Urgency of alignment after suspension work

[NMBurb02]

I will be replacing the front wheel bearing/hub assemblies, outer tie rod ends, and struts on the GP in the coming weeks. My plan was to do the work on a Sunday afternoon and have the alignment done at a local shop that Monday morning. However, I just found out that I have to travel for work on the Monday on which I had planned to have the alignment done and that travel will require me to grab a 6:00 a.m. flight at an airport 50 miles from my house. Is it okay if I drive 100 miles following that work before getting the alignment done or should I push the work back one month (which is the next time I have availability to do it)?

I realize that I can do my own alignment, but I may not have the time to do a decent job considering how slow I go when working on my cars.

 

[eljefino]

Yeah you can do your own alignment, it'll be a lot closer and buy you time to get it done by a pro. Redneck it with a laser level, put it on the front tires and aim for the rears. It doesn't really add much time.

Some will say with outer tie rods, just leave the jam nuts alone and thread the new ones down. That's close but still way off.

 

[DBMaster]

I've used a homemade plumb bob tied to the part of the steering knuckle to which the tie rod end attaches. Mark the floor before you remove stuff and then adjust when it's reassembled to line up with your mark. I still got mine aligned on the machine, but it was pretty close and I drove on it several days before taking it in.

The struts and the bearings shouldn't have as big an effect on the alignment.

Do that, and 100 miles should be no problem.

 

[Oro_O]

The struts can throw off the alignment, too. What I do is measure the fender arch height before/after a strut change. 100 miles is enough to start uneven wear you can't reverse if an alignment is required. I would be prepared to either a) do the alignment, b) postpone the work until I can do it properly.

 

[Chris142]

Get the toe as close as possible. Too much toe in or out can eat a set of tires in 100 miles.

 

[DBMaster]

The tie rod ends are the only things that would throw off the alignment enough to cause significant pulling. My quick and dirty trick for the tie rod ends works and I would not hesitate to drive mine 100 miles after doing it.

 

[LotI]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
The tie rod ends are the only things that would throw off the alignment enough to cause significant pulling. My quick and dirty trick for the tie rod ends works and I would not hesitate to drive mine 100 miles after doing it.

Toe doesn't cause a pull. Camber and caster do. Camber and toe are direct tire wear angles and by changing struts and tie rods you will upset both.

Get it close by counting how many turns to get the tie rod off. Your Mk. 1 eyeball will get it close. A tape measure at the same point in front and rear of the front tires will get you really close. Your steering wheel will probably be off center but no biggie.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: LotI
Toe doesn't cause a pull. Camber and caster do.


Thank you. I appreciate learning new things. The last vehicle on which I changed suspension parts was an 89 Accord. It uses dampers that a lot of people call "struts" even though they aren't the same as McPherson struts. Changing those did not require an alignment.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
The tie rod ends are the only things that would throw off the alignment enough to cause significant pulling. My quick and dirty trick for the tie rod ends works and I would not hesitate to drive mine 100 miles after doing it.


Count the turns when you remove the outer tie rod ends, or make the thread. This will get you close in my experience.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Count the turns when you remove the outer tie rod ends, or make the thread. This will get you close in my experience.


I did try that once, but due to how fine the threads are and where the start of each tie rod end's internal threads were the results were not great. I just found it best to get an alignment, but the OP's question was about whether or not 100 miles of driving would hurt anything. If you make an effort and use any of the methods described 100 miles before getting a machine alignment will be just fine.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
... or should I push the work back one month ...

Unless you have made up suitable tools and have some experience setting your own toe-in, you are taking a gamble. On two cars I owned the entire toe-in tolerance was covered by only 1/8th turn of both tie rods (1mm thread pitch.) Just tightening the nuts causes a measurable shift in toe.