belizeanbus Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Question for you all... I noticed that the outer edge of the rear passenger side tire on my 4wd EA82 Loyale is wearing faster than the rest of the tire... This might sound like I don't know what I'm talking about (and I don't), but I've always associated alignment with the front end. Is my problem with the rear alignment? Does it need to go to the tire shop for alignment? Or can this be fixed by loosening those 3 bolts I've read about on the "toe?" and adjusting the angle? If so, is there a way to know when it's right, before putting it back together and driving it? Thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
critical_max Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Yes, there are alignment adjustments which can be made for your car's rear wheels. It sounds as if you have some positive camber (I think?) which means that the top of your wheel is pointing out a little too much. You might even be able to see it looking at the car, if you've noticed a lot of uneven tire wear. Me, I just took the car to a shop (Firestone, as it happens) when it needed an alignment - they did all 4 wheels for 50 bucks. They have the equipment to ensure it's done right, and measure everything electronically, etc, plus databases of where the numbers should be reading. That's what I'd recommend. If any of the board hardcores know how to Do It Yourself we'd all enjoy hearing it I'm sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steveman09 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 There is an old skool way to do it yourself without a machine. This is for TOE only : Park car on smooth flate surface and set parking brake. Get enough rope to go around all 4 tires (bungee works best) Tighten the crap out of it then push it down to the ground so just the bottom tip of the tires have the rope around them, then 1 by 1 loosen the TOE alignment bolts in the rear, do 1 side at a time, you'll see the wheel slighly move, tighten it back down and your done! This will set the TOE the same as the front wheels. I've done this as well as a few other buddy's with good results. Camber is totally different and requires a professional. The old EYE ball trick does work somwhat but it's not going to be right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromanic Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I took my 85 wagon in for alignment after rebuilding the front end a few weeks ago, and was suprised to see the dude checking around in the rear. I didn't know squat about the rear. What he said is this: For the 85, there is no alighnment adjustment "built in", but he was checking to see if anybody had installed the "allignment Kit". Then he game me some NAPA part numbers. Turned out there had been no rear kit installed, so he could do nothing about the tiny bit of misalighnment that thye laser alignment machine found in the rear. He also said that the rear misalignment was so small as to not cause any but slightest premature tire wear. I have no idea if he was jerking me around or not, but it seemed like not. Car drives nice now. If any body wants the info, I can dig up those NAPA numbers. Pyro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebz Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 As far as I have been able to tell, there is no factory alignment adjustment on the rear of an EA82 car. I have seen camber-bolt packages on eBay for them, but I have never seen a set actually installed on a car and have no idea about their effectiveness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
critical_max Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Exactly my experience.. the computer printout after alignment showed some minor misalignment in the rear, but they said they couldn't adjust it and that it wasn't serious. Car drives fine now... I can even take my hands off the wheel without fearing for my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 While there is no "adjustment" provided, it can be adjusted. Its simply involves loosening the bolts where the two suspension arms meet, and pushing the assembly around with a bottle jack or the likes. I havn't done it, but an old guy i take mine to has been doing it for years, as he used to work on ea81 rally cars. He reckons its a prick to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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