Remember to jack up each wheel to check if the rims are not buckled. With tie rods undone, check centre of steering box, or rack, to see if steering wheel is fitted in the right [center] position.
One of my first vehicles in the '60's amongst other things it chewed the edge of the front tyres. I paid for alignment, it was worse! I had little money but an ad. for budget repairs caught my eye. This old guy laid a metal tray device in front of each tyre and I helped him push the vehicle over it, he read off numbered marks on the tray and he adjusted the track rods. We did this a few times until he was happy. He charged very little and it completely cured the problem!
There's a quick easy solution for that. Get yourself a big flat-head screwdriver and pry all those blue ovals off of it. That should fix all your problems.
As a woman this channel is a Godsend. It's so hard to find people/places to learn car related stuff from and car shops always want to take advantage because we don't know any better. Now I can do so much by myself. It's fun and saves me money 💯💯💕💕
It sure does. If you have some work space like he does and the tools for it. I would do my own wheel alignment myself. Because I don't for now, I'm just gonna take my car the service shop this Saturday for alignment, tire rotation & balance.
This is helpful because I live 90 miles away from the nearest shop that can do alignments and there can be up to a two-week wait to get a complete four-wheel alignment done. Had to replace both inner and outer tie-rods recently and this at least ensures I'm not burning up my tires over the 10 days when I take it to the shop.
It might be a obvious tip, but one thing I've always heard/seen when adjusting tie rods is to hold the outer end with a wrench as you adjust the inner rod. That way you don't put any un-needed stress or twist tension on the outer rod
I cannot thank you enough for developing this channel ✌🏾 I have learned so much from it. I am confident in performing basic maintenance/repairs on my truck because of these videos! Every time I have an issue or want to learn something new, I always check your channel first.
This is an excellent video,, I definitely think it would be very accurate to use a good strong fishing line instead of the string shown in order to get a good reading with the tape measure, I always use it and it works so well because you can see the perfect line to do the adjustments needed.
What a great video and instruction. Can't thank you enough brother. Just got my wife's car back from Canadian tire and they couldn't do the alignment because upper tire rod locking nut was rusted . No phone call saying I needed new tie rods or they couldn't accomplish the job, nothing. So I thought no news was good news........wrong bucko. Before it went into shop I just replaced every other front end part except for upper the rods( still good) both ball joints, lower the rods , sway bar($1400) . Of course all my buds told me afterwards that I shouldn't of taken it there, I knew their rep but it was just an alignment .
Hey A1 Auto. I have watched many of your videos and learned a lot. I just wanted to say thank you for putting them up and making them available for the public's use. Obviously, you want to sell parts which is cool, but anyone can come watch your vids whether they purchase from you or not and hopefully make their own repairs and save some money. I usually watch two or three different videos to compare, but yours are the standard I hold everyone else to. They are cleanly done, nice clear pictures and dialogue and highly informative for the driveway mechanic like me. Thanks again and Merry Christmas! I am going to check out your website next and see what kind of deals you have for parts!
I really appreciate all these videos you all do. They don’t just help me do repairs myself. They help me keep my mechanics in line. I can’t thank you enough..
I’ve done this a couple times with good results. Sometimes I’ll have to test and tweak it a bit, but it allows me to do repairs like tie rods and struts myself, then align it good enough to get it to a tire shop. Saves thousands
Did an alignment on a modern alignment machine on a three wheeled spyder. Customer was told that they had to travel to a special dealer alignment place for those bikes. Heck no you don't, just use a plank to hold up the back end on a regular alignment machine or use this method. Worked awesome.
I found that concrete blocks work very well, especially if you don't have 4 step stools. Once I achieved proper toe, I had to compensate 1/2 turn to correct for thrust angle. It's nice that someone broke the lock nuts loose so we wouldn't be bored with the reality of using a torch.
EXCELLENT. This is by far the best video on this subject that I've seen! I'll be using your instructions tomorrow on my just completed project car. I've ordered from you guys before and the service was great. Thanks for helpful videos too.
+ButchNackley Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. We are happy to hear that you have also been satisfied with our service and products! 1AAuto.com
Guys at a race track use the string method to set up and adjust their race cars on practice nights.When I lived in Nashville my neighbor was Bobby Hamilton and I would go to Nashville's Racetrack at the fairgrounds where they have the half mile track and a quarter mile track inside or the half mile track.So Bobby would help guys sort out their race cars.He was an awsome driver.If a guy's car was handling terrible,he could take it for a couple of laps and tell from the seat if his pants what was off.He would tell their pit crew what to adjust and the car would handle right.I once ask him what the difference between the Winston Cup cars and the Grand National Cars was.He said the Winston Cup cars had so much more horsepower that if you floored it when crossing the 12inch painted finish line they would break the rear tires loose.He can a decent career but never was able to get the tip of the line equipment and team that the top 8 or 10 drivers had.He won 4 Winston Cup Races and Raced from 1989 to 2005.Unfortunately he passed away in January 2007.
Awesome instruction: Since I have a 1963 F100, I can do the Toe-In adjustment/ alignment my self. No one has the tools to adjust the camber for this type of vehicle anymore since it requires a special hydraulic adjustment tool to adjust and bend the front axle. Great video!! Thanks guys.
Thanks 1A auto ! Also mechanic shops should thank you as well for telling us to follow up the already good alignment to get another equally good alignment. 😆
Great video. I will try this out tomorrow on my civic. I did a 4 to 5 lug conversion and drum to disk brakes for the rear and my alignment is way off on the rear-end,so I will def try this method out. thanks for making these helpful video's.
This was truly helpful and greatly appreciated. I changed my inner and out tie rod ends and even though I marked them and counted the number of turns when removing each side, the toe adjustment was still off. This helped me make it decent enough to drive to the alignment shop!
I've always hated alignment issues, and hated even more having to pay someone to do it. This was a great explanation, and with patience this worked incredibly well. To make the tie rods easier to access, I put a couple 4x4s together and lifted the car onto those. That way I could reach underneath without having to move the steering wheel, and could check the adjustment as I was making it. Instead of cardboard, I used a plastic sign that I had found and cut up (I have to work in the rain, cardboard doesn't hold up too well in those conditions, I don't have a nice warm shop to work in!) Hardest part was loosing the nut. Try loosing the track rod a bit (creating more toe in), then flood the thing with some sort of penetrating grease and let it sit for a while. Twist the nut over the clean threads, before trying to twist it over all the rusted part. Once you move it, you can also take a wire brush to the rusted part and clean it up a bit. It wasn't easy, but it worked. Just have to work the nut back and forth, both directions, then set the alignment and tighten. Thanks for posting this!
I'm genuinely surprised at how well this worked. I adjusted the toe on our 2007 Chevy Aveo after changing tie rods, ball joints and wheel bearings (steering wheel was FAR from center). I used the first method to set the alignment, and the second to verify the alignment was set. I should now be set for the next 2 weeks until the local repair shop can get my car in. Thanks for this info!
+Nathan Ford Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
I do that but strap firmly a level to the steering wheel that's how I know I always get back to my home position. Might be wrong but works for me every time.
Great video. At 4:22 when you bring out the back to square up the strings, it would be best to split the difference on each side. By adjusting one side, you end up with a square sided rectangle, but the car is slightly askew within it. Also, I would use 50 lb test fishing line as it is finer and smooth, you will get more accurate measurements that way. I am designing a DIY setup with low cost self leveling builder's lasers with a cross hair beam and targets on a board with mm marks across the full width of a car. I will be able to do 4 wheel alignment for toe and camber, and some side targets on movable boards to determine caster.
Thanks man I appreciate your time for everyone. I went from 2:00 to about 1:00 witch was alot to me. I learned something I always just adjust outer with sense. You taught me more indepth thanks again
Good info, thanks. Its like running a brick mason's line. Random thought, putting an old brake rotor (1 or 2) on each step stool would help hold the stools in place. And not being a troll, but if someone did not have string they could use brick masons nylon string. Go to the big box store and look for 100ft empire gold twisted line with reel. You do no need to cut the line, just run it slack from divers side to passenger side and then tie it off, or wrap it around a brick like 5 times, and get the brick at the right height however you can, step stools, milk crates, a stack of old bricks, etc.
Just what i needed. Replaced a tie rod end, and the old one is longer than the new one. Steering wheel is off-center towards the left now, thanks for this quick 'n dirty technique, still have the other tie rod end to replace before going to get alignment, and it's 20 miles away. Thank you!
A better way of loosening or tightening the jam nut on the tie rod end is putting a wrench on the flats of the tile rod end. That way your putting stress on the wrench and not the ball and socket of the tie rod end.
That’s a good tip, it helps doing more precise adjustments because your tie rods will tend to go back to straight and screw your adjustment while driving
This method is only valid if front and rear track widths are the same. Many are different front and rear, so you can imagine that the string will be off square if you use the same distance from hub to string on front and rear. Check the specifications of your car for track widths and adjust the measurement from the center of the hub to the string accordingly.
The lock nut displacement could have been moved 7/16 of an inch away from the outer tie rod end to get the desired initial movement. Also, retightening the lock nit before the next measurement is unnecessary until the final dimension is determined. Good information however.
That only applies if you're measuring in the same spot on the front of the wheel as the tie-rod is on the back. I know my tie-rod doesn't quite align with the back edge of my wheel. The further from center your measurement point is, the greater the measurement is going to be. So if you adjust the tie-rod the same amount that you're measuring at the outer edge of the wheel, you're going to overcorrect. But if you know your tie-rod is about 5/6ths of the way to the edge from the center of the wheel then you could calculate roughly how far you needed to turn it based on that. I'd much prefer that to his guess and check method though.
Good video. But another little trick. I'm a carpenter by trade. So I have a small dewalt laser level which shines a perfectly plum laser line. I use this instead of the string line but is the same principle. Once the laser line is parallel on either side with the centre line of the vehicle it works a treat.
This is great information. Hope you don’t have a bent rim. Sometimes alignments are needed after an accident. Probably a good idea to jack up the car and spin the wheel to check for wobble.
Awesome video. One of my brothers showed me how to align doing the tape trick. I just eyeball it though then take it to get aligned. Thanks for sharing this informative video.
xHouston Kingx Make sure you center the spoke and have somebody to hold the wheel straight. Otherwise, the steering wheel will end up out of line. OTC has a steering wheel holder. Longacre has a toe bar. Amazon has it. Get a Snap on caster/camber gauge from Amazon or EBAY. Get one that reads inches if your spec is inches. Get the right tools to align it. Check for loose steering first.
Thank you for this video, I just had my car front alignment done and the mechanic said he had to use a kit. But my car still pulls (slighter) to the right while driving. I’m going to check the alignment now, thanks for the info.
Remember, most roads are crowned to the right so rain water runs safely off the driving surface. Because of this, it's normal for the vehicle to move in the direction of the crown, naturally. This should not be a great amount where you're fighting to keep the vehicle in the lane. Another consideration is if the front tires are worn unevenly from a prior alignment issue, the worn tires can cause the vehicle to pull, accordingly.
Yeah old school. That’s how we do before the alignment machine invented. 👍. Third world countries without access of alignment shops, still doing this string method. I hope mechanics learn from this basic, not defending too much with computer. Good job.
Same with balance bubbles. Easy peasy when you know the tricks. The high tech stuff outsources the skill. Most techs today wouldn't be able to use mechanical methods because they dont have the skills and cant do the fractional math for shims.
That's the way to do it, I like this method better,👍 to the measuring of the tires. But I prefer using 4 Jack Stands with fluorescent fishing line. I also prefer using the "Dream Stick" Alignment tool (which you can buy on line) it makes it much easier to actually see your measurements without having to use the tape measure.
Ive seen videos on TH-cam using this method for wheel alignment but wondered if there was some validity to it. If 1A Auto Parts says it will work. Im convinced and will try it. Thanks for the video. I like the quality parts you sell and your my goto parts store
+E M P Thank you for the great reply. We love to empower our customers by showing you how-to perform your own auto repairs while installing our high quality auto parts. Have a great day! 1aauto.com
I was very happy with our wheel hubs we got. great fit and now excited to see how they last, over all the shipping was amazing fast. better than amazon. I will be coming back for more parts as my car breaks down lol.
It’s never gonna be as precise because there always other parts that turn a bit even when you secure those so they don’t move much as you loosen or tighten the nut, or turning the tie rod inner to adjust. And the human factor that usually never does micrometer précision on turns.
One thing you need to be aware of…. Make sure your wheel is centered after you do this procedure. If it is off more than 15 degrees it will set the check engine light. Why? Because it has a steering sensor that allows usually plus or minus 15 degrees. If the steering wheel is off more than that amount while going straight down the road the steering sensor will set the light to let you know you are way off. Just a tip to let you know your attempt to correct was not close enough.
Place a piece of tape over the top of steering wheel and steering column cover... centered. Then take a razor blade and cut the tape in the gap of those two parts. This way you get the steering wheel back in the same position each time after turning it, by aligning the tape up. Takes the guess work out of where to put the steering wheel back.
This is for getting you to a shop only. I don't know which alignment shops you have used in the past, but don't go back to them if they is what they do. This is for ROUGH toe adjustment only. A proper alignment measures caster and camber also.
2nd method worked perfectly on my toyota tacoma. I just taped the end of measuring tape to tire. Now my toyota tacoma drives straight after replacing tie rods. Thanks
For anyone following this procedure, at the 7:00 mark you may want to place a wrench to the right of the lock nut when you loosen and tighten it so that you do not place lateral torque and thus excessive force on the ball and socket at the tie rod end.
Great generic set up to see if a DIY'er wants to get into basic alignment ; many "super enthusiasts" get their start with videos like this. Well done! Also, the way you showed how to make sure the string lines are parallel to one another is key (ie you measured to make sure the front and the rear part of the "rectangle" is the same distance apart - on each end) ; the string lines must be parallel to one another - as you demonstrated with the tape measure. The cardboard trick was also clever!
So about the adjustment. If your rod has 16 threads per inch, one revolution would be 1/16 inch obviously. Then if the measurement from the wheel pivot to the tie rod is 3 inch and the rim diameter is 15 that ratio is 5. One turn is 5/16 adjustment in your front to back toe in. Bottom line, I only want to do that string set up once only if I can help it. Great video. I use your technique to set the alignment on my road grader this way because the tire shop told me to “get out of here” when I brought it in.
I have watched several videos. This one is the best that iv seen as far as how good it works. Mine drive nice and straight. My wheel is a little slanted to the driver side but I dont have a steering wheel lock. Thanks
pretty sure some cars come with toe in from factory for straight line stability and most track setups usually have 0 toe for more agility and quick turn in
I did this first time. Instead of a rope I clipped on a cat Lazer pointer to one wheel. To the other I clipped on a tiny square mirror. When the mirror is out an inch it bounces the Bram back perfectly into one beam. Or if your alignment isn't suppose to be dead on center you can use a tool to measure the angle backwards onto the wall and do some math your alignment is 100% to spec.
On our 2012 G37 RWD, we had to replace an outer tie-rod on the drivers side, as it was completely shot. Once that was accomplished, the wheel is now pointing with a toe-out condition. Since the tie-rod connects towards the rear of the tire, like in this video, we have to add length to the tie rods, as it's obviously now too short, hence the knuckle being pulled inward, causing the wheel to toe out. If the tie-rod connected to the knuckle towards the front of the wheel, toe-out would mean too much length and we would have to reduce the length to get the wheel straight.
Easier way is to just put two thin boards against the outside of each front wheel. Then measure between the boards in front and behind the tires. Should be the same adjust until the distance between boards is exactly the same
Would the linear travel distance of the particular thread size on your tie rod give you a general idea of how many turns you need to do? Other factors obviously affecting it
I run a string right up against the front and rear edge of the rear tire at center cap height to get my straight edge. My tires do stick out wider than the car body so it's a better method than measuring an inch, or whatever clearance is needed on both center caps. Just less margin for error running against the tire if you can. Then run the string against the front tire and with the string just barely touching the rear edge of the tire, i can get the 1/16 measurement, the thickness of the twine i use, of the gap at the front edge of the tire. I use a straight edge ruler against the rim edge. not a carpenters ruler against a spoke. I can get under my car to unlock the bolt and make adjustments without turning my wheel to get at it. I also keep checking the centering of the steering wheel as I make adjustments. Using the tape measure across the backside and frontside of the tire is good for a final check but not for doing the alignment. Both tires could be toed to the right and measure 1/8 but you would not be in a alignment.
As long as the strings are parallel and distance to hub center reflects the parallelism then the difference of the front and rear readings is the toe-in or toe-out.
It was going to affect it regarless. The stools aren't equal distance (from car) to start with, which is why the Mini at the end was 1.5" on the driver and 1.25" on the passenger. With that, it's still identical to say the least. But this would also open one's eyes say if they never noticed a longer/shorter spindle was swapped out. Which I had one on an '86 Fox Body that I pointed out before moving from Nevada. When we had it on jacks in Ohio, my dad went "dude, you're right. The passenger side is sticking out further"
Yes it would! You need to split the difference. In this example the front was 1 inch wider than the rear. This means each rear chair or stool needs to be moved out 1/2 inch.
At 7:08, there is some trigonometry you can apply to set the tow to what you need in one shot, it requires measuring how far the toe knuckle is back/front from the center line of the axle and measuring how far the toe knuckle is offset from the center line of the tire left/right and up/down, and camber and caster (5 measurements in all). You need to take the wheels off to make those measurements using some elegant techniques, but once you have the first 3 for your car you keep them for reference, plug the distance of toe change needed into an equation and you get the precise distance you need to move the tow arm in or out which you can measure with reference lines circumscribed on the knuckle flange and on the tow arm just past the wrench spots.
When you measure the string 1 inch from center cap on the rear and then 1 inch on the front your string will be on an angle giving false readings. Most cars have a different width from one axel to the other.
There can be a difference on some cars or if you changed brake rotors from originals but......I think that's why he measured the "width" from string to string in front and rear, if they are the same & distance from center of hub on each axles is the same front & rear then the axles are same width & youre good to go...at least I think so.
A couple of points. Any difference in a normal vehicle's Track Width would result in a Calculable Toe-In Error but it would be so small it Could Not be Measured using the Equipment/Material/Methode shown. The intent of this Toe-In Adjustment was to allow driving to a Alignment Shop, without undo wear on the tires, to get the job done right which would also include Caster/Camber Adjustments. In summary, your post is CLOSE to being Correct but it is NOT Accurate because it fails to take into account the fact that the Tech "SQUARED-UP" the Strings before checking the measurements hence your Point is a Mute Point.
@@rjinnh3933 you have fell into the normal trap of different axle lengths making a difference. It does not it is all relevant. The distances from the front wheel to string is irelavant. Equal gaps ( no matter how far apart) are what is worked with. If the gap is an inch or two inches you still make adjustments the same. You fall into the same catagoey of people, including those at tyre shops, who do not know the basics but tend to muddy the waters with irrelevant info.
Will never forget getting burned by Fowler's Alignment in Phenix City Al, paid him $125 to align my Silverado, got it back and the steering wheel had to be turned to 10 o'clock to keep it straight. Took it back, he kept it another 6 hours and come to find out he never even touched it. I ended up going to an old shop in town that still used the string method shown here and it drove like new.
Gunna do it myself because a shop just tried to lie and say my girlfriends civics jam nut was seized and stripped so both the inner and outter tie rods had to be replaced. She got home, I angrily lifted it, pulled the tire and loosened that very jam nut with a crecent wrench and then unscrewed the tie rod end just to prove nothing was seized. Going back with a fraud lawsuit I think... tired of shops being incapable of doing work I can do in less then 4 minutes. I dont care if I go ape because as far as im concerned they lost my business already. But im callin them out and thinking of getting a lawer. Too many con artists in the game, tine to make some waves.. .
Some time ago, I bought an infrared motorcycle chain adjustment tool (quite inexpensive), and when I watched this video I couldn't help but thinking that it probably would be easier and more precise, albeit slightly more expensive, to use one of those for wheel alignment? It's not easy to fit directly on the wheel rim, but perhaps aided by a piece of wood or something, and then aiming at, say, a wall or garage door or something and do the measurement there.
remember the three points of alignment, camber caster and toe. caster in built into the spindle on a lot of cars now so that leaves camber and toe. when replacing front end parts like struts or control arm it's not always easy to put camber back within spec, your video demonstrates toe adjustment only. great video!
Other how to alignment videos are saying there should be 1/16” toe in on each wheel so the car goes straight down the road. Also, any suggestions for camber?
yeah I was wondering if this was something that you can rely on long-term versus a shop which has like laser alignment tools and stuff. and for a race car I think as quickly as I go through tires I'll let a shop do it. but thanks for the tutorial I did verify that they were pretty close I've got some toe in.
Not sure if he mentioned but be sure to check for tie rod play prior to attempting this diy as this tutorial will render useless if your inner or outer tie rods are shot.
The issue I'm having is the lock nut breaks free, but when you rotate it, the inner tie rod moves, so there is corrosion there, and the lock nut is basically stuck onto the inner tie rod. Need to add some heat or a wire brush to clean away the corrosion & get the lock nut to spin free so I can more the inner toe rod independently then use the lock nut to tighten things up. The way it stands now, spinning the lock nut any way only serves to move the inner tie rod, so no adjustment is possible as the lock nut just goes back they way it was along with the inner tie rod.
Other tip, if you run the lock nut on the tie rod end all the way to stop, Measure the inside distance from lock nut to tie rod end, then screw it in the measurement you need to zero out your toe.
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You guys really make it that easy!
@@ProfessionalGasLighting morning thank
Remember to jack up each wheel to check if the rims are not buckled. With tie rods undone, check centre of steering box, or rack, to see if steering wheel is fitted in the right [center] position.
9
One of my first vehicles in the '60's amongst other things it chewed the edge of the front tyres. I paid for alignment, it was worse! I had little money but an ad. for budget repairs caught my eye. This old guy laid a metal tray device in front of each tyre and I helped him push the vehicle over it, he read off numbered marks on the tray and he adjusted the track rods. We did this a few times until he was happy. He charged very little and it completely cured the problem!
I would just be happy that my ford focus started
😂😂
Should have went Honda or Toyota.
My car always starts but this has a new issue every few days
They're not difficult cars to fix! I love the Focus 😁
There's a quick easy solution for that. Get yourself a big flat-head screwdriver and pry all those blue ovals off of it. That should fix all your problems.
As a woman this channel is a Godsend. It's so hard to find people/places to learn car related stuff from and car shops always want to take advantage because we don't know any better. Now I can do so much by myself. It's fun and saves me money 💯💯💕💕
It sure does. If you have some work space like he does and the tools for it. I would do my own wheel alignment myself. Because I don't for now, I'm just gonna take my car the service shop this Saturday for alignment, tire rotation & balance.
This is helpful because I live 90 miles away from the nearest shop that can do alignments and there can be up to a two-week wait to get a complete four-wheel alignment done. Had to replace both inner and outer tie-rods recently and this at least ensures I'm not burning up my tires over the 10 days when I take it to the shop.
Geez!!! Where in Timbuktu do you live
It might be a obvious tip, but one thing I've always heard/seen when adjusting tie rods is to hold the outer end with a wrench as you adjust the inner rod. That way you don't put any un-needed stress or twist tension on the outer rod
That's pointless. The ball joints handle much worse when you drive
I cannot thank you enough for developing this channel ✌🏾 I have learned so much from it. I am confident in performing basic maintenance/repairs on my truck because of these videos! Every time I have an issue or want to learn something new, I always check your channel first.
This is an excellent video,, I definitely think it would be very accurate to use a good strong fishing line instead of the string shown in order to get a good reading with the tape measure, I always use it and it works so well because you can see the perfect line to do the adjustments needed.
What a great video and instruction. Can't thank you enough brother. Just got my wife's car back from Canadian tire and they couldn't do the alignment because upper tire rod locking nut was rusted . No phone call saying I needed new tie rods or they couldn't accomplish the job, nothing. So I thought no news was good news........wrong bucko. Before it went into shop I just replaced every other front end part except for upper the rods( still good) both ball joints, lower the rods , sway bar($1400) . Of course all my buds told me afterwards that I shouldn't of taken it there, I knew their rep but it was just an alignment .
Hey A1 Auto. I have watched many of your videos and learned a lot. I just wanted to say thank you for putting them up and making them available for the public's use. Obviously, you want to sell parts which is cool, but anyone can come watch your vids whether they purchase from you or not and hopefully make their own repairs and save some money. I usually watch two or three different videos to compare, but yours are the standard I hold everyone else to. They are cleanly done, nice clear pictures and dialogue and highly informative for the driveway mechanic like me. Thanks again and Merry Christmas! I am going to check out your website next and see what kind of deals you have for parts!
I really appreciate all these videos you all do. They don’t just help me do repairs myself. They help me keep my mechanics in line. I can’t thank you enough..
I’ve done this a couple times with good results. Sometimes I’ll have to test and tweak it a bit, but it allows me to do repairs like tie rods and struts myself, then align it good enough to get it to a tire shop. Saves thousands
Thats what im trying to do haha my car goes straight at a 90 degree angle after replacing tie rods and upper and lower control arms
Did an alignment on a modern alignment machine on a three wheeled spyder. Customer was told that they had to travel to a special dealer alignment place for those bikes.
Heck no you don't, just use a plank to hold up the back end on a regular alignment machine or use this method.
Worked awesome.
Thanks !
I found that concrete blocks work very well, especially if you don't have 4 step stools. Once I achieved proper toe, I had to compensate 1/2 turn to correct for thrust angle. It's nice that someone broke the lock nuts loose so we wouldn't be bored with the reality of using a torch.
EXCELLENT. This is by far the best video on this subject that I've seen!
I'll be using your instructions tomorrow on my just completed project car.
I've ordered from you guys before and the service was great. Thanks for helpful videos too.
+ButchNackley Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. We are happy to hear that you have also been satisfied with our service and products! 1AAuto.com
BS comment, most likely fake.
Guys at a race track use the string method to set up and adjust their race cars on practice nights.When I lived in Nashville my neighbor was Bobby Hamilton and I would go to Nashville's Racetrack at the fairgrounds where they have the half mile track and a quarter mile track inside or the half mile track.So Bobby would help guys sort out their race cars.He was an awsome driver.If a guy's car was handling terrible,he could take it for a couple of laps and tell from the seat if his pants what was off.He would tell their pit crew what to adjust and the car would handle right.I once ask him what the difference between the Winston Cup cars and the Grand National Cars was.He said the Winston Cup cars had so much more horsepower that if you floored it when crossing the 12inch painted finish line they would break the rear tires loose.He can a decent career but never was able to get the tip of the line equipment and team that the top 8 or 10 drivers had.He won 4 Winston Cup Races and Raced from 1989 to 2005.Unfortunately he passed away in January 2007.
And ?
Awesome instruction: Since I have a 1963 F100, I can do the Toe-In adjustment/ alignment my self. No one has the tools to adjust the camber for this type of vehicle anymore since it requires a special hydraulic adjustment tool to adjust and bend the front axle. Great video!! Thanks guys.
Truck stops or the guys that set big truck alignment and i too have 70 f100 twin i beam
Any competent RV or heavy truck shop should be able to bend that axle up for you to spec
I would think bending the frame would be easier.
What does the tool look like?
Thanks 1A auto ! Also mechanic shops should thank you as well for telling us to follow up the already good alignment to get another equally good alignment. 😆
Great video. I will try this out tomorrow on my civic. I did a 4 to 5 lug conversion and drum to disk brakes for the rear and my alignment is way off on the rear-end,so I will def try this method out. thanks for making these helpful video's.
How did it go? Lol
This was truly helpful and greatly appreciated. I changed my inner and out tie rod ends and even though I marked them and counted the number of turns when removing each side, the toe adjustment was still off. This helped me make it decent enough to drive to the alignment shop!
I've always hated alignment issues, and hated even more having to pay someone to do it. This was a great explanation, and with patience this worked incredibly well.
To make the tie rods easier to access, I put a couple 4x4s together and lifted the car onto those. That way I could reach underneath without having to move the steering wheel, and could check the adjustment as I was making it. Instead of cardboard, I used a plastic sign that I had found and cut up (I have to work in the rain, cardboard doesn't hold up too well in those conditions, I don't have a nice warm shop to work in!)
Hardest part was loosing the nut. Try loosing the track rod a bit (creating more toe in), then flood the thing with some sort of penetrating grease and let it sit for a while. Twist the nut over the clean threads, before trying to twist it over all the rusted part. Once you move it, you can also take a wire brush to the rusted part and clean it up a bit. It wasn't easy, but it worked. Just have to work the nut back and forth, both directions, then set the alignment and tighten.
Thanks for posting this!
I'm genuinely surprised at how well this worked. I adjusted the toe on our 2007 Chevy Aveo after changing tie rods, ball joints and wheel bearings (steering wheel was FAR from center). I used the first method to set the alignment, and the second to verify the alignment was set. I should now be set for the next 2 weeks until the local repair shop can get my car in. Thanks for this info!
+Nathan Ford Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Thanks for this comment. I just did a rack and pinion and my alignment is way off. My steering wheel is almost sideways as straight. 😅
I do that but strap firmly a level to the steering wheel that's how I know I always get back to my home position. Might be wrong but works for me every time.
Nice tip
Using mm makes it easier. Good video, clearly explained, thanks
Great video. At 4:22 when you bring out the back to square up the strings, it would be best to split the difference on each side. By adjusting one side, you end up with a square sided rectangle, but the car is slightly askew within it. Also, I would use 50 lb test fishing line as it is finer and smooth, you will get more accurate measurements that way. I am designing a DIY setup with low cost self leveling builder's lasers with a cross hair beam and targets on a board with mm marks across the full width of a car. I will be able to do 4 wheel alignment for toe and camber, and some side targets on movable boards to determine caster.
Thanks man I appreciate your time for everyone. I went from 2:00 to about 1:00 witch was alot to me. I learned something I always just adjust outer with sense. You taught me more indepth thanks again
I've used the 1A videos many times now. Thanks 😊
Good info, thanks. Its like running a brick mason's line. Random thought, putting an old brake rotor (1 or 2) on each step stool would help hold the stools in place. And not being a troll, but if someone did not have string they could use brick masons nylon string. Go to the big box store and look for 100ft empire gold twisted line with reel. You do no need to cut the line, just run it slack from divers side to passenger side and then tie it off, or wrap it around a brick like 5 times, and get the brick at the right height however you can, step stools, milk crates, a stack of old bricks, etc.
Just what i needed. Replaced a tie rod end, and the old one is longer than the new one. Steering wheel is off-center towards the left now, thanks for this quick 'n dirty technique, still have the other tie rod end to replace before going to get alignment, and it's 20 miles away.
Thank you!
A better way of loosening or tightening the jam nut on the tie rod end is putting a wrench on the flats of the tile rod end. That way your putting stress on the wrench and not the ball and socket of the tie rod end.
That’s a good tip, it helps doing more precise adjustments because your tie rods will tend to go back to straight and screw your adjustment while driving
@@MrMOGHammer The adjustment won't change if you correctly tighten the jam nut.
Can you guys do a full video of how to do the 2nd way of aligning the tires seems much easier! Please
check this u tube search,"VKRP distributors wheel-alignment-toe-in-toe-out-gauge". About $55 from Walmart.
Well Explained, and to the point. Using measurement and geometry to fix things...great!
This method is only valid if front and rear track widths are the same. Many are different front and rear, so you can imagine that the string will be off square if you use the same distance from hub to string on front and rear.
Check the specifications of your car for track widths and adjust the measurement from the center of the hub to the string accordingly.
The lock nut displacement could have been moved 7/16 of an inch away from the outer tie rod end to get the desired initial movement. Also, retightening the lock nit before the next measurement is unnecessary until the final dimension is determined. Good information however.
That only applies if you're measuring in the same spot on the front of the wheel as the tie-rod is on the back. I know my tie-rod doesn't quite align with the back edge of my wheel. The further from center your measurement point is, the greater the measurement is going to be. So if you adjust the tie-rod the same amount that you're measuring at the outer edge of the wheel, you're going to overcorrect. But if you know your tie-rod is about 5/6ths of the way to the edge from the center of the wheel then you could calculate roughly how far you needed to turn it based on that. I'd much prefer that to his guess and check method though.
Good video. But another little trick. I'm a carpenter by trade. So I have a small dewalt laser level which shines a perfectly plum laser line. I use this instead of the string line but is the same principle. Once the laser line is parallel on either side with the centre line of the vehicle it works a treat.
+Coleman Hurley Thanks for the tip!
This is great information. Hope you don’t have a bent rim. Sometimes alignments are needed after an accident. Probably a good idea to jack up the car and spin the wheel to check for wobble.
This guy is awesome I learned more about cars from watching his videos than from anyone or anything else
Big Shout out to the camera man . Zooming in underneath the car For that tire rod..👍👍👍👍👍
Awesome video. One of my brothers showed me how to align doing the tape trick. I just eyeball it though then take it to get aligned. Thanks for sharing this informative video.
+xHouston Kingx Thanks for checking us out. 1aauto.com
xHouston Kingx Make sure you center the spoke and have somebody to hold the wheel straight. Otherwise, the steering wheel will end up out of line. OTC has a steering wheel holder. Longacre has a toe bar. Amazon has it. Get a Snap on caster/camber gauge from Amazon or EBAY. Get one that reads inches if your spec is inches. Get the right tools to align it. Check for loose steering first.
Q
@@hankbridges7824 you can also drive the seat belt through the steering and tighten it to block it, making sure it stays straight
Thank you for this video, I just had my car front alignment done and the mechanic said he had to use a kit. But my car still pulls (slighter) to the right while driving. I’m going to check the alignment now, thanks for the info.
Remember, most roads are crowned to the right so rain water runs safely off the driving surface. Because of this, it's normal for the vehicle to move in the direction of the crown, naturally. This should not be a great amount where you're fighting to keep the vehicle in the lane.
Another consideration is if the front tires are worn unevenly from a prior alignment issue, the worn tires can cause the vehicle to pull, accordingly.
Should have taken it back, since he didnt do the job correctly.
If they didnt make it right, dispute the charge.
Same thing happens to me after a good day of drinking, my car pulls slightly this was and slightly the other. Super fing wierd
@@TT-uz1vp hard to drive when the road constantly moves left and right.
Yeah old school. That’s how we do before the alignment machine invented. 👍. Third world countries without access of alignment shops, still doing this string method. I hope mechanics learn from this basic, not defending too much with computer. Good job.
I don't think third world countries are concerned with alignments.
Same with balance bubbles.
Easy peasy when you know the tricks.
The high tech stuff outsources the skill.
Most techs today wouldn't be able to use mechanical methods because they dont have the skills and cant do the fractional math for shims.
@@MF-rw3rb Kind of a first world problem.
"Only-Skool"... I don't have $80 2do "alignment shop". I can do it ALL BY myself.
@@richeyrich2203 Fractional math is so much simpler in metric
That's the way to do it, I like this method better,👍 to the measuring of the tires. But I prefer using 4 Jack Stands with fluorescent fishing line. I also prefer using the "Dream Stick" Alignment tool (which you can buy on line) it makes it much easier to actually see your measurements without having to use the tape measure.
Ive seen videos on TH-cam using this method for wheel alignment but wondered if there was some validity to it. If 1A Auto Parts says it will work. Im convinced and will try it. Thanks for the video. I like the quality parts you sell and your my goto parts store
+E M P Thank you for the great reply. We love to empower our customers by showing you how-to perform your own auto repairs while installing our high quality auto parts. Have a great day! 1aauto.com
I was very happy with our wheel hubs we got. great fit and now excited to see how they last, over all the shipping was amazing fast. better than amazon. I will be coming back for more parts as my car breaks down lol.
+Andrew Stutzman Thanks for the feedback!
Tip. The tie rod turns needed can be calculated by the thread pitch.
It’s never gonna be as precise because there always other parts that turn a bit even when you secure those so they don’t move much as you loosen or tighten the nut, or turning the tie rod inner to adjust. And the human factor that usually never does micrometer précision on turns.
Thanks for the video. I appreciate people who can operate without "fancy" electronics!
One thing you need to be aware of…. Make sure your wheel is centered after you do this procedure. If it is off more than 15 degrees it will set the check engine light. Why? Because it has a steering sensor that allows usually plus or minus 15 degrees. If the steering wheel is off more than that amount while going straight down the road the steering sensor will set the light to let you know you are way off. Just a tip to let you know your attempt to correct was not close enough.
Some cars might have that but most cars don’t
@@MrMOGHammer I'm guessing it's linked to the ESP/ESC (Electronic stability control)
Place a piece of tape over the top of steering wheel and steering column cover... centered. Then take a razor blade and cut the tape in the gap of those two parts. This way you get the steering wheel back in the same position each time after turning it, by aligning the tape up. Takes the guess work out of where to put the steering wheel back.
Not quite understanding what you're talkin about
I like the cardboard trick
Thank you
I have a 2005 Ford Focus this is 2022 the car has 322,600 MI and still runs good it's a 2.0 duratec with a 5-speed manual best car ever had
Thank you 1A Auto. Your vids have prob saved me some major headaches
It’s basically what the alignment shops do except they have the “expensive” equipment to do so. Thanks for the video!!!
Yea and they still manage to mess it up half the time :/
Wow
They have lasers
This is for getting you to a shop only. I don't know which alignment shops you have used in the past, but don't go back to them if they is what they do. This is for ROUGH toe adjustment only. A proper alignment measures caster and camber also.
@@thomaspalmer4251 depends on the car. My Focus can only have the toe adjusted...no sense in paying for someone to turn my tie rods
2nd method worked perfectly on my toyota tacoma. I just taped the end of measuring tape to tire. Now my toyota tacoma drives straight after replacing tie rods. Thanks
+m paji Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
For anyone following this procedure, at the 7:00 mark you may want to place a wrench to the right of the lock nut when you loosen and tighten it so that you do not place lateral torque and thus excessive force on the ball and socket at the tie rod end.
Great generic set up to see if a DIY'er wants to get into basic alignment ; many "super enthusiasts" get their start with videos like this. Well done! Also, the way you showed how to make sure the string lines are parallel to one another is key (ie you measured to make sure the front and the rear part of the "rectangle" is the same distance apart - on each end) ; the string lines must be parallel to one another - as you demonstrated with the tape measure. The cardboard trick was also clever!
+Stefan Czechorski DDS Thanks for checking us out! 1AAuto.com
So about the adjustment. If your rod has 16 threads per inch, one revolution would be 1/16 inch obviously. Then if the measurement from the wheel pivot to the tie rod is 3 inch and the rim diameter is 15 that ratio is 5. One turn is 5/16 adjustment in your front to back toe in. Bottom line, I only want to do that string set up once only if I can help it. Great video. I use your technique to set the alignment on my road grader this way because the tire shop told me to “get out of here” when I brought it in.
I have watched several videos. This one is the best that iv seen as far as how good it works. Mine drive nice and straight. My wheel is a little slanted to the driver side but I dont have a steering wheel lock. Thanks
+flying munk89 Thanks for checking us out. Shop here for high quality auto parts: 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
pretty sure some cars come with toe in from factory for straight line stability and most track setups usually have 0 toe for more agility and quick turn in
I think he mentioned a 1/16 toe-in at least to maintain a straight line.
Thanks, this video contains lots of information on how to properly install brakes.
Hey I have just used this information to check the alignment on my sc400 worked great Cheers guys
I did this first time. Instead of a rope I clipped on a cat Lazer pointer to one wheel. To the other I clipped on a tiny square mirror. When the mirror is out an inch it bounces the Bram back perfectly into one beam. Or if your alignment isn't suppose to be dead on center you can use a tool to measure the angle backwards onto the wall and do some math your alignment is 100% to spec.
Great video. The cardboard is great idea.
+Georgia Boy Thanks for checking us out! 1AAuto.com
schWEET!, thank you 1AAuto for this very informative upload. Your knowledge and experience is very much appreciated. Keep informing the people..
Using actual string instead of that thick hairy twine makes measurements easier and more accurate.
horustubes lol thinking the same thing
some ol barnyard yarn
50lb fishing line
@@davidjones-vx9ju That's what I use.
Dental floss. Everyone has some and it's strong small and sharp for clear measurements.
On our 2012 G37 RWD, we had to replace an outer tie-rod on the drivers side, as it was completely shot. Once that was accomplished, the wheel is now pointing with a toe-out condition. Since the tie-rod connects towards the rear of the tire, like in this video, we have to add length to the tie rods, as it's obviously now too short, hence the knuckle being pulled inward, causing the wheel to toe out. If the tie-rod connected to the knuckle towards the front of the wheel, toe-out would mean too much length and we would have to reduce the length to get the wheel straight.
Easier way is to just put two thin boards against the outside of each front wheel. Then measure between the boards in front and behind the tires. Should be the same adjust until the distance between boards is exactly the same
Thanks, the video helped me center my steering wheel after changing the inner and outer tie rods.
Thank you for your time and knowledge
Thanks for sharing! When is a wheel alignment necessary? Is it when the rim is replaced? Why does it cost so much?
Thank you for this detailed tutorial! Super clear, easy to understand and follow. Will be using it! Thank you again :)
I literally just did this on a 03 focus this morning before running across this video lol
+Brandon Peterman Thanks for checking us out. 1aauto.com
how did it turn out?
Would the linear travel distance of the particular thread size on your tie rod give you a general idea of how many turns you need to do? Other factors obviously affecting it
I run a string right up against the front and rear edge of the rear tire at center cap height to get my straight edge. My tires do stick out wider than the car body so it's a better method than measuring an inch, or whatever clearance is needed on both center caps. Just less margin for error running against the tire if you can. Then run the string against the front tire and with the string just barely touching the rear edge of the tire, i can get the 1/16 measurement, the thickness of the twine i use, of the gap at the front edge of the tire. I use a straight edge ruler against the rim edge. not a carpenters ruler against a spoke. I can get under my car to unlock the bolt and make adjustments without turning my wheel to get at it. I also keep checking the centering of the steering wheel as I make adjustments. Using the tape measure across the backside and frontside of the tire is good for a final check but not for doing the alignment. Both tires could be toed to the right and measure 1/8 but you would not be in a alignment.
+Jeff Flowers Thanks for checking us out. 1aauto.com
you want your string line as tight as possible for accurate readings not loose like this., string line can have alot of drop if not tight enough.
When you adjusted the chair in the rear to square up the lineS, didn’t that throw off your measurement of center wheel out to the string ?
Exactly.
As long as the strings are parallel and distance to hub center reflects the parallelism then the difference of the front and rear readings is the toe-in or toe-out.
It was going to affect it regarless. The stools aren't equal distance (from car) to start with, which is why the Mini at the end was 1.5" on the driver and 1.25" on the passenger. With that, it's still identical to say the least.
But this would also open one's eyes say if they never noticed a longer/shorter spindle was swapped out. Which I had one on an '86 Fox Body that I pointed out before moving from Nevada. When we had it on jacks in Ohio, my dad went "dude, you're right. The passenger side is sticking out further"
Yes it would!
You need to split the difference. In this example the front was 1 inch wider than the rear. This means each rear chair or stool needs to be moved out 1/2 inch.
Totally bothered me when I saw it.
Great biggest " A " ** *** plus. I've managed a diy front end work and this video definitely helped !
At 7:08, there is some trigonometry you can apply to set the tow to what you need in one shot, it requires measuring how far the toe knuckle is back/front from the center line of the axle and measuring how far the toe knuckle is offset from the center line of the tire left/right and up/down, and camber and caster (5 measurements in all). You need to take the wheels off to make those measurements using some elegant techniques, but once you have the first 3 for your car you keep them for reference, plug the distance of toe change needed into an equation and you get the precise distance you need to move the tow arm in or out which you can measure with reference lines circumscribed on the knuckle flange and on the tow arm just past the wrench spots.
When you measure the string 1 inch from center cap on the rear and then 1 inch on the front your string will be on an angle giving false readings. Most cars have a different width from one axel to the other.
Thank you for the feedback! +Hill Billy
There can be a difference on some cars or if you changed brake rotors from originals but......I think that's why he measured the "width" from string to string in front and rear, if they are the same & distance from center of hub on each axles is the same front & rear then the axles are same width & youre good to go...at least I think so.
It's all relative, you just work with the gaps you have with the string gap at the front wheel bigger or smaller
A couple of points.
Any difference in a normal vehicle's Track Width would result in a Calculable Toe-In Error but it would be so small it Could Not be Measured using the Equipment/Material/Methode shown.
The intent of this Toe-In Adjustment was to allow driving to a Alignment Shop, without undo wear on the tires, to get the job done right which would also include Caster/Camber Adjustments.
In summary, your post is CLOSE to being Correct but it is NOT Accurate because it fails to take into account the fact that the Tech "SQUARED-UP" the Strings before checking the measurements hence your Point is a Mute Point.
@@rjinnh3933 you have fell into the normal trap of different axle lengths making a difference. It does not it is all relevant. The distances from the front wheel to string is irelavant. Equal gaps ( no matter how far apart) are what is worked with. If the gap is an inch or two inches you still make adjustments the same. You fall into the same catagoey of people, including those at tyre shops, who do not know the basics but tend to muddy the waters with irrelevant info.
Great video. I try to do my car alignment my self easier ways thank you 1-Auto
Nice clear explanation. Never saw it done. Thanks!
+Shawn P Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1AAuto.com
@@1AAuto This is a FWD car which needs 4 wheel alignment and you never compensated for track width between the front and back.
Will never forget getting burned by Fowler's Alignment in Phenix City Al, paid him $125 to align my Silverado, got it back and the steering wheel had to be turned to 10 o'clock to keep it straight. Took it back, he kept it another 6 hours and come to find out he never even touched it. I ended up going to an old shop in town that still used the string method shown here and it drove like new.
Thanks for making this. Enjoy your videos, good presenter mechanic
Gunna do it myself because a shop just tried to lie and say my girlfriends civics jam nut was seized and stripped so both the inner and outter tie rods had to be replaced. She got home, I angrily lifted it, pulled the tire and loosened that very jam nut with a crecent wrench and then unscrewed the tie rod end just to prove nothing was seized. Going back with a fraud lawsuit I think... tired of shops being incapable of doing work I can do in less then 4 minutes. I dont care if I go ape because as far as im concerned they lost my business already. But im callin them out and thinking of getting a lawer. Too many con artists in the game, tine to make some waves.. .
Some time ago, I bought an infrared motorcycle chain adjustment tool (quite inexpensive), and when I watched this video I couldn't help but thinking that it probably would be easier and more precise, albeit slightly more expensive, to use one of those for wheel alignment? It's not easy to fit directly on the wheel rim, but perhaps aided by a piece of wood or something, and then aiming at, say, a wall or garage door or something and do the measurement there.
Great explanation, thanks.
+Walter Taleno Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
thanks much bro for wonderful instructive video, once again thanks bro
Toe plates we used for race cars will work and they’re under 100 bucks comes with measuring tape. It will work on any car period !
Extremely helpful!
remember the three points of alignment, camber caster and toe. caster in built into the spindle on a lot of cars now so that leaves camber and toe. when replacing front end parts like struts or control arm it's not always easy to put camber back within spec, your video demonstrates toe adjustment only. great video!
+MrWllbn3 Thanks for the feedback!
Other how to alignment videos are saying there should be 1/16” toe in on each wheel so the car goes straight down the road. Also, any suggestions for camber?
Another great DIY video
You guys rock
Aloha from Hawaii
Thanks this was helpful. How is an alignment done at a shop?
yeah I was wondering if this was something that you can rely on long-term versus a shop which has like laser alignment tools and stuff. and for a race car I think as quickly as I go through tires I'll let a shop do it. but thanks for the tutorial I did verify that they were pretty close I've got some toe in.
I think my mind is blown about that 2nd way of doing it, gonna test that out for sure
+DustyPop Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Thank you kindly for this informative and tire/money saving upload how much do I owe you?
Good video. Very helpful
Not sure if he mentioned but be sure to check for tie rod play prior to attempting this diy as this tutorial will render useless if your inner or outer tie rods are shot.
This method worked for me! Thanks for the great video.
+kaoshonen Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1AAuto.com
The issue I'm having is the lock nut breaks free, but when you rotate it, the inner tie rod moves, so there is corrosion there, and the lock nut is basically stuck onto the inner tie rod. Need to add some heat or a wire brush to clean away the corrosion & get the lock nut to spin free so I can more the inner toe rod independently then use the lock nut to tighten things up. The way it stands now, spinning the lock nut any way only serves to move the inner tie rod, so no adjustment is possible as the lock nut just goes back they way it was along with the inner tie rod.
Other tip, if you run the lock nut on the tie rod end all the way to stop, Measure the inside distance from lock nut to tie rod end, then screw it in the measurement you need to zero out your toe.
+Aron Apple Thanks for the tip!