Caster and camber adjustment help (continued)

[Classicfordguy]

So a continuation my thread from several weeks ago http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28294

This whole thing started cause I was getting a death wobble from the left tire, the alignment made it better but still got it the other day when I turned slightly left on the highway

So here are the specs from my alignment:

driver side
Camber -0.3
Caster 6.8

pass side
Camber -0.7
Caster 4.4

I took my front wheels off and checked the size of the bushings, they both read 1degree 30' as seen in pic, is that one degree 30 minutes?

So I have a printout of what the double adjustable caster bushings look like question is, what size should I be buying to try and get my steering back into spec?

Thanks again for all your guys help, if it weren't for this site I would be paying $300 on top of my alignment for some alignment guy to do this and I still wouldn't know how it works.

-Rob

First pic is pass side second pic is driver side

 

[MUDKICKR]

best thing to do is call up an alignment shop and ask for the sceps for your trk. then you can go by what you need to get the correct part. also if you have a harbor freight around you then go there and look for a few alignment tools, pn 30167-4gva and also they have a camber guage. it has a magnet on the end and its like a bubble balancer. i cant find it online but i have seen it in the store. you have to be on level ground to use it with the weight on the vehicle to use it but it does work. try those two items and you can then do your own alignments.

 

[Full Monte]

I went through this on my '85 (see below). There are some adjustable shims available that go up to 2.5 degees, if I remember correctly. I was working with a heavy-duty truck shop, and they couldn't find the correct shims. One of the things that will change your camber is to make sure your frame is level to the ground. If you have a heavy camper like I do, or are dragging your rear end around down low, fixing the suspension issues are the first step. Even then it can be a challenge to get the camber adjusted correctly. Mine is still not 100%, but it's a lot closer.

 

[unclewilson]

need to do this to mine drivers side out

 

[Classicfordguy]

Mudkicker, thanks for the tip, sounds like the way to go. I have the printout from my alignment so it sais what the acceptable range is. It would probably be good to tilt the caster further forward inside the range so that when I am loaded with a camper or whatever else and the caster becomes more negative I'll still be in range.

It still shocks me that improper caster can cause a death wobble when everything is tight, there is some slop in my steering box but when it happens it is only the driver side and I dont realy feel it in the steering wheel.

Fullmonte, when I lifted my truck I did leave the back just a tad lower than the front instead of the oposite for looks, I'm sure that's where some of my issue came from.

-Rob

 

[gandalf]

I think I'm pretty much in agreement with Fullmonte on this. Start with everything else in proper shape, then go for the adjustments.

When I took my '86 into ******* Henderson for an alignment, they suggested that I bring it in with it's normal heaviest load. They got to work on the truck complete with eleven foot cabover camper. They replaced the bevel shaped things (does it have a proper name?), and all was well. The truck sat close enough to level because I had the heaviest overload springs (Helwig) I could find. Without the weight of the cabover the ride was just a bit harsh.

So, when you have the front end aligned and the camber/caster done, have your heaviest load on there.

Just a suggestion.

 

[tknomaj]

camber

your camber numbers are not that bad as a rule in general .5 degree split from right to left is proper preferably with most camber on right side to fight road crown where you are off is in caster again the.5 degree your not even close and SAIS (steering axis inclination angle) is not adjustable you look at that to see if the spindle is bent or axle / control arm damage . When is the shaking occuring and does it pull ? p.s. if it only happens on left wheel when turning I would look at ball joints camber cannot make the wheel shake. just tire wear shaking is balljoints/ warped rotors if shake is while breaking/ or tie rod you say front is tight i think your refering to tie rods . steering box cannot make it shake . but big tires and no steering stabilizer could I have 35s and 4" lift and no problems but all tires act different

 

[forcefed]

I cant remember if your tires were new or not but I say after you check everything out and still have problems try borrowing a set of different tires and rims off of a buddy. See if that changes how your truck handles. If your tires were wore to the old alignment your going to have trouble with the tires till they wear to the new adjustments. Thats the problem I ran into also along with the balance of the tires. Even when I installed my D60 I still had problems till I changed where I got my tires balanced at. Most places will check your balance on your tires for a few bucks. Just a thought do not if it will help or not?

 

[Classicfordguy]

I bought the tires new, got it aligned, the right side wore off ******, started having hte death wobble so I replaced several loose parts inluding: tire rod ends (got moog), tie rod end coupler, inner tie rod driver side and my pitman arm was very loose (scary). I then got it aligned several weeks ago and got the one bald tire replaced with a brand new one that I had as a spare.

Before I would get the death wobble in the morning getting up to speed while the tires still had flat spots from being parked (stupid bias pieces of crap) then I would still get it pulling a light trailer, just about 200lb tonge weight, when there was a car on that trailer it didnt do it, go figure.

After the alignment I thought all had been fixed but when I turned a slight left at about 65mph on the highway it did it again with the brand new tire on that side (wobble only happens on driver side). I recently swapped the front two tires side to side to put the new tire on the side that had previously worn quickly and now the truck seems to bounce when I brake past 40 mph as well as have some harmonic bounces accelerating past certain speeds. the truck tracks straight when I let go of the wheel. I have checked ball joints and everything else though I will go back and check ball joints a bit better by shaking the wheel side to side while on the gound just to be sure.

So the next thing I wanted to try was to see if the tires aren't round (see my thread "shaving tires? Homemade?") as well as getting the caster and the camber closer to spec.

great idea by the way of getting the alignment with a load. I usualy only pull a small lawn trailer but I would rather it drive better when heavily loaded and more risky.

Thanks for the help, Hope this info helps.

-Rob

 

[sassyrel]

you check ball joints-----by jacking it up--and grabbing the top and bottom--to see if theres any movement--have someone look while you move it--as not much movement will make a large diff driving--

 

[tknomaj]

ball joints

to check for bad ball joints jack up one wheel at a time as close to wheel as possible pick up wheel about 2" use a 4x4 and a pry bar have the pry bar under the center of tire/wheel assy one person will push down on pry bar against 4x4 using it as fulcrum and one person with flash light will check for movement in joints upper and lower any movement is bad pushing on top and bottom of wheel will tell you if wheel brearings preload is not set right or possible bad bearings. as for tires cupping change your shocks stay away from monroe or gabrials personally KYB great shock good prices with big tires gas adjust at min monomax if you have the extra $ P.S. when checking ball joints have person on pry bar move slowley as movement might not be seen if you are in a hurry

 

[Classicfordguy]

Fulcrum method sounds good, hadnt heard that, was told before just to shake the truck side to side on the ground while someone looked. I'll double check them, could be my problem.

Shocks are less than 2 years old and only 8000 miles, rancho 5000 all the way around.

-Rob

 

[tknomaj]

ball joints

the method i described is the only way to check ball joints period. moving the tire as you have described will show play i tie rods or steering box but not ball joints and the truth be told i is supposed to be measured with a dial indicator and movement measured in thousandths of an inch but any visable movement is beyond that so you should be ok with that and the shocks job is to control oscillation of the spring (spring compression and rebound) the heavier the wheel and tire you put on the vehicle the more shock you require after you get the front end in shape check for tire wear the ranchos maybe not enough for the weight of wheel assy and suspension

 

[Classicfordguy]

Sounds good, the rancho shocks were part of the 6" lift kit designed for up to a 37" tire, I have 36" that measure to 33". When I get the death wobble it is not up and down it is as if I am turning the wheel side to side very raplidly, I know that can still be ball joints, I'm just clarifying.

-Rob

 

[tknomaj]

Yes when ball joints are worn and junk they will do exactly what you describe and will continue shacking until you apply brakes and slow down to abou 25-30mph and then will be fine and you can accelerate again or braking can cause them to shake