How is vertical alignment similar to and different from horizontal alignment?

Pulling after an alignment

• QUESTION: Hi Kevin, Have you heard of issues with the adjusting sleeves sticking on the concordes and similar models? I went for an alignment and they said they had to replace the adjusting sleeves to the tune of $50 bucks each plus $50 labor. And after the alignment the car pulled to the left. Originally it was pulling to the right. Then they recommended rotating the tires because I had a new spare on passenger front side. After they rotated them it pulled hard to the right. Then they said I must have a bent frame. Doesn't sound plausible to me. We replaced the spare "new" tire with the original old one and it still pulls to the right. Did I get hosed on the alignment or could their be something else going on? ANSWER: Hi Maria, It could be the brake is dragging on the right side so after you drive it again see if the metal part of the wheel on the right side feels hot compared to the left side wheel metal. If that is not different, then it may be toe-in is not set properly. You can check that yourself with a tape measure. Let me know if you want to try that and I will tell you how. On the sleeves, those parts can get 'tight' but with some penetrating oil they should have freed up, but it might be an issue nonetheless. The place that did the alignment should be forced to stand behind their alignment work so let check the toe-in and see what it shows. ---------- FOLLOW-UP ---------- QUESTION: Hi Roland, I agree they didn't even try to get them off and last time they said the same thing my husband put some penetrating oil on them and it freed them. I should have known they were going to say the same thing this time as they mentioned they may be a problem even before I took the car there. That's why I wondered if you knew of a common complaint of this occuring as they said it happens to all Chrysler's of this body style. Yes, I would like to try the toe-in measurement. Please tell me how. Thanks, Maria ANSWER: Hi Maria, You use some some 'white-out' or similar paint to put a dot on the front middle of the tread of each front tire, equal height from the ground at the heighest point you can and still get your tape measure to bridge across without bumping into any part of the chassis. Ideally the end of the tape measure would have hole at the end through which you can insert a thumb tack. Put the thumb tack through the measure and then into the middle of one paint dot. The go across to the other paint dot and score it with a knife, vertically and horizonatally, and then measure with the tape the distance to the veritical score mark with the tape aligned to the horizontal mark. If you can do the measure with your husbanc holding one end of the tape then you don't need the thumb tack approach, just score a mark vertially and horizontally on eash dot). That would be the front measurement. Then push the car forward or back far enough to bring the dots to the back side of the tire and as high again as you can and still bring the tape across without touching. The repeat the thump tack in the marked hole (the thumb tack should have marked where it was) and then measure the distance across again. The two readings should be ideally equal or no more than 1/4" or no less than 1/4" compared to the first reading. The car should be on a level flat surface with the front wheel pointing straight forward when you begin this process. If you find the difference in the readings to be more than 1/4" either way then the toe needs to be adjusted. ---------- FOLLOW-UP ---------- QUESTION: I'll give it a try. Assuming that it's off more than 1/4", how do we adjust the toe or is that something the alignment shop should do?

• Answer:

  You can do it yourself but if you paid the shop to align the front end and now you find that it is not in spec, I would go back and ask that they re-do it, and to set it a 0" toe. To do it yourself: On either of the two tie rods that connect the steering gear to the steering knuckle arm you will find a sleeve that was presumably previously 'sticking'. Just loosen the fittings at both ends of a sleeve, noticing that one end will have left-handed threads, and then you rotate the sleeve in such a manner as to either shorten or lengthen the tie rod just enough to change the toe reading by half the amount that you exceed 1/4" at present. Then tighten the fittings and re-measure to see if you are now in spec. Ideally it won't pull any more and the steering wheel will be 'centered'. If it is not centerer to your liking then you have go back and re-adjust both sleeves (lengthening one and shortening the other the same amount of rotation of the sleeves) so you preserve the toe but shift the location of the steering wheel to be now centered.