Wheel alignment tools

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shogun
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Wheel alignment tools

Post by shogun »

Hi,I have problems to align camber & caster from my BX ,nowadays few mechanics know how to do it. They do not know how to regulate front steeering tie rod ,as the crossmember does not allow a free space to operate a hand tool and work freely . Need to find where to buy special tools to do it,or if any member can help how to proceed. Thanks
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by rutter123 »

I wasn't aware there is adjustment to camber on a BX, not something I've had a problem with unless your bushes or ball joints are shot.
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by shogun »

I went to an alignment workshop and on the showed the camber & casterout of tolerance range,
Noticed that only front right tire has an exterior side tread wear .and read that is a camber issue
I always check inflation pressure and use the tyre with 30psi
can help me how to solve this issue adjust the caster?
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by Jaba »

There is no adjustment for camber or caster only toe in and toe out. A damaged subframe can affect the angles.
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by shogun »

Thanks Jaba
Oh, I see,so the sub frame or crossmember could have been hit hard sometime before

After repairing or replacing the suframe ...How to Achieve of the correct toe-in or out,are there any graphics available in how to do it?
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by Kitch »

Not only can you not adjust the camber or castor, they're deliberately set to favour LHD-cambered roads! Think it was 0.5 on one side, and 1.5 on the other on my 16v and one of the others I've taken down there. They were both pretty much the same.
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shogun
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by shogun »

Thanks friends
Any further suggestions about are very welcomed

Really need to solve this issue
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JayW
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by JayW »

I can't understand why your garage is having problems.

Camber issues will either be down to physical damage, worn bushes or poor quality pattern parts that are out of spec.

Setting toe is as straight forward as any other car. The only times you should run into problems is if your steering wheel has been removed and replaced and your mechanic is assuming the steering wheel is a correct centre (I've had that).

They should always be set with the suspension at standard ride height, if your mechanic is doing it any other way I'd suggest he places his spanner on the floor and slowly step away from it.

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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by Kitch »

I was going to suggest (as Jay just did) to make sure it's at normal height. Doing it on full height will end up with it toeing in fairly badly.
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by Defender110 »

shogun wrote:I went to an alignment workshop and on the showed the camber & casterout of tolerance range,
How do they know the Citroen tolerance range?
shogun wrote:Noticed that only front right tire has an exterior side tread wear .and read that is a camber issue
Has it done this on more than one tyre, it can often be a poor quality tyre that is the fault?
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by shogun »

Hi Defender,
The Alignment computer database has all car makes and models,so when the sensors are connected on the 4 wheels the screen shows a value in green if it´s OK,and in red if it´s out of range according to the machine database.
The thing is that to place the sensors on wheels the car must be on full height
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by Kitch »

shogun wrote: The thing is that to place the sensors on wheels the car must be on full height
Not on all setups, just the ones that you can't do BXs on :wink:

The guy I use has a rig that sits just underneath the rear arch lip when on normal height. Having it on high would throw everything out of alignment.
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shogun
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by shogun »

Yes I think Kitch is right and that would be the best option rather than computerized alignmet,as up to now any workshop have been able to setup the correct alignment to my BX
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by rutter123 »

I wouldn't expect the camber and caster angles to be exact on a car that is 20-30 years old, i'm sure a degree or two of tolerance really wont make that much difference. if one tyre is wearing on the outside edge I would more expect it to be a tracking issue or as /\ says a poor quality tyre, other things to consider as /\ worn wishbone bushes or even incorrect ones, worn bottom ball joints which is quite common or even a worn steering rack. Personally I would get the tracking set first and see where you go from there. Are the bolts tight between strut and hub carrier? Are your brakes pulling up evenly? Are there any signs of impact? Is the front subframe in good condition as these can rust through and I have seen some pretty shabby repairs done in the past. Are your drop links both the same length as pattern/replacements do differ in length by up to an inch in some cases? Are your tyres even the correct size? I find mine fitted with 185/60/14's do wear slightly more on the outside edges even tho the tracking is correct, but this is academic as I put it down to being driven hard, the wear difference from outside edge to inside edge is prob less than 1mm so i'm really not that worried as its been like this for 10 years and 4 tyre changes.
My guess is your garage is trying to make you pay for something you don't need.
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Re: Wheel alignment tools

Post by Kitch »

shogun wrote:Yes I think Kitch is right and that would be the best option rather than computerized alignmet,as up to now any workshop have been able to setup the correct alignment to my BX
There are computerised systems that can work with the BX, just not all. The guy we use at work has the latest Supertracker system, and that did my 16v.

If the tyres are wearing on the outside edge, it's toeing in too much, which is what I'd expect it to do if the tracking had been set with the suspension on high.
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