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Re: alignment question

To: Curtis Fisher <Curtis.Fisher@trw.com>
Subject: Re: alignment question
From: Tom Hall <modtiger@attbi.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 09:04:44 -0700
At 05:27 PM 4/29/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>I just got the car back from alignment and the tie rods are angled
>differently.  Instead of going straight out from the rack and trailing back
>to the wheel.  One is angled up and the other is angled down.  They don't
>seem to hit anything and other than looking odd, seem to function ok. The
>rods are pretty chewed up from the pipe wrench used to make 'adjustments'.
>Some club members recommended this shop.
>Anyone have any comments to reassure me this is normal?
>Curtis in Santa Clara.

I believe that Curtis is referring to the rotation of the bent tie 
rods.  One is tending to bend upwards and the other is downward.  This is 
because the threads at the rod end are both right hand and tightening the 
jam nuts will cause this opposite rotation.  The shop should have leveled 
the bends when they finished the alignment.  If the tie rods can be rotated 
so that the bends are in the level position, and this is essentially 
neutral in their limit of rotational travel, then their is no 
problem.  This neutral rotation is the middle of the rotational limits of 
the tie rod ends.  Both ends (rod end and the internal rack joint) are 
spherical, so rotating this tie rod makes no change in length.  If the 
level bend is not the neutral location, the jam nuts need to be loosened to 
allow this minor turning adjustment.  The change in toe will be minimal and 
will prevent potential binding.

Tom

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