Alignment won't stay put

[jaimr]

I have a new 08.5 CC 4x4 with 2500 miles on it. I installed the camber bolts so that I could adjust caster. I get an alignment put on the truck and it is perfect. Truck drives and tracks great. Within 1 week the right side toe is out and truck is drifting to the left. I take it in and have the toe reset. Figured I hit a pothole or something. Drive off and truck drives great. Again within a week the toe is going out and the truck is drifting to the left. Checked the camber bolts and steering rack bolts and all are tight.

What am I missing? What is causing the toe to move? One more thing that I thought was interesting...when the truck is on the rack, if you pull the truck up and down the camber moves....is that normal?

Any help would be appreciated.

[54warrior]

Originally Posted by jaimr

I have a new 08.5 CC 4x4 with 2500 miles on it. I installed the camber bolts so that I could adjust caster. I get an alignment put on the truck and it is perfect. Truck drives and tracks great. Within 1 week the right side toe is out and truck is drifting to the left. I take it in and have the toe reset. Figured I hit a pothole or something. Drive off and truck drives great. Again within a week the toe is going out and the truck is drifting to the left. Checked the camber bolts and steering rack bolts and all are tight.

What am I missing? What is causing the toe to move? One more thing that I thought was interesting...when the truck is on the rack, if you pull the truck up and down the camber moves....is that normal?

Any help would be appreciated.

They probably aren't tightening the camber bolts tight enough, allowing it to come out of adjustment.

As for why the camber changes... the upper and lower control arms (UCA/LCA) are of different lengths, attached to different points on the chassis. When the suspension moves up/down, the path in which both the LCA and UCA travel through is an arc. Each arc is different based on the lengths of both arms. The spindle/wheel assembly is attached to both the UCA and LCA, consequently, when the suspension moves, the camber changes as a result of the different arc lengths. Camber is adjusted on these trucks, not by changing the length of the arms, but by changing the mounting point location for the LCA. The arc lengths haven't changed, but the orientation has.

This attached illustration may help explain it better?


I drew up this other illustration awhile back to represent how a change in preload on aftermarket coilovers will affect camber.

http://www.titantalk.com/forums/atta...f?d=1204900072