Driver's side camber off

takane2 · Post by **takane2** » 23 Dec 2010, 11:23

I just had an alignment done today because my steering wheel wasn't centered(which is hasn't been since I got new front tires at town fair tire) after town fair tire denied doing a front alignment they made me pay for a four wheel alignment. Steering wheel still wasn't centered. That was in May. Just today I got an alignment(from an indie tire place) they said the toe had been way off and when I got the car back the steering wheel is still off(a little more so). So I went back and they told me to crisscross my front tires(but they don't have much uneven wear) and also that my driver's side front camber was at about 6 degrees(He didn't say if it was positive or negative), but that it wasn't adjustable.

I am thinking this camber issue may have been caused by me detaching the strut tower from the spindle to replace my drive axle a couple months ago. Could this be the case? And either way how can I fix it? I'm trying to find the printout from the alignment machine I got from town fair tire, see if that showed the camber being off too.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 23 Dec 2010, 14:07

You can buy camber kits for the car but they aren't going to deal with camber that is 6 degrees out of spec. Have you slid into a curb or anything?

I have seen the bottom of the strut actually get bent after an accident.

...Lee

takane2 · Post by **takane2** » 23 Dec 2010, 14:44

Nope,no accidents or anything. I should check the spindle/strut tower bolts, from reading it looks like there is some adjustment there. I am also going to take a look at it, I should be able to notice 6 degrees, they might not be competent.

takane2 · Post by **takane2** » 24 Dec 2010, 07:25

Now that I've thought about it I do recall there being an accident on the carfacts report for this thing that required the driver's side fender being replaced. That is probably the issue. And the steering wheel not being lined up I'll attribute to laziness since they took a long time getting the toe in line they probably didn't won't to spend the time lining the wheel up.

Could this camber cause any issues or would it just be safe to wait until I have to replace the front shocks and springs since that is probably what is bent?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 24 Dec 2010, 07:42

The camber being off that far will cause some handling issues and the car would turn much differently depending on which direction you are turning. Other than the handling it will be tough on your tires and cause very uneven wear.

Even if the bottom of the strut is bent the spring should be OK so long as it isn't broken.

...Lee

Post by **JRL** » 24 Dec 2010, 08:02

SIX (6) degrees?????????
That's nuts.
Your strut tower must be quite bent!

adki110 · Post by **adki110** » 24 Dec 2010, 09:27

1. Six degrees is a huge amount, it will affect the handling and cause the car to pull to one side.
2. A wheel alignment includes "clear vision" meaning the steering wheel is centered.
3. Go find a real front-end shop.

takane2 · Post by **takane2** » 26 Dec 2010, 10:01

Think I should try and get my money back for the alignment since they didn't center the steering wheel? They might insist I criss-cross the front tires, they told me to do that when I went back after driving a bit down the road. The car does still pull slightly to the left but the tire doesn't look cambered six degrees. Maybe I should post some pictures from a few different angles? I didn't replace the nuts and bolts holding the spindle to the strut as suggested by the service manual after removing them to get the axle out a while ago.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 26 Dec 2010, 14:49

If you have a 2' level slap it up against both wheels and post back pictures of the results.

...Lee

takane2 · Post by **takane2** » 01 Jan 2011, 12:47

Okay here are the photos, I don't think my dad's driveway is level so i posted the rear tires too as a reference.