I’m not exactly sure when the alignment got out of whack, but a couple years ago he had his front struts and shocks replaced, so that could have something to do with it.

Anyways, what I found was that his right front wheel was slightly cocked to the left, what they call tow-in regarding alignment. Welp, I just basically eyeballed it once, turned the adjustment about 3 full turns, locked it down and had him go for a test drive around the block.

Second check, I realized I slightly overshot good alignment and went back about ⅓ of a turn, then had him test drive it a couple days.

Today I felt it was still ever so slightly overshot, so I turned it back about ⅓ more turn, and now it drives perfectly smooth!

Disclaimer: You’ll find a lot of videos online about this and how supposedly easy it is just with some string and reasonable mechanic common sense, but that isn’t always the case. Sure the string/laser methods are fantastic and all, but that only works if the front wheelspan and the back wheelspan are equal.

Not all vehicles are like that, I used to own a car where the back wheelspan was about an inch and a half wider than the front wheelspan, meaning the string trick couldn’t possibly work right on that car. Thankfully my roommate’s vehicle apparently has equal wheelspan both front and back, making the process easier.

But don’t always trust YouTube, know your skills, your tools, and your vehicle before doing anything, especially if you’re not sure…

  • seathru@quokk.auEnglish
    7·
    3 days ago

    I would still definitely double check it with a tape measure. Tires aren’t cheap and it can drive just fine until you see belts.

    I mean, I eyeball align stuff all the time. But its off-road equipment.

    Edit: I guess the CPS is still holding up well.

    • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
      61·
      3 days ago

      I hear ya there, but it’s only the first stage that I eyeballed it. The next 2 stages were by driving it a bit and fine tuning it from lots of experience and intuition.

      I’ve done front end alignment my own way over 30 times, so I do happen to have enough experience to get mighty close to professional shop accuracy, while still using well educated redneck style.

      My final test is when I can park the vehicle on level pavement, shut it off, put it in neutral, and push the entire vehicle with my right thumb alone. I’d say that’s close enough for government work, so to speak.

      Today on the highway it also felt great, tomorrow we’ll probably take it for a faster test drive on the interstate, but I think I got it dialed in damn near perfectly. If I sense anything is still out of whack in any way, it’ll be within ±¼ of a turn its that close 👍

    • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      3 days ago

      Wait, I’m confused… CPS?

      I’m not sure what that acronym means in automotive terminology, and having trouble looking that up online…?

      I am plenty familiar enough to know camber and caster, toe in and toe out, and his main issue was a toe-in on his right front.

      I’d like to know what the CPS you mentioned is for future reference, but still where I’m at with it right now it drives great!

        • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
          3·
          2 days ago

          Oof, no wonder I was confused when you said CPS, as the proper acronym for the crankshaft position sensor is actually CKP or CKPS…

          Anyways, have an awesome day 👍

          • seathru@quokk.auEnglish
            2·
            2 days ago

            Depends on the manufacturer. This is from the last factory repair manual I had opened. And it may be regional. I’m not in Canada but I mainly work on Canadian built equipment.

            Edit: https://imgur.com/a/guHpKT8 in case the embedded link doesn’t work.

        • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
          2·
          3 days ago

          Ah yes, glad you’re keeping up no less, thanks for reminding me. I was thinking you meant some component of the steering or suspension system in this case, my bad.

          Nah homie, that repaired CPS (Crankshaft Position Sensor) is actually working perfectly! 👍

    • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      3 days ago

      No that’s my mom’s car, they don’t sell 13" tires for her car anymore, we gotta use boat trailer tires anymore. That’s no joke either, mom’s car is a 4 door 94 Nissan Sentra.

      • theskyisfalling@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        4·
        3 days ago

        What are you talking about? I was just trying to politely correct you that toe in terms of car wheel alignment is spelt like toe on your foot not tow as in the action you do to pull a trailer, I don’t know what relevance your mums car has to that.

        And they definitely still make and sell 13" tyres, a quick cursory search shows that the main brands still produce them. They may be more expensive because it isn’t a common size but they are definitely still available. Plenty of classic cars like original minis run 13’s.

      • BCsven@lemmy.ca
        2·
        3 days ago

        Not sure where you are but 13" are still available. Canadian tire has abut 6 brands that size.

        • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
          1·
          3 days ago

          Umm, no. Those are AI generated images. You’d know a 13" rim if you saw it and thought to yourself that’s like the size of kids’ bicycle tires. And even those are usually 14"

          Edit: Mom’s tires and rims are 175/70 SR13

          • Technikus5@feddit.orgEnglish
            3·
            3 days ago

            That’s because tire companies probably don’t take product photos of every single tire they’ve ever made. If they come out with a new model they simply render out a few “standard tire” pictures, and slap that on all listings of that type of tire, no matter the exact dimensions. Cause let’s be honest, in mist cases seeing the profile is a lot more interesting than seeing the exact dimensions of the rim…

            • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
              1·
              3 days ago

              Yeah, about that…

              I know they exist and can be ordered, but boat trailer tires cost half as much, exactly the same size, and she barely drives it even once a month anymore.

              Is it really worth ordering tires, when we live on the coast and equal size boat trailer tires are readily available at half the price?..

              • BCsven@lemmy.ca
                2·
                3 days ago

                Saving money is always good, but aren’t boat trailer tires a different stiffness and grip?

                I had 13" on an old Hyundai

                Also just type 175/70r13 into amazon, they will bring them to your door. The amazon guy might hate you though if you ordered 4

                • over_clox@lemmy.worldOP
                  1·
                  2 days ago

                  Meh, it’s not like we live in a snowy or muddy area, and on average, the car probably sees less than 20 road miles a month. Hell, the struts are long ago shot and the doors are starting to rust off the thing, the least of the worries is the tire stiffness.

                  Mom just wants to keep the car running well enough to make it to the local grocery store and to the doctor once or twice a month. It definitely ain’t going back on the interstate anymore, save for a true emergency, and even then it shouldn’t have to go on the interstate.