The inside left front tire on my 1987 E-150 conversion wore down so quick I didn't catch it. When I took the van in for a new tire and alignment the shop said that the upper and lower ball joints were really worn and needed replacement. That sounded right to me so they put new ones on and replaced the front brake pads. When a went to pick up my van they said they still could not do the alignment because it needed a camber kit first - something that took 3 days to get. I always check parts prices out (usually on NAPA's site) for most repairs just the see what the cost is. When I went to check on the camber kit I could not find any camber alignment parts listed for a E-150. So, the question is does such a exist for a van or could the shop be trying to blow a little smoke at my expense.

 

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In a 1987 E150 there are no ball joints. It's got kingpins. If it's out of alignment like that, then it needs the beams bent to correct it, that or new shocks and springs.

 

pfogle, Ugh! Thanks for your reply but I have to admit to a very embarrising typo. It is a 1998 not 1987 E-150.

 

It has eccentric bushings in it that come in various degrees of camber but they are fixed at that angle and not adjustable, only replaceble. It can be a bit of a process to adjust to the correct camber that goes something like this.

First check alignment to see how many degrees of camber are in the current adjustment.

Compare that to the factory spec.

Disassemble and remove the bushings that the factory installed to see what camber angle they are speced at. The factory doesn't always install the same spec bushing on the assembly line. They use what ever is needed to bring the frontend into alignment.

Calculate which degreed replacement bushing is needed to correct the alignment to factory spec, order and install it.

Recheck alignment to be sure that the proper angle has been acheived.

Some front ends use adjustable eccentric bushings for adjustment. In some cases, like older Chevy trucks, they would come from the factory witha zero degree bushing and if the truck needed to have the camber adjusted the owner would have to buy the so called "camber kit" to provide that adjustability. Quite likely this is what your alignment man meant but that isn;t the way the Ford's are setup. You may want to go elsewhere. I like the old school independent guys instead of the big chain shops.

Gene

 

PJ,

Here is a link to the parts you need. You will notice that for each bushing set the catalog states an adjustment range of plus to minus the same degree. That only means that you can install that bushing 180 degrees around and get the opossite adjustment.
For example, a bushing may say it has a range of -2 degrees to +2 degrees. You can't adjust that bushing to every angle between those to numbers but only the two numbers. Hope I have made that clear.

The upshoot is that you can't just buy the kit, install it and then adjust it. You have to go through it like I said in the previous post.

Gene

 

PJ,

Maybe I can complete my thought in three post. I noticed at the bottom of the parts list there is a set that may actually have some adjustability to it. It says it is from 0 to +4 degrees. I have never seen this style before.

You would still have to check the alignment before installing it to see where you were to begin with. You could be so far out that you need to add some negative camber to get it back to spec.

I would watch out for an alignment man that might install such a piece and then adjust it as far as it will go and tell you that your front end can't be brought into spec.

I have heard a lot of folks bad mouth the twin I beam front end and say that they can't keep it lined up and I can't help but wonder how many of those folks got ripped off for a front end alignment that only consisted of adjusting the toe in and the guy was too lazy to properly adjust the camber.

Gene

 

Gene W, Thanks for the feedback. Now I at least have some idea of how to talk to the alignment guy when I go back. Maybe what he meant new bushings but just didn't want to take the time to try and explain it all. It is always nice to have some idea what they are supposed to be doing.
I do agree with you about the liking the smaller independent garage. Which is what I use at home but I am about 1000 mi away and had to do something.

 

PJ,

Good luck with it.

Make sure he has checked the alignment first before ordering the parts and then ask him what angle the camber was on both sides and what the spec is. If it is within a degree of correct that probably isn't the cause of your problem.

Mine is one degree out on the driver's side and it's not noticable. My good local guy said he would be glad to go through the whole procedure to bring it into spec but if it was his, he wouldn't do it. He said drive it a while, keep an eye on the tire wear and if I didn't like the way it drove or began to notice wear, bring it back and he would change the bushings in it. So far it's fine after about 10,000 miles. So I will assume it was good advice.

Gene

 

Gene,
He checked the alignment and I have the picture - Greek to me - but maybe he has alaready figured just exactly what he needs since put in the ball joints. But at least I am armed with questions I should ask.
Also thanks for the parts link.

 

I don't think I would be dealing with an alignment shop that doesn't stock the parts to properly align a vehicle. I did alignments starting back in the early 60's and never worked for a shop that did not have what was needed to properly do an alignment.

 

Actually, I waltzed into this tire shop to relpace the tire and see what had caused the problem. It is more than 1000 mi from home. So I guess I have to deal with it the best I can.

 

I appreciate Gene W's advice, and I hope he and the original poster (OP) read my comments. I, too, have a 1998 E-150 van, and have had fits with tire wear. The ultimate cause of such wear is a combination of ignorance, by me, the owner of the vehicle, and the incompetence of some who claim to align vehicles. The immediate cause was camber malalignment. After 80,000 miles on this vehicle, I finally had enough and decided to learn something about "camber" and "caster." The internet helped greatly.

After some trouble with my alignment specialist, I looked into "camber kits" at local parts retailers. Autozone had none, but I easily bought four camber/caster kits at Pep Boys($15 ea; unused parts returnable). I like to call them "camber sleeves"; each is a perfectly cylindrical object with a bore that is NOT coxial with the axis of the outer cylindrical surface. Different degrees of eccentricity are achieved through using different parts; that's why I bought four. But a specific sleeve can be rotated with a 1 1/2" socket for adjustment of camber and caster, within a range. The two settings are interdependent, but this is not a problem if the technician swaps sleeves and rotates carefully.

I installed the needed replacement part, and used a carpenter's level, in the plumb position, to measure camber. (A second, numerical-dial level gave degrees.) I used a clenched fist as a crude measuring device for caster, positioning my fist between the rear of the tire and the adjacent fender, along with knowledge of my initial settings from a recent alignment shop print out. Of course, I installed and adjusted the sleeve with the front wheel off, and the hub jacked up with a floor jack beneath I-beam. Installed wheel and lowered, to measure results.

Took vehicle to alignment shop for final adjustments, under my alignment service contract. I was pleased to see that I had actually placed my camber and caster within spec, but my toe was WAY off, due to my changes. Toe is apparently settable without affecting camber and caster, thank goodness.

I hope now to see reasonable wear pattern on my tires.

I suspect that vehicles gradually experience a camber shift to the negative, as springs fatigue with age. There are a lot of cars being driven with camber errors. It becomes easy to see from a distance, with practice.

My alignment shop grumbled about the interdependence of camber and caster settings, implying that Chevrolet's don't have that "problem" because they employ shims, apparently to set camber and caster independently. I really wouldn't know.

I recommend that all customers of alignment shops demand, and keep for records, print outs of alignment data, "before" and "after." It can help months and years later, to observe patterns of change.

 

Toe in is easy, I did this on my Scout II years ago when changing a tie rod end, it's adjusting the sleeve on them. You have the tires installed, resting on jack stands, under the beams compressing suspension as if it's on the ground, like you did to set caster/camber. Get a good tape measure, and a partner, locate a center line in the tires, measuring from passenger tire to drivers tiret in the front and rear, you want to equal the number, zero it out. When I was done, I took it in for getting it set to spec, but machine said it was already there, guy was suprised with my work, found my steering box was loose and tightened it with me, no extra charge.
I'm looking to replace a friends ball joints and coil springs in his 95 van, has near 300,000 miles on stock everything, his wheelchair lift has broken down the passenger coil spring, so it's riding low there, and really eating the tires. I want to get the alighnment close for him.

 

I've had so much trouble with alignment shops that I'm gravitating to my old ways...doing it myself. Alignment is a "new thing" for me, and I'm going to fix an older Cadillac that I own, myself. There are parts that have to be replaced. I hope I don't get nailed by a heavy spring!