the tutorial is done, then have a professional do it. This is a very critical adjustment that is not to be taken lightly.
I think you were turning the inner tie rod as you tightened the locking nut which would have messed up the alignment. 5:52
The whole assembly turned until the ball joint reached the limit allowing tension to tighten the nut.....it wasn't just the inner tie rod moving.
Thank you for this video brother!
Thanks for the video, I'm installing new tie rods next week and I'm sure I will have to do this.
Also the steering wheel must be locked with with a special tool while adjusting toe or the steering wheel will more then likely not be straight