When a car is traveling along a uniformly levelled road, it is expected to move straight. If the car tracks otherwise, it can be speculated that the wheels are out of alignment. Improper alignment can decrease the durability of tires and create problems in handling and steering the vehicle. There are mainly three things which can affect the alignment of wheels – toe, caster and camber. A glitch in the camber or caster means that you need to take your automobile to a mechanic. However, it is possible for you to resolve problems with the toe by yourself.
Given below is the procedure for fixing a faulty toe:
Tools required –
- Jack
- Jack stands
- 2 open-ended wrenches
- Pocket knife
- Tape measure.
Steps Involved –
- First, you will need to know the proper configuration for the toe of your car. This information can either be obtained from the manufacturer’s manual or found in repair guides available over the Internet.
- Next, you will need to jack the car up, place it on jack stands and inspect the stability of various wheel components. Shake the wheels one by one to see if they are loose, and adjust the wheel components if required.
- Now mark the circumference of each tire using a pocketknife’s tip. Spin the tires separately after putting the pocketknife against each one of them and holding it in a place.
- After that, take off your car from the jack stands and gently lower it on the ground.
- In order to ensure that the car settles down properly, push the fender down a number of times. When this has been done, you will have to put the vehicle in neutral mode.
- While keeping the tires of your car pointed straight, make the steering wheel loose and then release it. Now push the vehicle forward about 10 feet.
- With the help of a friend, measure the distance between line marks in front and back of each tire. Calculate the difference between the front and back distances and you will get the toe setting. If the front distance is less, its magnitude is the ‘toe-in’ measurement and vice versa.
- Now do the requisite adjustments in the toe and for that, loosen the lock nuts of the tie rod. Then turn the rod for either shortening or lengthening it. Secure the lock nuts once the adjustments have been done.
If you want to know more about wheel alignment issues and ways to fix even a faulty caster or camber, you can either look up for online tutorials or take automotive training courses in Ireland.
