Alignment/Measurement Question - Caster of Front Wheels
From : martin
Q: go to dodgetalk.comthe ball joint problem is discussed often.or often disgusted.i am not certain about the vans but the late 90s trucks are a real problem.i hope you have a moog and not a dodge ball joint martin wrote i recently replaced upper ball joints on a 96 dodge 3500 1-ton van. this vehicle uses pressed-in ball joints and i replaced them with a standard c-frame tool. after a few months one of the ball joints backed itself out this is a poor design imo. i pressed it back in and tack-welded it in a few spots. so far its holding just fine. in order to do the weld i removed the upper a-frame. of course i didnt think to mark its position uses no shims just slotted bolt holes to adjust caster/camber until id already loosened the bolts and let things shift. id like to get the truck properly in alignment. if thats not possible at least driveably close until i buy new tires and have a shop fine-tune it. i think i can measure camber with a plumb bob and toe-ins a no-brainer but how in the devil can i measure caster also is there an online reference where i can find the alignment specs for my vehicle best regards martin .
Replies:
From : Annonymous
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From : martin
on mon 13 jun 2005 022920 gmt nosey kfrei43@removethis.hotmail.com wrote answers to these last few questions...oh and what is cafe http//www.ita.doc.gov/td/auto/cafe.html corporate average fuel economy .
From : carl byrns
now would this be a redneck thing to do nate.. assuming that the 5000 pounds is tongue weight heh... 5k of tongue weight would leave you staring at the sky while the truck wheelied down the road digging a trench in the road from the hitch. it would certainly be impressive with the toung weight being 10% of the load... and the toung weight being 5000 pounds.. that would mean its a 50000 pound load that would be 25 tons right .
From : martin
got a 93 w300 diesel and the steering was getting very sloppy. replaced wheel brgs king pins & tires. the truck then started darting left & right from the center steering position. it is hard to keep it in one lane on the road! replaced tie rod ends drag link and the steering box. still have the same problem but not all the time. put the truck on jack stands and didnt see any problems. tires dont show any alignment problems running about 1/8 toe in. steering is very stiff tho. it seems like the steering box is fight itself in the center position and cant make up its mind. but had the same problem when the old steering box was in. any help would be appreciated. have you checked the condition of the flex joint that connects the steering column to the steering box theyre notorious for causing slop in the steering. borgeson makes a replacement thats more durable http//www.borgeson.com/truckproductdodge.htm .
From : martin
no as some of you know im a 2001 dakota owner who is currently stationed overseas. the base just upgraded the gas station and in their infinite wisdom now only offer 95 octane gas. my owners manual says my engine could be damaged if i use high octane. will it really if this can indeed damage my engine id like to know how and if theres any way additives id be able to use this gas. otherwise i have to use more expensive options which may include paying the current $6.50 per gallon which is what we pay here with the currently high exchange rate. thanks for any advice! jmc .
From : jr north
in message -aadnrewijrgkd3frvn-qw@texas.net steve no@spam.thanks writes hugh wrote in message %ejne.148$%h7.97515@twister.southeast.rr.com tbone t-bonenospam@nc.rr.com writes why dont you just disconnect the fuel pump and let the injectors operate normally. im not sure thatd be wise. many injector designs depend on fuel flow to cool the solenoid windings i.e. to prevent them overheating and cooking. im not sure its a good idea too. fuel pumps are designed to work continuously and disconnecting it could be yet another reason for cel to come on. while it is possible that the fuel injectors may overheat the cel will not be set by the fuel pump being disconnected. there may be a fuel pressure sensor which would be triggered iirc late volvos have one. incidentally my fuel pump does not run continuously. there is a pressure switch on the rail which controls it. if you listen you can hear the pump start up then after a few seconds switch off when first switching on the ignition. depends on the vehicle in question. most fuel pumps run continuously and pressure regulation is done by releasing fuel from the rail back to the fuel tank. some late model vehicles simply moved this regulation fuction back to the fuel pump itself but it still runs continuously. i dont know about your specific vehicle but on the ones im familiar with the only reason that the fuel pump shuts off a few seconds after turning on the key is because the auto shut-down system isnt detecting ignition pulses and kills the fuel pump. as soon as you start cranking the engine the fuel pump comes back on and on these vehicles stays on. you could be right but its done 50k+ miles on lpg with typically the petrol pump used once a day just to prime the system to start on petrol to avoid a lot of cranking to get the gas through if its stood for a while. i actually put the switch back to gas before actually starting the engine. -- hugh reply to address is valid at the time of posting .
From : martin
if the tires contact patch is behind the point where the kingpin axis would be projected onto the pavement is this positive or negative caster since i luckily have one side where the caster/camber is presumably correct can i fine-tune the match using driving characteristics in other words if the vehicle pulls/drifts to the drivers side which side needs positive caster reduced assuming equal camber and level pavement thanks martin martin wrote i recently replaced upper ball joints on a 96 dodge 3500 1-ton van. this vehicle uses pressed-in ball joints and i replaced them with a standard c-frame tool. after a few months one of the ball joints backed itself out this is a poor design imo. i pressed it back in and tack-welded it in a few spots. so far its holding just fine. in order to do the weld i removed the upper a-frame. of course i didnt think to mark its position uses no shims just slotted bolt holes to adjust caster/camber until id already loosened the bolts and let things shift. id like to get the truck properly in alignment. if thats not possible at least driveably close until i buy new tires and have a shop fine-tune it. i think i can measure camber with a plumb bob and toe-ins a no-brainer but how in the devil can i measure caster also is there an online reference where i can find the alignment specs for my vehicle best regards martin .
From : steve
on mon 06 jun 2005 034616 gmt trey treydog90spam@hotmail.com wrote in most states it is illegal not to have your fog of driving lamps hooked in with your head lamp system. when you turn on your high beams your driving and fog lamps should turn off. i would suggest you check your state laws and that is why oem fogs and driving lamps turn off when the high beams are on. state law in what state i have heard some funny reasons for having the fogs or low beams turn off when you click on the high-beams... this one takes the cake though. my brother and i got pulled over in redding one night and warned that driving/road lights are only to be used on country roads and not to be used when theres incoming traffic... it was actually kind of funny... an oncoming car flashed his brights... my brother wasnt on brights so he flashed back to show that he was on low beams... that was answered by a red spot light and followed by red & blue.. lol i dont know if they are the oem headlights these days or if they are the after market upgraded lights but they are really bright! i have been driving my truck 99 dak 4x4 so its not very low and i have been pretty well blinded. i flash my dim brights and then they flash theirs so i know its just thier low beams that are lighting up the skys and blinding oncoming traffic. i also love the idiots that just lift the front or their trucks or just lower the back end and dont adjust their lights. .
From : newshound
these lift pump are famous for failing. it is a poor design. the actual design flaw is up for argument but most agree there is a flaw. you probably have a bad lift pump if you arent getting any fuel. you might hear it running but it no pump. now for the warranty. you have a 5/100k warranty on it but are probably just out of warranty now. if so you can get the lift pump from a cummins dealer cheaper than the dodge dealer. you can get a carter replacement from some auto part stores which is the same pump but does not have the dodge/cummins-specific connectors for the fuel lines and electrical connections. you can go this route if you dont mind a little modification of the fuel system. i just read about a guy who did this on www.dieseltruckresource.com. he didnt have a dealer close by either dodge or cummins but had a summit who carried the carter version close by so he modified the fuel system a little and is happy. chris pump works - i can hear it running... .
From : lane lane no spam at copperaccents dot com
i never buy anything from any one place. usually i do the research on what i want to get then i figure out the best place to get it. the best depends on what it is. if it is something with a moving part or electronics ill pay a little more if i think i will get better service in the long run. if it is a non-moving part of a known quality ill get it where i can for the best price. i look for lots of stuff on ebay as you can get pretty good deals there and there are decent sellers on there. pay attention to the feedback before you buy. chris where the best place on the web to buy accessories both oem and after marker for my 02 dakota .
From : pater
geezus christ go get it aligned cheapskate jr dweller in the cellar and next time buy a ford martin wrote i recently replaced upper ball joints on a 96 dodge 3500 1-ton van. this vehicle uses pressed-in ball joints and i replaced them with a standard c-frame tool. after a few months one of the ball joints backed itself out this is a poor design imo. i pressed it back in and tack-welded it in a few spots. so far its holding just fine. in order to do the weld i removed the upper a-frame. of course i didnt think to mark its position uses no shims just slotted bolt holes to adjust caster/camber until id already loosened the bolts and let things shift. id like to get the truck properly in alignment. if thats not possible at least driveably close until i buy new tires and have a shop fine-tune it. i think i can measure camber with a plumb bob and toe-ins a no-brainer but how in the devil can i measure caster also is there an online reference where i can find the alignment specs for my vehicle best regards martin -- -------------------------------------------------------------- home page http//www.seanet.com/jasonrnorth if youre not the lead dog the view never changes doubt yourself and the real world will eat you alive the world doesnt revolve around you it revolves around me no skeletons in the closet; just decomposing corpses -------------------------------------------------------------- dependence is vulnerability -------------------------------------------------------------- open the pod bay doors please hal im sorry dave im afraid i cant do that.. .
From : bob may
where the best place on the web to buy accessories both oem and after marker for my 02 dakota .
From : brian
hugh wrote in message %ejne.148$%h7.97515@twister.southeast.rr.com tbone t-bonenospam@nc.rr.com writes why dont you just disconnect the fuel pump and let the injectors operate normally. im not sure thatd be wise. many injector designs depend on fuel flow to cool the solenoid windings i.e. to prevent them overheating and cooking. im not sure its a good idea too. fuel pumps are designed to work continuously and disconnecting it could be yet another reason for cel to come on. while it is possible that the fuel injectors may overheat the cel will not be set by the fuel pump being disconnected. there may be a fuel pressure sensor which would be triggered iirc late volvos have one. incidentally my fuel pump does not run continuously. there is a pressure switch on the rail which controls it. if you listen you can hear the pump start up then after a few seconds switch off when first switching on the ignition. depends on the vehicle in question. most fuel pumps run continuously and pressure regulation is done by releasing fuel from the rail back to the fuel tank. some late model vehicles simply moved this regulation fuction back to the fuel pump itself but it still runs continuously. i dont know about your specific vehicle but on the ones im familiar with the only reason that the fuel pump shuts off a few seconds after turning on the key is because the auto shut-down system isnt detecting ignition pulses and kills the fuel pump. as soon as you start cranking the engine the fuel pump comes back on and on these vehicles stays on. .
From : mk1
turn the wheels full left and right and measure the camber change at each position. the caster is 1/2 the difference if the wheels had turned to 90 degrees so you have to do some calculation there. since you have one that hasnt been changed you can compare between the two sides and make them equal. it is more important to have matched caster than an absolute value. -- why isnt there an ozone hole at the north pole .
From : jr north
geezus christ go get it aligned cheapskate that is what i was thinking too. caster doesnt effect tire wear but might require the driver to grip the wheel with both hands to drive it to the alignment shop. lane .