Caster and Camber Adjustment

CHECKING CASTER AND CAMBER
Front wheel Caster and Camber settings on this vehicle are determined at the time the vehicle is designed. This is done by determining the precise mounting location of the vehicle's suspension components throughout the design and assembly processes of the vehicle. This is called a Net Build vehicle and results in no normal requirement to adjustment the Caster and Camber after a vehicle is built or when servicing the suspension components. Thus Caster and Camber are not normally considered an adjustable specification when performing an alignment on this vehicle. Though Caster and Camber are not adjustable they should be checked during the alignment procedure to ensure they meet the manufacturers specifications.

If a vehicle has a drift or lead condition, and it is determined that the drift or lead is not caused by road conditions, and front camber is not within specifications it can be adjusted using the following camber adjustment procedure.

If camber does not meet required specifications, the vehicles suspension components should be inspected for any signs of damage or bending and the vehicle ride height should be checked to verify it is within required specification. This inspection must be done before performing the camber setting procedure.

CAUTION: Do not attempt to adjust the vehicles Caster or Camber by heating, bending or by performing any other modification to the vehicle's front suspension components.
1. Correctly position the vehicle on an alignment rack. Install all required alignment equipment on the vehicle, per the alignment equipment manufacturers specifications.

NOTE: Prior to reading each alignment specification, front and rear of vehicle should be jounced an equal number of times. Induce jounce (rear first then front) by grasping center of bumper and jouncing each end of vehicle an equal number of times. Bumper should always be released when vehicle is at the bottom of the jounce cycle.

2. Correctly jounce vehicle and then read the vehicle's current front and rear alignment settings. Compare the vehicle's current alignment settings to the vehicle specifications for camber, caster and Toe in. See Alignment Specifications. If front and rear camber readings are within required specifications proceed to Front Wheel Toe Adjustment for the Toe adjustment procedure if required. If Camber readings are not within specifications refer to step Step 2 in the following front camber adjustment procedure.

CAMBER ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE
1. If the front camber readings obtained are not within the vehicle's specifications, use the following procedure to provide camber adjustment.
2. Verify that the strut and steering knuckle are not bent or otherwise damaged. If either component is bent or show other signs of damage, replace required component(s) and check the camber setting again. Refer to Strut Damper Assembly for the required strut replacement procedure.
3. If no component is bent or damaged, use the following procedure for modifying the strut clevis bracket and adjusting the camber setting.
4. Raise front of vehicle until tires are not supporting the weight of the vehicle. Remove wheel and tire assembly from the location on the vehicle requiring the strut clevis modification.

CAUTION: When removing the steering knuckle from the strut clevis bracket, do not put a strain on the brake flex hose. Also, do not let the weight of the steering knuckle assembly be supported by the brake flex hose when removed from the strut assembly. If necessary use a wire hanger to support the steering knuckle assembly or if required remove the caliper from the steering knuckle.

Stabilizer Bar Attaching Link:

5. Remove the stabilizer bar attaching link from the strut.

Tie Rod End Removal From Steering Arm:

6. Loosen but do not remove the outer tie rod end attaching nut. Remove outer tie rod end from steering arm using Puller, Special Tool, C-3894A or equivalent.





7. If vehicle is equipped with antilock brakes, remove the routing bracket for the wheel speed sensor cable from the strut.

CAUTION: The bolts attaching the strut to the steering knuckle are serrated in the area where they go through the steering knuckle and strut. When removing do not turn the bolts in the steering knuckle. If bolts are turned in the steering knuckle damage to the steering knuckle will result.





8. Remove the top and bottom bolt, attaching the strut to the steering knuckle. Separate the steering knuckle from the strut and position steering knuckle so it is out of the way of the strut.





CAUTION: When grinding the bottom mounting hole in the strut to create the slot, do not enlarge the hole more then 2 mm in either direction as shown if the strut is not marked to show the shape of the slot.

9. Using an appropriate grinder and cutting tool, slot the bottom hole in both sides of the strut clevis bracket. When grinding slot do not go beyond the indentation area on the sides of the clevis bracket.
10. Install the steering knuckle in the strut bracket.
11. Loosely install the bolts attaching the strut to the steering knuckle.
12. If removed, install the routing bracket for the wheel speed sensor on the strut.
13. Install outer tie rod on strut. Install outer tie rod attaching nut. Tighten the tie rod attaching nut to a torque 37 Nm (27 ft. lbs.).
14. Install stabilizer bar attaching link on strut. Tighten the stabilizer bar attaching link nut to a torque of 88 Nm (65 ft. lbs.).
15. Install the wheel and tire assemblies.
16. Lower vehicle until the full weight of the vehicle is supported by the vehicles, suspension.
17. Correctly jounce the front and rear of vehicle an equal amount of times.
18. Adjust the front camber to the preferred setting by pushing in or pulling outward on the top of the wheel and tire as required. When camber is correctly set, tighten the upper and lower attaching bolt enough to not allow the steering knuckle to move in the strut bracket. Again jounce front and rear of vehicle an equal amount of times and verify front camber setting. See Alignment Specifications.
19. When front camber is correctly set, torque both front strut clevis to steering knuckle attaching bolts to 203 Nm (150 ft. lbs.).
20. Check the front wheel Toe settings. If Toe readings obtained are not within the required specification range, adjust Toe to meet the preferred specification setting. Adjust front Toe to the preferred the Toe specification using the Toe setting procedure.
21. Road test the vehicle. If vehicle still drifts or leads, repeat the camber adjustment procedure but bias the cross car camber setting opposite of the direction in which the vehicle has the tendency to lead. For example, if the vehicle leads left, compensate by setting left front camber to 0.0 degrees and right front camber to +0.6 degrees. The cross car camber is now at +0.6 degrees, the maximum allowed per the alignment specification.