well guys jsut to get my truck aligned has taken 3 days and 180 bucks and well iain't happy at i don't know the exact caster/ camber numbers and stuff today but i am gonna get them tomarrow and tell you

also another problem i have stubled upon is that the right front axle is cocked forward 1/2 inch more than the left. i measured center to center front to back the the right side is farther forward. what coulda happened? o yea and the truck pulls to the right how could this be ???


any help would be appreciated chris

 

geez man, i align all my trucks and never have a problem with tire wear... i just do it by eye!

have you chacked all your bushings? if a bushing on one side is rotting the axle would then become cocked to one side. i have the same problem with my 96 but its with the rear axle. not sure why one side is further forward than the other quite yet

-cutts-

 

if the axle is cocked the spring pins could have sheared off letting the axle move. i would check your pins and make sure all the ubolts are nice and tight too. on most roads the truck will go to the right due to the crowned roads but should be minimal. the caster and camber angles are a pretty big job on the 4x4's due to haveing to take it apart change shims, reassymble and check again. its a pain in the butt......

 

every bushing tierod end everything is new and i am going nuts over this cause i jsut put new tires on and just pi%%es me off beyond belief

 

just curious... what makes you say the axle is cocked forward 1/2" what did you measure to come up wiuth that?

i totally understand the new-tire/out-of-alignment issues!

-cutts-

 

i measured from the center of the rear wheel the center of front wheel on the same side with the wheels straight

 

i bet the axle has shifted in the springs. i would check for that i bet thats the start of the problem

 

ok thanks i will do that tomarrow

 

i just replaced alll my bushings/shocks/tie rods. and i seriously needed an alignment. every ford i took it took said. 79.00 bucks to check to see if it out of alignment.(i am here because my truck needs an alignment. why do you have to tell me that for 79.00 bucks???) ok and then if we have to do any adjustments or add shims on the ball joints its gonna be 200.00. and its gonna need that they said. This was at 2 ford dealers i got this.
well i got tired of trying to be ripped off. so i took it to sears(barely fit on rack) and they did it for me. my camber/ caster adjustments were within specs and my toe was out by an inch(i replaced tie rods) now my truck drives great except for the steering box play.

and your problem sounds like the pin got sheared off and slid forward on the perch???????

 

not to be biased but, i just started as a flat rate ford tech 2 months ago. i used to work as an L1 for and independant shop.
we do in fact charge $79 for a 4 wheel laser alignment.
but most and i say most tire stores do not actually do a full alignment. they just put on the projectors and then set the toe.
and just because the alignment is w/in specs does not mean it will not pull or wear tires.
if you have a mono-beam, which mosy likely anF350 does. then ussually they never need shims. but the twin I bean like i have on my F250 always needs shims.
they are ussually like 30-$50 each and take at least and hour per side to install them. never mind if there is rust holding the shims inside the axle.
it is an hour per side extra to install these caster/camber shims because you have to take the front end partially apart each time you adjust and let the vehicle back down to take another reading.
if you did need both sides done and it was a bad situation it is safe to say that is may takle 2-3hrs to do a proper alignment.

 

why do you assume that the front is off and not the rear center bolts that may be sheared off. or possibly and bushing that is bad.
the alignment will show that the rear is tracking. and if it is really off 1/2 inch then the alignment will not come out properly and they should tell you this.

 

i dont' know why i think its the front i jsut do. i was told that the right front is sitting 1/2in farther forward than the left front,

 

I spent 850 to get my 86 set to the preffered settings instead of just within spec.
It was worth every penny I spent at the local Ford dealer.
Tire wear was greatly improved, enough to pay for the alignment in three years.
And the way it drove after the alignment, priceless.

A 4 wheel alignment is going to be the only way to know if the front or back axle is to blame for the different measurements. Once you know which wheel is out it should be easier to track down the problem.
Right now it could be left rear forward, right rear back, left front back or right front forward. To many places to look for small differences.

A big pot hole or hitting a curb could have shifted either axle and sheared the locator pin off in the leaf springs. Spring bushings in the fixed spring hanger could be bad on either end. The bushings in the IFS front axle housing could be bad.

 

oh i forgot it was a 250 i would be looking at that D50 as the culprit.

 

what sucks is i am strapped for cash i don't have 850 to drop on an alignment cause this week with work i get laid off for the winter and i go to school full time.

so what i should look at is the spring it self to see if the locator pin has shifted or been broken off. i believe new bushings were put in but again i will put it on a lift and try to figure it out

hey thanks guys for all of your help greatly appreciated