.60 Repairs to Tires, Alignment, Steering, Springs, Etc. 10.

61 Steering Repairs Problems with steering are often the result of many small adjustments needing only minor work; their sum, however, is enough to make steering difficult. Perhaps the most common complaint with steering on four-wheel drive vehicles is shimmy, which may be caused by loose parts or by tires that are out of balance. Since 4WD vehicles on frontier roads are rarely driven at high speed, tire balance can often be ruled out. Shimmy can often be corrected by going systematically through the steering system looking for loose connections. A frequent problem is looseness

between the steering box and the chassis, but the same sort of looseness anywhere in the system can cause shimmy. In the event that this does not solve the problem, and tire balance is satisfactory, an easy solution is to purchase a steering damper. This is a device very much like a shock absorber which is attached to the tie rod, and works miracles for old 4WD cars.

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WHEEL ALIGNMENT is very difficult to adjust properly without special equipment rarely found in a small shop. Some guidance can occasionally be had from patterns of tire wear, but on frontier roads the tires are usually ruptured before they are worn enough to show any pattern. For the same reason, however, there is not usually much need for concern for alignment on roads

where speed is low. The wheels usually do not need alignment unless there is collision damage or a similar major problem.

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Three factors are involved in tire alignment: caster, camber, and toein. In a 2WD vehicle, caster is the inclination from vertical of the kingpin, compared with the road. A vehicle having ball joints instead of a kingpin measures caster by the angle that the ball joints are tilted to the front or rear. Tilt to the front is regarded as a negative caster; to the rear is positive. CAMBER is the angle at which the wheel is tilted to the side, that is, the angle between the

centerline of the wheel and vertical. The most important factor as far as tire wear is concerned, is TOE-IN. This is the difference between the measurement at the front and at the back of the tires, from the center of one front tire to the center of the others. TOE-IN ADJUSTMENT can be managed without complicated equipment, but it should be done carefully, since it is the greatest wear factor. Jack up the front end of the vehicle and support it securely. Spin the tires by hand and make a chalk line around the road surface by holding the chalk against the turning tire. Use a nail to scribe a very narrow line in this chalk, holding the nail firmly in a block of wood resting on the floor so it cannot shift. Drop a plumb bob or use a big carpenter's square to transfer the mark at the front of the tire to the floor, and then to do the same at the rear of the tire. Without touching the steering or moving the wheels, do the same for the other front tire. Measure the distance between the two front marks and the two rear marks. The difference is the toe-in. This should be adjusted in accordance with the shop manual by lengthening or shortening the tie rods. Two notes on steering systems: Ball joints in the steering rods can become rusted to the point where the ball slips out of the socket. In this condition the car cannot be steered, although often temporary repairs can be made with a piece of heavy wire. When checking the steering system, try to move the ball joints to be sure of their condition. Some parts of the steering system are not interchangeable between left-hand and

right-hand drive cars. The steering rod running from the steering wheel to the gearbox, for example, is not the same on both right-hand and left-hand drive vehicles, and if the wrong rod is used, the car will steer in reversegoing to the right when the steering wheel is turned to the left. 10.62 Tires and Wheels Removal of the wheel from the car is described in Section 7.60. To get the tire off the rim using hand tools, first be sure that all the air is out. The easiest way is to remove the core from the valve. Then free the tire from the steel wheel with a heavy hammer, or in extreme cases by laying the tire on the ground, placing a plank on the tire, and driving a car onto the plank to force the the tire down and away from the steel wheel. When the tire is free on both sides, stand on one portion of the tire so that it will fit into the depression at the center of the wheel. Pull the tire off the opposite side with a tire iron, then work it off the wheel all the way around. With one side of the tire free, the tube can be pulled out for repairs. If necessary, the other side of the tire can be removed in the same way. (See Figure 10.62a) aom63.gif (437x437)