RBK

I tried searching the front end alignment threads, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. I've got an 88 4x4 Truck with 33X12.5X15 tires/rims. It was shaking when I would hit bumps, so I replaced the idler arm and it helped. Now I'm working on the pitman arm. The driver's side tie rods look fairly new, so I am gonna go back and change the ones on the passenger side.

Anyways, I'm looking to fix my alignment when I do my tie rods. It pulls to the driver's side. The front tires measure 60'' in the front and about 60 1/2" in the back (I think I need to re-measure the back though). The tie rods are showing 8 threads on the passenger side and 3 threads on the driver's side. To be honest, I'm not sure if that is even relevant in the alignment or if you can tell me anything from the info I provided. But where should I start?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Brian

MudHippy

Oh..it's definitely relevant. It means that the steering wheel was not centered(and/or was removed then recentered incorrectly) when the toe was set. The TREs should be equal in length once the wheels are adjusted for proper toe. And they are ALWAYS to be adjusted in equal amounts on both sides. So that they ALWAYS remain equal in length, and the condition you're observing never occurs. Somebody obviously botched their amateur hour alignment job. Leaving you to clean up the mess...

So...you could start by fixing that.

scope103

Oddly, "pulling to one side" is usually not an alignment issue. Mis-set toe won't do it (mis-set camber can, but that's not as common).

What will cause noticeable pulling is a low (pressure) tire. Check that first; you should be checking all of them regularly anyway. Another cause can be a bad wheel bearing; just jack it up and turn the wheel by hand. If you feel anything there's a problem.

If the steering damper http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...g/16steer0.pdf fails, that can increase shaking. But at that point I would have it aligned by a regular shop. With your asymmetric tie rod ends you could have some other problem lurking in there, and you don't want to cover it up with a new steering damper.

RBK

Well, I didn't fool with the tie rods because I can't get past the pitman arm. I've fixed the shaking, but since I didn't know what I was doing my steering wheel is upside down. And I don't have hardly any right turning radius.