Do-it-yourself wheel alignment is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Let's try to come closer to this issue and give the necessary advice to a novice mechanic.
The most significant factor affecting the stability of the car on the road is the stabilization of a pair of steered wheels. This means that they must maintain a rectilinear direction of movement, and after turning back to their original position.
Thus, the need to stabilize the steered wheels is explained by the fact that during the movement of the car, unstabilized wheels, receiving shocks from road bumps, go to the side and the driver periodically has to return them to a straight position. Such manipulations occur constantly, which makes the driver very tired. In addition, steering drive connections wear out more intensively, and the vehicle’s instability that increases with speed prevents safe movement.
The stabilization of the steered wheels depends on their camber or toe. The operation to adjust the wheel alignment can be carried out in specialized services, but you can approach the solution to this problem differently and make a wheel alignment with your own hands.
To begin with, we will determine the signs that it is necessary to adjust the camber. Firstly, it is a constant deviation of the car from a given course in one or the other direction. Also an indirect sign may be uneven wear of the tires or the resulting severity of control during maneuvering. As a result, some motorists do the camber with their own hands.
How to make a gathering collapse.
Do-it-yourself wheel alignment adjustment is a doable task. The first thing we need to do is find a flat area to work with the pit or lift for the car. The camber adjustment begins with the steering wheel. You must make sure that when the car is moving in a straight line, the steering wheel is straight, and the number of turns to the right and left is the same. After setting the car on the site, the tire pressure is checked (adjusted to one value), the reliability of the suspension and steering gear.
To determine the convergence of the wheels, the difference in the distances between the points on the wheel rim at the rear and front of its geometric axis is calculated. To determine these distances and the difference between them, a special chain with a tensioner or ruler is most often used. It is assembled from telescopic tubes, control chains and a scale.
Measuring the toe, the ruler is installed in front of the wheels so that the tips of the tubes rest against the sidewalls of the tires, and the chains touch the ground. Having set the arrow to the zero position, the car is rolled forward, so the ruler is behind the geometric axis of the wheels. The arrow in this case shows the convergence value. If it differs from the standards, then it is adjusted.
To achieve the recommended wheel alignment rate, you can rotate the connecting couplings of the side steering rods. After adjustment, the lock nuts are tightened securely.
Checking and adjusting the camber is a more complicated operation, however, it can also be carried out independently. To do this, the car is raised so that the tires do not touch the ground, after which the points of equal runout on the sidewalls of the tires are calculated. This is done with chalk and a solid palm rest. Bringing the chalk to the rotating wheel and, relying on the subject, protruding diametrically opposite parts are noted. Then the wheel is rotated so that they are vertically.
Next, a load is hung next to the wheel or a rectangle is placed. The difference in distance between the thread of the load or the rectangle and the upper part of the rim will be equal to the magnitude of the collapse. It should be in the range of 1 to 5 mm. If not, the camber is controlled by the addition of adjusting gaskets between the lever axis and the cross member. Do-it-yourself collapse means saving a decent amount of money, however, for most modern cars, this operation is recommended in car services.