Alignment

Tiny
KERI LYNN MOREHOUSE
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 CHRYSLER CONCORDE
  • 120,000 MILES
Where is the camber located on my car?
Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 AT 7:59 PM

8 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,488 POSTS
Unless someone has added the kit parts it does not have adjustable camber or caster. From the factory the only front adjustment is toe.
The kit you can buy adds special bolts through the strut and steering knuckle to allow some adjustment of camber. If your camber is currently wrong you have worn lower arm bushings, worn or bent struts, or other damage.
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Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 AT 8:28 PM
Tiny
CJ MEDEVAC
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Camber is the amount that your tires "lean"

If you are facing the vehicle the tops of the front tires would lean outward away from each other a little (may be so slight that it cannot really be seen).

Having this done correctly aids in steering.

Other adjustments are;

"Toe" (making the tires running parallel, tire wear is reduced)

"Caster" which makes the tires wanna straighten themselves after turning (steering wheel returns to 'home' without forcing it back straight). Also keeps the vehicle from wandering while you drive straight.

All three adjustments interact with each other, so in essence, one adjustment might affect another. It is critical that an alignment machine is used get it all correct.

The Medic
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Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 AT 8:29 PM
Tiny
KERI LYNN MOREHOUSE
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I would like to adjust my front tires myself just to have them closer to where they should be until I can get them done professionally. How do I do this please?
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Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 AT 9:00 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
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  • 33,875 POSTS
What do you want to adjust, and what was done that changed the alignment? Toe and camber can be adjusted on the front and on the rear.
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Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 AT 9:13 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,488 POSTS
Toe can be adjusted but the front is "as built" for camber without the proper bolt kit. There are no cams or slotted holes for either of the other adjustments. You have to remove the old bolts and replace them with special smaller offset ground bolts, those allow you to adjust the camber. Without them there is no camber adjustment up front.
MOOG K90476 is a single offset kit, MOOG K928 is a double offset kit. The first gives you 1.5 degrees of change both positive and negative. The second doubles that.

Toe is also the one adjustment that makes the most difference in short term tire wear.

What did you repair/replace that makes you want to adjust it?
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Thursday, July 13th, 2017 AT 12:40 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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This is the Moog K928 kit to replace the lower bolt.
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Thursday, July 13th, 2017 AT 12:52 AM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,875 POSTS
Hi Steve, you do not even need the kits, which for many shops means wasting time waiting for the parts store to deliver them. The holes in the strut for the lower bolt can be ground oval-shaped to provide for adjustment. You do not get the careful control of where you are setting camber like you did in years past when Chrysler used cam bolts, but typically only a little adjustment is needed. Grinding the holes leaves it the same as we used to do with GM front-wheel-drive cars. If a lot of adjustment is needed, either there is a bent suspension part from a crash that must be identified and replaced, or more commonly, ride height has sagged and the coil springs must be replaced.

The drawback to grinding holes in struts is the miserable tiny metal filings that get stuck to my skin! I took to covering my hands with rags while doing the grinding, but those filings got everywhere and could still come back to get me the rest of the day.
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Thursday, July 13th, 2017 AT 8:30 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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True, but without doing some form of modification you can't adjust the camber. I use the bolts simply because the old ones are usually rusted on BAD, so It's simpler to cut them off and install the offsets. Folks in states that don't have that issue can pursue other methods.
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Friday, July 14th, 2017 AT 11:28 AM

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