Question : 92 Z34 Front Wheel Alignment

[Rabbi]

ok this is my second z34 with the front passenger tire way out of alignment, so im guessing this is a common problem with these cars.


The passenger wheel is pointing outward a pretty far amount while the other wheel is pointing strait as it should.


Now i dont want to pay the $200ish dollars for an alignment.


Can i manually adjust the tie rod or something?

If so how difficult is this to do and is it even possible, Thanks!

[5speedz34]

$200 for an alignment?! WTF?

It's usually like $60-80 for a two wheel and $80-100 for a four wheel.

[Rabbi]

yea muskegon is terrible for any sort of auto repair =(

is this doable you think? I Dont care if its not PERFECTLY even but i really just want my wheels pointing in the same dam direction lol.


i should just be able to adjust the tie-rod right ?

[GTP091]

ok this is my second z34 with the front passenger tire way out of alignment, so im guessing this is a common problem with these cars.


The passenger wheel is pointing outward a pretty far amount while the other wheel is pointing strait as it should.


Now i dont want to pay the $200ish dollars for an alignment.


Can i manually adjust the tie rod or something?

If so how difficult is this to do and is it even possible, Thanks!

I certainly wouldn't say it's a problem with these cars. More likely a problem with your cars. You can adjust the alignment of your front end yourself. But consider a shop uses a laser system for alignments so I don't know why you would want to do it yourself. The front end alignment of any vehicle is very important to it's safety. Good luck going fast and holding onto it in a corner and you'll be doing the tire shops a big favor too, because you tires will wear very fast. Buck up the $80 and get it done right.

[WrathOfSocrus]

That's not true. Just because a shop has lasers doesn't mean you can't dial it in close enough to relieve the tire issues you currently have. The last 4 or 5 cars that I have done tie rods on I simply used my Fat Max measuring tape. Having a reliable helper is a plus. If you hook your tape to the same tread band going around the tire and measure to the tire on the other side you can dial in about a quarter inch toe-in. Making sure you measure off of the same tread band when taking measurements on either side of the tire is paramount.

If your steering wheel is out of whack (such as faces a quarter turn to the left in order to drive straight) then you will have to aim the wheel straight and adjust the tie rods accordingly. You should have the same amount of threads showing on the inner tie rod. It would be a good idea to jack it up and look for excessive movement or wear on the tie rods and replacing as needed before doing the adjustments.

The vehicles I have done now track straight down the road when u let go of the steering wheel, have seen speeds in excess of 80MPH with zero front end vibration., and 2 of them I know for certain have seen over 40K miles. No shops, no lasers. Just some tie rods, a Fat Max and a few minutes of time after work.

If the outside edge of the tire is wearing down faster than the rest of the tire you will probably need camber adjustment. There are several places that have camber shims that go behind the wheel bearing assembly, and adjust from 1/4 to 1 degree of camber. I know for certain rockauto.com has them as well as other places.

Usually the hardest part to the job is getting the jam nuts free. If you can do that you can probably do the rest with little effort. Considering the current alignment I'd say it can only get better from there! If you don't think u can handle it I'd go to a shop but it really isn't that hard.

[RedZMonte]

agreed a front end alignment shouldnt cost more then $60. Also check your tie rod ends and ball joints... if they are shot you will not get it to align properly. If you "Eye ball" it you may be able to make it better but not perfect and you will still chew up your tires... in the long run costing you more then the original alignment would have cost...And if your ball joint/tierod is bad and breaks (I learned this 1st hand) you have even more $$ into it and if it breaks at highway speed could cause a major accident (MAJOR).

Do it right the 1st time.

S