steering rack or just inner tie rods? 2005 S60 173k miles

[jbeebo]

As requested, bottom of left side LCA. Lemfoerder has gone with combo laser marking and cast markings - this part is fresh, was made Feb 2017.

IMG_1748.JPG (1.66 MiB) Viewed 2478 times

Did a string method wheel alignment last night, forgive the tilting horizon - one too many beers?

IMG_1747.JPG (1.8 MiB) Viewed 2478 times

Got it pretty darn close. Car drives fantastic, tracks straight and is quiet and solid over bumps. Steering wheel < 5deg CCW of centered, which is easily corrected by equal ~ 1/8 turn to both outer tie rods. But I'll leave that for Thursday's for-reals alignment by the pros and I'll call this job "done".

[oragex]

Thanks for the CA pic. I check the yards now and then, looking for a fresh date stamp (along with Volvo/Lemforder brands)

I too did myself the geometry for the past 10+ years with uniform tire wear as a result. My approach is a little easier, just measuring with a ruler the distance between the tires first behind then at the rear and compare it. Don't forget the camber adjust at the struts, I prefer having it on the negative side.

[jbeebo]

not much adjustment range on the camber. I didn't touch the top of the strut, and when I attached the knuckle I pushed it towards maximum negative camber. Will find out Thursday how far I was off

[jbeebo]

Rime of the Ancient Mariner:

Hear the rime of the ancient mariner
See his eye as he stops one of three
Mesmerizes one of the wedding guests
Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea.

And the music plays on, as the bride passes by
Caught by his spell and the mariner tells his tale.

Replaced all the front suspension components,
forgot to tighten torque all bolts.
Front left wheel loosened on the freeway,
at 70mph, life flashed before my eyes.

Navigated the wounded vessel to safety
Estimated a flat tire, made my way to see
to my surprise no, what's this?
Wheel lugs rising from the grave, zombies!

The damage was done, threads beyond repair
AAA torqued them back into the tomb
mortally wounded the hub on the way
Head hung in shame, the beast towed back home.

FCP the richer, the mariner more shrewd
New hub, new lugs, and a solemn oath avowed;
Never shall the mariner have one too many beers
whilst surgering his trusty swedish barge.

And the wedding guest's a sad and wiser man
And the tale goes on and on and on.

[abscate]

Glad you weren't hurt. I made it through most of life without doing this then end up bring a boat 200 miles on the NY Thruway on three damaged lug nuts and a prayer

[jbeebo]

I've put a couple thousand miles on the new suspension parts and I must admit I'm amazed at the difference in ride quality and handling. To anyone reading this, if you haven't replaced the lower control arms, ball joints and tie rods in the past 80~100k miles you're past due. Even if the bushings visually look OK, with no evidence of rips, at that age they are still worth replacing.

The car is much quieter over potholes, and absorbs large displacements without drama or bottoming. Steering is sharper and the car tracks better thru turns. I believed my shocks were goners, but the suspension job allowed the shocks to do their proper work, revealing that in fact they are middle-aged but perfectly functional - just like me

[abscate]

Rime of the Ancient Mariner:

Hear the rime of the ancient mariner
See his eye as he stops one of three
Mesmerizes one of the wedding guests
Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea.

And the music plays on, as the bride passes by
Caught by his spell and the mariner tells his tale.

Replaced all the front suspension components,
forgot to tighten torque all bolts.
Front left wheel loosened on the freeway,
at 70mph, life flashed before my eyes.

Navigated the wounded vessel to safety
Estimated a flat tire, made my way to see
to my surprise no, what's this?
Wheel lugs rising from the grave, zombies!

The damage was done, threads beyond repair
AAA torqued them back into the tomb
mortally wounded the hub on the way
Head hung in shame, the beast towed back home.

FCP the richer, the mariner more shrewd
New hub, new lugs, and a solemn oath avowed;
Never shall the mariner have one too many beers
whilst surgering his trusty swedish barge.

And the wedding guest's a sad and wiser man
And the tale goes on and on and on.

Reposted here for the sheer brilliance and execution...

and to add TSB xxxx to this thread