Would changing the CV joint or boot affect the wheel alignment of a car! Just wondering as I am due for both and want to do things in order little by little due to financial reasons.
a.woodrow,
Dec 19, 4:52am
Nope it won't affect it. Are your tyres wearing unevenly! If money is tight and tyres are wearing fine I wouldn't bother with a wheel alignment
kingfisher21,
Dec 19, 5:18am
Depends on the car, you will more than likely have to unbolt the strut and as most cars have a bit of slop in the bolts holes you will need an alignment afterwards.
blinker69,
Dec 20, 4:08am
thanks guys and yeah thats what I thought Kingfisher as I do have to unbolt the struts to do the cv and I have seen the alignment guys adjusting something near or on the strut when adjusting alignment.
the-lada-dude,
Dec 20, 4:32am
yep that's right but usually only the camber, I always put the things back together with the slop vectored toward -ve camber, this generally makes the car handle better in the turn, and tyre wear would be minimal
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 20, 6:09am
If you have time up your sleeve and a concrete floor to work on its not that hard to do a good accurate wheel alignment at home. There are various ways to do this and you can usually make up your own tools from what's lying about the shed.
Don't get put off by the professionals having expensive looking gear and pretending its some sort of rocket science. All the fancy gear does is make the job quicker.
I would be happy to point you in the right direction if you need.
joanie32,
Dec 20, 6:40am
go on then jazz, this is gotta be worth hearing.
kingfisher21,
Dec 20, 6:44am
So you can measure castor, camber, kpi and a four wheel thrust alignment at home on the garage floor! That I'd like to see.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 20, 6:48am
LOL, not really in the mood to write up the definitive "how to" to be honest. But happy to point someone in the right direction.
There are a number of ways to do it. My preference is to use some homemade turn plates (greased floor tiles) a couple of homemade jigs and a "bevel box" angle finder. A couple of easy spreadsheets and notes reminds me how to work out caster etc. (memory is not so good since I got crook)
You want to check your floor is level and adjust it with extra tiles etc.
I would go so far as to say you can actually get a better result than the "pro's" as you can weight your car with balast to suit how you normally use it on the road i.e some bags of potting mix in the drivers seat.
You don't have to spend money on the bevel box if you don't want to, there are other ways like using a level etc. Google is your friend.
From memory I read a great article on the web a few years ago written by a guy with a Miata (MX5) you could probably google that for some good ideas. I work on similar lines.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 20, 6:52am
Absolutely!
Remember though, unless you have mucked with suspension, done a lot of km's or hit something its really only toe you need to check on a really regular basis. Not saying you should not check it all properly periodically, just use common sense, keep an eye on how your tires wear, car feel etc and you can get a pretty good read on whether you need to be more fussy.
When its your own car its a lot easier to pick up if things are amiss.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 20, 6:54am
Remember. I did not say this was a quick process (although just a check of toe can be. It suits people who are cash poor and time rich (like me), or are just interested in the process, but it may not be an economical choice for everyone.
snoopy221,
Dec 20, 6:56am
i.e some bags of potting mix in the drivers seat.
RALMFAO.
Yip.
[Possibly not the most politicaly correct-L O L] Ya **Switched on gardener**
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 20, 6:59am
LOL, great call!
BTW, the more innovative(dodgy looking) the method the more satisfying it is when you get a result as good or better than someone with $30K worth of gear.
vjregal770,
Dec 20, 7:01am
Given that 3, 2, and sometimes even only 1 mm is sufficient to cause excessive tyre wear, and alignments are measured to 0.1mm,I'd love to know how accurate a couple of 20 year old tiles and some bags from the local garden shop is.
Aligning the floor with more of said old tiles is classic.
I'm surprised you're not being headhunted by McLaren.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 20, 7:02am
I just did a quick google to see if I could find that article with the Mazda. I didn't find the one I was thinking of, but skim reading this guy's method it looks to be much the same.
Looks like he has gone one better and made his own jigs with level's as opposed to my bevel box system. (his is possibly more accurate if anything)
Just remember, I have only skim read it so ask questions if any of it sounds iffy. His method of leveling the car is the same as mine etc.
Meh grew up wiff the ole repco camber/castor gauge Gotz me own REAL turntables and the ole dunlop mirror toe in gauges.
[Aboot the only things handy about the shed for doin wheel alingments I M O]
[And yeah usualyhalf a degree to a degree of camber in most strutbolts which equates to about 1/4 a degree of castor and about 5 mils of toe in.]
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 20, 7:05am
Well funnily enough, plenty of race cars are aligned with similar methods. You can be VERY accurate at home with some patience and good methods. Who cares what the tools look like so long as they are accurate and your results are repeatable.
Its a bit like cutting on my 20 year old Table saw, its ancient and looks well worn. But its been very well set up/adjusted and my homemade jigs will easily get me repeatable cuts more accurate than 0.1mm
bill-robinson,
Dec 20, 5:20pm
for the original poster. You only need to worry about camber change for you job. Sit the car on a concrete floor and place a builders square up to the wheel, note the difference between top and bottom of tyre and square. Do the job, disconnecting only the strut/hub and brake caliper to replace the boot. reassemble completely leaving the strut bolts nipped up. Drop car onto its wheels and roll back and forward 1 metre3/4 times. check camber with the square again to get the same gap as before. if not the samejack car up and move in or out to get it correct. Tighten the strut bolts. Easy as this is not an alignment but will return your car to the before work spec. Bill
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