Alignment
STANDARD PROCEDURE - WHEEL ALIGNMENTPRE-WHEEL ALIGNMENT INSPECTION
Before any attempt is made to change or correct the wheel alignment, the following inspection and necessary corrections must be made to ensure proper alignment.
1. Verify that the fuel tank is full of fuel. If the tank is not full, the reduction in weight will affect the curb height of the vehicle and the alignment angles.
2. The passenger and luggage compartments of the vehicle should be free of any load that is not factory equipment.
3. Check the tires on the vehicle. All tires must be the same size and in good condition with approximately the same amount of tread wear. Inflate all the tires to the recommended air pressure.
4. Check the front wheel and tire assemblies for excessive radial runout.
5. Inspect lower ball joints and all steering linkage for looseness, binding, wear or damage. Repair as necessary.
6. Check suspension fasteners for proper torque and retighten as necessary.
7. Inspect all suspension component rubber bushings for signs of wear or deterioration. Replace any faulty bushings or components before aligning the vehicle.
8. Check the vehicle's curb height to verify it is within specifications. Refer to Curb Height Measurement.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT SETUP
1. Position the vehicle on an alignment rack.
2. Install all required alignment equipment on the vehicle, per the alignment equipment manufacturer's instructions. On this vehicle, a four-wheel alignment is recommended.
NOTE: Prior to reading the vehicle's alignment readouts, the front and rear of vehicle should be jounced. Induce jounce (rear first, then front) by grasping the center of the bumper and jouncing each end of vehicle an equal number of times. The bumper should always be released when vehicle is at the bottom of the jounce cycle.
3. Read the vehicle's current front and rear alignment settings. Compare the vehicle's current alignment settings to the vehicle specifications for camber, caster and toe-in. Refer to Specifications.
4. If the rear alignment is out of specification, adjust it first, before proceeding to the front. Rear camber and caster are not adjustable. If rear camber is out of specification, check for damaged or bent rear suspension components.
REAR WHEEL TOE ADJUSTMENT
1. Loosen lateral link, adjustment link jam nuts. Rotate adjustment links as required to set rear wheel Toe to specifications. Do not exceed the maximum length dimensions of the lateral links shown in. Both dimensions must be checked to ensure they do not exceed maximums allowed.
CAUTION: When setting rear toe-in on vehicle, the maximum lengths of the adjustable lateral link at the locations shown in must not be exceeded. If these maximum lengths are exceeded, inadequate retention of adjustment link to the inner and outer link may result. Ensure that the adjustment sleeve jam nuts are torqued to the required specifications when the Toe setting procedure is completed.
2. Tighten lateral link, adjustment link lock-nuts to 88 Nm (65 ft. lbs.) torque.
3. Proceed to set the front wheel alignment. If front camber and caster readings are within required specifications, proceed to Front Wheel Toe Adjustment. If not, refer to the procedure to correct camber.
CAMBER AND CASTER
Front wheel Camber and Caster settings on this vehicle are determined at the time the vehicle is designed. This is done by determining the precise mounting location of the vehicle's suspension components throughout the design and assembly processes of the vehicle. This is called a Net-Build vehicle and results in no normal requirement for adjustment of the Camber and Caster after a vehicle is built, or when servicing the suspension components. Thus, Camber and Caster are not normally considered an adjustable specification when performing an alignment on this vehicle. Though Camber and Caster are not adjustable, they should be checked during the alignment procedure to ensure they meet the manufacturers specifications.
If camber and caster do not meet required specifications, the vehicles suspension components should be inspected for any signs of damage or bending. This inspection must be done before performing the camber setting procedure.
If a vehicle has a drift or lead condition, the front camber can be adjusted using the camber adjustment procedure. For diagnosis of a lead/pull condition, Refer to WHEEL ALIGNMENT - DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING.
CAUTION: Do not attempt to adjust the vehicles Caster or Camber by heating, bending or modifying the vehicle's front suspension components.
FRONT CAMBER ADJUSTMENT
There are camber adjustment bolts and nuts available to allow front suspension camber adjustment in the event the vehicle pulls even though the camber is within specifications. This procedure involves replacing the original strut clevis to knuckle attachment bolts with special undersized bolts.
1. Raise the front of vehicle by the frame until the tires are not supporting the weight of the vehicle.
2. Remove the tire and wheel assembly from the location on the vehicle requiring camber adjustment.
CAUTION:
- When removing the strut to knuckle bolts from the strut clevis bracket, do not allow knuckle to pull away, putting a strain on the brake flex hose.
- The bolts attaching the strut to the steering knuckle are serrated in the area where they go through the steering knuckle and strut. When removing, do not turn the bolts in the steering knuckle. If bolts are turned in the steering knuckle, damage to the steering knuckle will result.
3. Remove the nuts from the bolts attaching the strut to the knuckle. Tap the bolts out of the knuckle.
4. Loosely install the camber adjustment bolts and nuts attaching the strut to the steering knuckle. The bolts should be installed so the nuts are towards the front of the vehicle.
5. Install the tire and wheel assembly.
6. If necessary, repeat steps 2 through 5 to the other side of the vehicle.
7. Lower the vehicle.
8. Jounce the front and rear of vehicle.
9. Adjust the front camber to the preferred setting by pushing in or pulling outward on the top of the wheel and tire as required. When camber is correct, tighten the upper and lower strut to knuckle camber adjustment bolts to a torque of 203 Nm (150 ft. lbs.).
10. Proceed to Front Wheel Toe Adjustment and adjust front wheel toe as necessary.
FRONT WHEEL TOE ADJUSTMENT
1. Center steering wheel and hold it in place using a steering wheel clamp.
2. Loosen the tie rod adjustment pinch bolt. Rotate the adjustment sleeve to align toe to specifications.
CAUTION:
- When setting toe on vehicle, the maximum dimension of exposed threads allowed on inner and outer tie rod cannot exceed the distance shown. If the maximum distance is exceeded, inadequate retention of either inner or outer tie rod may result. Ensure that adjustment pinch bolt is torqued to required specification when Toe setting procedure is completed.
- When torquing adjustment pinch bolt, the procedure must be followed to ensure adequate retention of the adjustment sleeve. Not following this procedure, could result in the Toe Setting Adjustment changing and/or loosening of the inner or outer tie rod ends.
NOTE: Use an appropriate tool on neck area of outer tie rod to maintain the correct perpendicular orientation of the tie rod end stud within the tie rod end.
3. After completion of toe adjustment procedure, tighten tie rod pinch bolt to a torque of 38 Nm (28 ft. lbs.).
1. Road test the vehicle after the initial wheel alignment has been performed. If vehicle still drifts or leads, repeat the front wheel alignment procedure and adjust the camber to bias the cross camber setting opposite of the direction in which the vehicle has the tendency to lead. For example, if the vehicle leads left, compensate by setting left front camber to 0.0° and right front camber up to +0.6°, allowing both sides to remain within camber specifications. The cross camber is still at 0.6°, which is within the allowed alignment specification.