97 F-150 4 x 2 Front-End Alignment Question
 

Hi,

Have a '97 F-150 4 x 2 w/ 230,000 miles. Front-end never has seemed right even after alignments -- minor shimmy on passenger side at around 65 MPH. Never seemed to bother the tires, so did not worry about it. I am the original owner and the couple of alignments I have had done were not at a Ford dealership.

Now it is much worse (past 6 months) and the tires are badly worn on the inside -- especially on the passenger side. I pulled the toe in a little on both sides and now it is bad at around 55-60 MPH. Prior to and after adjusting the toe, the shimmy would go away whenever I was in a turn. I did a search and saw some discussion of kits (camber?) to install. Could somebody shed a little more light on this subject for me? Is there a design defect in this model truck?

I have always done all the work on my vehicles, but do not have any lifts and such -- just a small floor jack and stands. Any suggestions on doing the alignment by myself in the driveway? Do I need special tools?

Thanks for your help,

Mark

Well, as it turns out, it was just that the wheel bearings were loose -- particularly on the passenger side. I read many posts where people were having problems with the ball joints at around 75-80,000 miles. Checked mine and both upper and lower still seem snug. I don't travel a lot of country roads so maybe this is the difference.