Bad Toe after taking of knuckle
03-23-2024, 01:23 PM
#1
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Bad Toe after taking apart the knuckle/spindle assembly
Hey y'all,
Recently I had to put in a new knuckle because my upper ball joint popped out of my last one. After getting the new one in I did a quick test drive and noticed its not driving straight anymore and was veering to the right, so I assume it has bad toe. I didn't adjust the inner tie rod or anything, I just unbolted it from the old knuckle, put the new one in, and re-bolted it. I remember last time I took out the knuckle I had bad toe then as well. Does anyone know why this may be? And if I could fix it myself without having to get yet another alignment. Other than this, my car is finally drivable after a month of problems!
And I did take a look at everything around, nothing else was bad other than the old upper ball joint, so I don't think thats why I have bad alignment.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
Recently I had to put in a new knuckle because my upper ball joint popped out of my last one. After getting the new one in I did a quick test drive and noticed its not driving straight anymore and was veering to the right, so I assume it has bad toe. I didn't adjust the inner tie rod or anything, I just unbolted it from the old knuckle, put the new one in, and re-bolted it. I remember last time I took out the knuckle I had bad toe then as well. Does anyone know why this may be? And if I could fix it myself without having to get yet another alignment. Other than this, my car is finally drivable after a month of problems!
And I did take a look at everything around, nothing else was bad other than the old upper ball joint, so I don't think thats why I have bad alignment.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
Last edited by NarcoticCow; 03-23-2024 at 03:38 PM. Reason: Added that no other component really needs replacing.
03-23-2024, 11:12 PM
#2
What makes you think that your castor and camber are correct??? Unfortunately, they are all interrelated. Castor and camber can both cause the car to pull to one side. And, you can't change castor and camber without affecting the toe.
You can get the toe adjusted close enough with a long piece of string (if wheel arches and body flares cooperate), but castor and camber ... not so much.
You can get the toe adjusted close enough with a long piece of string (if wheel arches and body flares cooperate), but castor and camber ... not so much.
03-24-2024, 12:41 AM
#3
Buy a Harbor Freight laser level, and check and re-set your toe? I've used these instructions, and confirmed at an alignment shop that things were within a few thou after they looked good with the laser and tape. https://nasaspeed.news/tech/suspensi...a-laser-level/
Make sure to drive the car around the block between each alignment change, since things won't settle correctly after you put it back on the ground.
Make sure to drive the car around the block between each alignment change, since things won't settle correctly after you put it back on the ground.
03-24-2024, 01:20 PM
#4
Drifting
I use Longacre toe plates and a simple camber gauge to check alignment. My alignment is about -2 degrees front and -1.5 rear camber with zero toe front and 1/8" toe in at rear. It's stable at 140 and also during heavy braking at Road America. Tire wear is even across the tread. The car trams a bit on bad roads, but I feel dodging pot holes is a bigger problem around here.
Unequal camber will cause pulling to one side. You can see my camber if you stand back 20 feet or so and sight down the side of the car. Likewise you can get a pretty good estimate with a carpenter level.
Toe settings have to be equal. Front toe in gives straight line stability. Front toe out makes the car nervous at speed but is used for autocross because it enhances turn-in. Too much toe out or toe in causes rapid tire wear. Rear toe needs to be IN for stability when braking.
Caster affects how the steering wheel returns to center after a turn. I have no idea what my caster is.
Unequal camber will cause pulling to one side. You can see my camber if you stand back 20 feet or so and sight down the side of the car. Likewise you can get a pretty good estimate with a carpenter level.
Toe settings have to be equal. Front toe in gives straight line stability. Front toe out makes the car nervous at speed but is used for autocross because it enhances turn-in. Too much toe out or toe in causes rapid tire wear. Rear toe needs to be IN for stability when braking.
Caster affects how the steering wheel returns to center after a turn. I have no idea what my caster is.