Wheel Alignment Way Off?

i had a question my two front tires are a few degress slanted toward the passenger side.. i went to a local tire shop where alignments are done and i was told that it cost more to align a problem as that .. ive ruled out any body and frame problems. the only thing that come to my mind is maybe a strut problem posibly bent but my concern is that both side seem to be equally slanted ..ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THIS WOULD BE A GREAT HELP

I don't think it should cost more to align that but I'm not an expert. When I had a bent strut in the Regal, they were able to over correct that side so that the wheel didn't tuck in too much. There's only so much they can do but it sounds like some sort of camber issue or toe in issue. Do you have a pic of what it looks like? Or is it just a problem with the steering wheel being off center (don't think that's what you described).

Here's the quick link I just looked at:

http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm

The steering wheel is off to the left but the tire lean to the right .. can anyone help me narrow it down.. i just had head gasket job done .. im on a budget so if i can do it myself the better . its off by a quite a bit noticeable. i just want to adjust it enough so that it wouldnt be so noticeable or be pulling to the right too much. THANKS

the only standard front adjustment is toe; can get a kit but sounds like your car was in a wreck before you got it and they did not finish pulling it straight and/or did not replace the lower control arms. look for a place offering an "alignment check" cheap and get them to take a reading, just to see what the numbs are.

Albertj

An alignment should fix all adjustments, not just toe. The struts have adjustable slots in the bolts that a quality alignment shop should be able to use. Try a different shop for another opinion.

I agree with Derek.

Around here, we have Town Fair Tire. They aren't that bad and will correct most alignment issues. The biggest problems I have with them is them not lining up the steering wheel correctly. Can you take a pic of the wheels so we can get a better idea? I agree with Albert that this might be an issue with a prior accident. Hope you don't have a subframe issue.

riviera559 wrote:

i had a question my two front tires are a few degress slanted toward the passenger side.. i went to a local tire shop where alignments are done ..ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THIS WOULD BE A GREAT HELP

Go to the most reputable frame shop around. Here it's Harold's Frame Shop on 8 Mile. They talk to you in terms you understand, from ignorant to tech savvy drivers. I'm sure you have one near you as well. (ignorant is not a slam, it's just not knowing)

Frame shops can spot an issue that a trained tire installer will miss. I pay more for my service but I get the best.

If the only problem is steering wheel position, then that is easily corrected on most cars. I'm more familiar with rear wheel drive, like my 70 GS. On my 70, if you rotate the tie rod sleeves in the same direction, the same amount of turns, you won't affect toe, but it will move the steering wheel position. Never looked at the Riviera tie rods.

these are the pics looks like the passenger side has positive camber and the driver side has toe out.. TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS THINK thanks .. i cant get the pics up i tried

Caster and camber is adjustable on our cars.but out of caster is unlikely.If the shock tower bolt holes are not elongated then the caster is factory.out of camber is more likely.if the shocks were ever replaced then camber would need to be readjusted.
Toe in/out problems are common in these cars.fresh out of the alignment shop,all you need to do is hit a nice size bump and its out. adjusting toe is a snap if you know how.even if you dont have mechanical skills.
I've been aligning my cars for years with this method.and I've allways gotten the car to steer nice and straight. remember,toe is just getting the wheels to point straight ahead. you can get scientific with allignment,a degree here a degree there and blah blah blah,but at the end of the day all the car wants is to have her wheels pointing dead ahead.



all you need is a nice flat surface and a few hand tools. most important rule to follow is to point the wheel nice and level.have a friend hold the steering wheel firmly once you have established that you can follow the videos instructions.after that it's just a simple following the steps

deekster_caddy wrote:

An alignment should fix all adjustments, not just toe. The struts have adjustable slots in the bolts that a quality alignment shop should be able to use. Try a different shop for another opinion.

This is true; you may want to get a new set of bolts to get the adjustment to stay put once done.

Again watch for worn bushings in the lower arms.

There was another post about taking the car to a frame shop. True that. A mechanic at a good frame shop will catch a bunch of stuff that escapes many of not most alignment techs.

Albertj

thanks to you all i got it fixed . the tire that needed camber adjustment already had a kit installed i turned it and fixed the problem i also found out that one tie rod was really loosed tightened it up and the problem almost went away .. im still going to take it in for an alignment though .thanks