Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2010 15:29:02 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: checking caster
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hi all,
it's caster, not castor.
Here is how you 'back yard method' check caster on any car.
requirements are ..
a smooth level flat surface, and tired pressures adjusted. ( if you want to
be fancy you can put something in the driver's seat to simulate driver's
weight, since it's always there driving ..
but in practice, and the normal world, the car/van is checked without
driver, or driver's weight )
and for tools..
a carpenter's level, about two feet long, and a small straight ruler.
of course you can't have shot ball joints, loose tie rod ends, worn bushings
in the end of the steering rack where the tie rod comes out, shot upper
inner A-arm bushings etc. The front end has to be mostly fairly tight.
You should check the toe-in/toe-out first ..
I go for about 1/8th inch or 'just barely' toe-ed in. A tiny amount of toe
in is correct.
So check toe first. ( two yard sticks work very well )
then on to camber :
step one - ( straight ahead camber to see if things look about right there
first. )
with front wheels pointed straight ahead ...measure how vertical the front
wheels/tires are.
stand you level up so it's perfectly vertical, a couple inches from the tire
and wheel.
Measure from edge of level to the top of the rim edge. . Say that's 2 3/4
inches.
step two ......then measure the same at the bottom of the wheel rim edge.
That distance should be nearly the same,
and you can tell if it the wheels are dead vertical, tilted in slightly at
the top ( negative camber )
or out at the top ( positive camber )
Generally ...within 1/8th inch of vertical is about right.
if you see negative camber on one side, and positive on the other ..that's
not right, and it will drift toward the side with positive camber.
Camber should be pretty equal side to side. and close to vertical.
now..the caster.
Hopefully the other two are 'close'
they need to be for this part.
step one ..
turn wheels full right. Notice how far outward the right wheel/tire tilts.
Measure that distance with your level and ruler. It's going to be around 2
inches...a pretty hefty amount.
Next.....measure how far inward the left front wheel tilts ..
you should find it just tilts in a little ....like 1/4 inch ....up to 1/2
inch. 'some' but not a lot.
step two ..turn wheels full left.
do the same measurements . You should find left front wheel tilts out a good
ways ...around 2 inches .
and right tilts in about 1/4 inch, up to 1/2 inch.
conclusion ..
if toe is right,
straight ahead camber is pretty close to zero .
and ....you get the same measurements with steering turned right as you do
turned left...
and they are roughly as described above ..
your front alignment is pretty good.
and if it drives straight down the road,
and tires don't wear funny ...
it's pretty close.
and you won't have to endure sloppy tire store work either !
I say this because of ..
oh ....a woman customer with a mercedes car, having just come from paying
for an alignment...
forget why I was checking it out, but it had very significant tie rod end
play on one side ..
there is no way an alignment can be done with a shot tie rod end ..
yet the shop did 'whatever they did' ..maybe they didn't really do anything
! ..
and took the woman's money.
or, I've read about a mercedes car coming out of an alignment, with the
steering wheel not centered, and the shop told the car's owner.....that's
just how they come out, that's due to the crown in the road, or
whatever....PURE BS !! ..
Centering the steering wheel is part of a 'real' and thorough alignment.
( and for fine tuning steering wheel centering when it's not a matter of
this spline or that...there is a trick for that with the tie rod
adjustments, and I'll tell you about that someday perhaps. This is all
self-taught btw . )
so if you are Careful, and Smart ...
and Thorough about what you do ...
you can check your own toe, camber, and caster this way and be very in the
ball park.
and I dare say, actually better than some alignments that tires stores send
out.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim" <jrasite@EONI.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 1:48 PM
Subject: Re: checking castor
> King pin inclination.... Best left to the guy with the alignment rack.
>
> http://www.stockcarracing.com/techarticles/scrp_0704_measuring_caster_camber/index.html
>
> Jim
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Larry Alofs" <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 1:02 PM
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Subject: [VANAGON] checking castor
>
>> Having replaced the rubber bushings on the radius rods on my '91 GL, I
>> would like to check the castor, since it is affected by the rod
>> measurement. The Bentley mentions this and give castor specs, but
>> does not seem to give any clue about how to actually measure or check
>> the castor. Maybe it's there and I just haven't found it.
>> Anyone?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Larry A.
