View Full Version : Wheel alignment question,again.
Right,ive had new track rods and arms fitted and the Toe has been set to 0degrees on both sides.This will avoid uneven and premature tyre wear.
My steering wheel is off center as is shown on my avatar.Slightly out as you can see.
My camber on the offside is out by 2degress.Would this cause my steering to be off center to the nearside as is shown?
Does anyone know that by adjusting the camber on the offside that this would bring the steering wheel back straight?
there is no camber ajustment strictly speaking as std on a valver, best thing is to check tyre pressures etc, has the car ever been bumped or have you changed the dampers or anything recently mate?
if not the wheel is multi splined so you could always just move the steering wheel :wink:
dont know the history that well to know if it got a bump on the the offside.
there is no sign of a respray and all suspension components underneath look original and intact,bar the wishbone which was replaced for an MOT.
tyre pressures are spot on.double even triple checked!
no dampers not changed,however the top mounts were done by renault aswell as the track rods and ends just last week.they seem to think the strut may be bent,but are only guessing. :roll:
Does the steering wheel move if you adjust camber?because if it does then by adjusting the camber on the offside(with a camber bolt) I think it will bring the steering wheel dead center.Can we confirm this or do I have to fit the bolt to see if it does?
She does drive straight.
if it was me.
take it back - and tell them the wheel is not straight.
straighten the wheel and get them to readjust your tracking
I hear what your saying Northy,however they will only bring the toe in on the near side to try straighten the wheel.they are adamant the toe is set to factory defaults.I have had it laser aligned three times now.
Just spoke to the service manager and he seems to think that by adjusting the camber on the offside with a bolt it MAY bring the steering wheel dead center.It sounds like it should but I guess the only way to prove it is to fit the camber bolt and bring that offside back in 2 degrees.Surely by doing this it will pull the steering wheel back in straight?It kinda makes sense does it not?
If you think about it I am pulling the top of the wheel which is negative outwards which in turn should move the steering wheel in line.
Swervin_Mervin
28-11-2005, 11:11
Your camber should be right already. If it isn't then something must be bent.
no doubht something is bent,but which component is the million dollar question.
denomination i'm afraid mate.
off topic,got this link from leda in an email this morning.
www.muki.co.uk
MatBrown
28-11-2005, 11:49
If the wheels are straight, unbolt the steering wheel and move it round one notch.
Mat.
I thought about doing that.
Looking at the avatar Mat do you think by doing that by moving it a notch it would be center.I mean are there that many splines as Rich said to allow for that amount of adjustment?
Also is it difficult to get the steering wheel off?
Swervin_Mervin
28-11-2005, 11:56
It will get ti close. I had to do this on my old BX. It still wasn't perfectly in the centre but hey. My valver's isn't dead straight but it's better than in used to be.
yes its multi splined mate, no its one torx bolt in the middle, they sometimes need a bit of a wiggle/pull to come off once the wheel is loose but yes there will be mate
nice one lads.i will give it a try and also the bolt to see if the bitch comes back straight.
does the cap in the center of the steering wheel just pop off?
does the cap in the center of the steering wheel just pop off?
Yup, it does indeed.
Incidentally, my steering wheel is also on the piss, even after wheel alignment.
Ok so we now know that if I remove the steering wheel and reposition it,it will center my steering wheel,and as she drives straight i will be happy with that.
Back to the camber problem,as these cars are very camber sensitive.
denomination as Rich said.
I have done top mounts and track rods and ends.The rear axel and near side come up perfect on the alignment tests.
What are the likely other suspects that would cause the camber to be out on the offside wheel?
Wishbone.Done recently for MOT.
Strut.
Stub Axel.
Chassis.
Would the subframe matter?
What about the anti roll bar?
sorry about all the questions,just want to understand the suspension setup better as well as sort it out.
Adding the following link to help.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b300/fabtrader/Wheelallignment.jpg
could be a bent strut, suspension turret itsef (probably more noticeable) hub, stub axel, not very likely but iirc wheel bearing being knackered can affect it (not 100% on the last one) could be ball joint bolts beign too small etc, is it positive or negative camber your suffering from mate?
negative.
being that the top of the wheel is slightly leaning inwards.(you know that anyway :) )
i mean you can barely see it when you look at it but when the readings come back with -2 difference especially because the near side is positive and you know the way the roads camber towards the nearside anyway that 2 degrees makes a big difference.
the mechanic at Renault said ahh well you will be taking the car abroad and you drive on the other side over there and thus you will not feel the camber as much.
So what I did was on saturday was find an empty road and drove on the left hand side to see if there was much difference.TBH it still cambered to the near side.
he he yeah mate eer as i say check the simpler things first, (ie strut etc as its easy to take off/see if its bent) i'm presuming its not du to a lowering issue seen as that would be the obvious answer : :lol: and i know they are renault monkeys(no offence richy :P ) so it may just be worth a check to see if they actually tightened up all the wheel bolts to see if the wheel is sat square
do you think Rich if shes sat lower because of a spring issue this would cause the camber to be out?Pretty sure they said the springs were good.
it can do mate, it doesnt happen to many but there is always the unlucky ones that it happens to, tbh if the spring is a little worn i reckon it may affect it but is not likely considering that the camber is only normally knocked out a degree or tow with much more lowering.
i would lean more towards something being slightly bent as against worn with it being acoule of degrees. I wouldnt worry that much mate i know its just an annoying thing, i have all this to come friday when bayliss 4 wheel alignes mine i think i'm just gonna close my eyes and let him not tell me if anything is out
you know the car looses its appeal a little with issues like this.for me (as i'm sure for most of us)its all about the driving experience and if I dont have that well...
wont give up though.gonna try the camber bolt as a temporary solution and maybe sometime later look into finding the component thats out.
good chatting to ye.
just gonna add the wheel in question.the height seems Ok to me.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b300/fabtrader/DSC00148a.gif
VIPERONE
28-11-2005, 18:49
check the bolts in the ball joints are the correct thickness. they need to fill the hole and be tight.. if thinner bolt is used this canmake things seem out
cheers gunner.
you dont happen to have any photos of the williams front suspension components handy?winston has a photo of his on the site but i cant see behind the brake disks.
right i am attaching also the instructions for the installation of camber bolts.this is just for reference to the discussion today.
If you look at both of the picture 3's the top one is getting positive camber and the bottom one is getting negative camber.notice how it shows the positioning change in the tie rod end?Pretty sure that adjusting the camber will also adjust the steering wheel.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b300/fabtrader/DSC00159.jpg
Here is a view of 16S suspension components.Is it similar on the Willy?
Gunner can you identify the ball joints?
Rich,whats your gut feeling on which component would draw the wheel negatively?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b300/fabtrader/sus16S.jpg
right ball joint bolts are number 3 on the diagram and the first thing i would personally check for damage would be the damper leg, if you dont know enough history of the car its worh checking mate
I do believe your right Rich.
YABADABADOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Steering is straight.
Thanks Rich and Mat for the tip.
tomorrow i'll be investigating that camber problem but already it feels normal again with a straight steering wheel.well pleased. :wink:
Ok quick edit.
now is tomorrow if you know what I mean.
the camber problem doesnt exist anymore.they must have sorted it out with the top mounts and track rod ends.since i placed the steering wheel straight it all makes sense.so those camber bolts are going back to k-tec.
see ya's later.
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