Alignment issues

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VIKING_MECHANIC

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I'm asking this post to see if any of you can help me figure out what's going on.

So the truck will drive straight with the steering cocked to the right for ~100yards before it drifts. I know the steering shaft has play - but that should affect the alignment right?

So there's two things I'm thinking that are affecting the steering:
1. The previous owner took off steering wheel and didn't re align it properly( I'm not sure how it actually attaches to column)
2. When I replaced the tie rods, pitman/idler arm I had to rotate the steering wheel to get them off/in. I'm wondering if I had the steering wheel offset to the right just a bit but the splines on the gear lined up in such a way I could get the pitman arm on correctly.

Here are the the alignment specs from Friday. The second one is when I took it out and realigned just the toe. And now it drives pretty good.
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Schurkey

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I know the steering shaft has play - but that should affect the alignment right?
Play in the steering shaft doesn't affect any of the typical alignment adjustments. It may cause the steering wheel to not be straight ahead when the wheels are straight ahead, which is an alignment issue, but not one fixed by adjustment. It'd be fixed by repairing the excess play. I see this in your near future.

So there's two things I'm thinking that are affecting the steering:
1. The previous owner took off steering wheel and didn't re align it properly( I'm not sure how it actually attaches to column)
Possible. Verify steering gear is centered, see if the wheel is "straight ahead". Readjust as needed.

Wild guess with no evidence: Steering wheel installed improperly is not the issue.

2. When I replaced the tie rods, pitman/idler arm I had to rotate the steering wheel to get them off/in. I'm wondering if I had the steering wheel offset to the right just a bit but the splines on the gear lined up in such a way I could get the pitman arm on correctly.
Pitman splines are generally set up so that the Pitman arm either cannot be installed with incorrect alignment, or if it can be installed, it's so far off as to be obvious--as in 1/4 turn off on the Pitman shaft.

You wouldn't get the Pitman arm installed if it were just a few splines "off".
 

Erik the Awful

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The pitman arm has a key spline so it can't be installed one spline off. Your adjustment should be in your tie rods - I can't remember if everything else in the steering shaft has key splines. As said in the other thread, if you have slop in your gearbox you're shooting for a moving target. Also, have someone move your steering side to side while you observe the steering links to ensure the center link and inner tie rod ends aren't wore out. Everything should move in unison.

The fact that your toe was in spec after the first alignment, and then needed adjusting again says that you have a control arm bushing, ball joint, or tie rod end that's sloppy. Tie outer rod end is the most likely, but you've replaced that. You stated you had a control arm bushing that was suspect, and that's where I'd go next.

Most parts are cheap enough that if you have anything else in the front end that isn't new, like ball joints or sway bar bushings, now is absolutely the time to replace them because you're going to have to have it all apart. The only part worth waiting on is your steering gearbox, because it's a half-hour job by itself and it's $500 for a Redhead or Bluetop. Also clean, inspect, and repack your wheel bearings.
 

Supercharged111

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First you need to go back to your alignment guy and punch him straight in the junk. .6 degrees of cross camber is downright sloppy. Get your camber and caster within a tenth or 2 on both sides assuming there are no hammered bushings, ball joints, tie rods, or idler/pitman arm. You say your steering shaft has slop, but I suspect there's more to it than just that. Are all your roads crowned there or is it s crapshoot like CO? I request no compensation for road crown, why oh why would I want a car that pulls toward the center line? And what happened and how much time went by between the 2 alignments? It's clear something shifted between them.
 

Erik the Awful

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Punching the alignment guy when the sloppy bushings haven't been replaced is just blame-throwing.
 

Supercharged111

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Punching the alignment guy when the sloppy bushings haven't been replaced is just blame-throwing.

Not for the settings that alignment sheet gets printed with, especially when they take it and make it worse. Sadly .6 cross anything is all too common. And they should be catching all of this before putting a wrench to it, I've been turned away from an alignment rack before for that very reason, it taught me a couple new tricks to find hammered ball joints.
 

Erik the Awful

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And they should be catching all of this before putting a wrench to it, I've been turned away from an alignment rack before for that very reason
This is very true, but techs aren't paid to do a test drive or put the car on a 4-post lift before they do the alignment. If the vehicle's really bad, you can figure it out in the 50' you drive to the rack, but usually you figure it out when the specs keep changing on you. You really have to look at it with a critical eye before you start, and the kids that will accept $20 per flag hour as a technician don't know enough yet to do that.
 
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