Alignment: Service and Repair

FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Pre-inspection
1. Check the tire inflation and set to the recommended pressure if necessary.
2. Inspect the front wheel bearing play and correct if necessary.
3. Inspect the wheel and tire runout.
4. Inspect the ball-joints and steering linkage for excessive looseness.
5. Place the vehicle on level ground with no luggage or passenger load.
6. The difference in height from the center of the wheel to the fender brim between the left and right sides should be within 0.39 in (10 mm)

Notice: The caster and camber is not adjustable. The toe-in is adjustable.

Adjustments
Steering angle-maximum turning angle to left and to right
1. Place both front wheels on a turning radius gauge.
2. Turn wheels fully to left and note angles for left (inner) and right (outer) wheels.
3. Loosen both left and right tie rod jam nuts, then turn both tie rods to achieve specified angles. Tighten jam nuts.





4. Repeat for a full right turn; right is now inner and left is now outer.
5. Tighten tie-rod jam nuts.
Tightening torque: 25 - 37 ft. lbs. (34 - 50 Nm, 3.5 - 5.1 kg-m)





6. Inspect and adjust toe after adjusting steering angle.

Toe-in
Inspection
1. Raise the front of the vehicle until the wheels clear the ground.
2. Turn the wheels by hand and mark a line in the center of each tire tread using a scribing block.
3. Place the front wheels in the straight-ahead position and lower the vehicle.





4. Measure the distance between the marked lines at the front and rear of the wheels. Both measurements must be taken at equal distances from the ground. The distance between the wheels at the rear should be greater than that at the front by 0.12 ± 0.12 inch (3 ± 3 mm).

Adjustment





To adjust the toe-in, loosen the left and right tie-rod lock nuts and turn the tie-rods by the same amount.

Caution: The left and right tie-rods are both right hand thread. To increase the toe-in, turn the right tie-rod toward the front of the vehicle, and turn the left tie-rod by the same amount toward the rear. One turn of the tie-rod (both sides) changes the toe-in by about 0.24 inch (6 mm). Adjust the toe-in after adjusting the steering angle.





Tighten the tie-rod lock nuts to the specified torque.
Tightening torque: 25 - 36 ft. lbs. (34 - 50 Nm, 3.5 - 5.1 kg-m)