Tie Rod Installation
#31
Rennlist Member
It is unlikely that the alignment shop are doing something silly but do not rule that out at this stage.. Presumably they did not lift the car off the ground before trying to do the alignment?
#32
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Memphis, TN 1987 S4
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 27 Likes
on
15 Posts
Ok, I’ve taken the plate off and now have the rack hanging by tie rods & steering knuckle. Two questions:
from pics, does anything look wrong?
where is the dimple to help center the rack.
#34
Why did you remove the rack? The rack centering bolt replaces the cap that Bertrand shows. It's on the drivers side front of the rack. The dimple is on the inside of the steering rack.
#37
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Memphis, TN 1987 S4
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 27 Likes
on
15 Posts
Thanks Bertrand. At this point, pics work better for me. After a long winter of repairs, this is the last thing for this winter. I’m tired of being on my back under this thing.
#39
Rennlist Member
What toe measurements did the shop get at the point where they could get no closer to the required range and were the adjusters on the tie rods at max extension [i.e. longest] or minimum extension [shortest}?
#40
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Memphis, TN 1987 S4
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 27 Likes
on
15 Posts
The last pics are the most recent. The earlier pic is from the attempt with the early tie rods. Right now drivers tire is riding on outside edge. I don’t have the printout of the results
#42
Rennlist Member
The other commonly induced error is if they tried to do the alignment immediately after lifting the car off the ground. This causes the a false toe in condition but I am not convinced that could or would explain the thing being out of adjustment range.
#43
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Memphis, TN 1987 S4
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 27 Likes
on
15 Posts
If the tyres are scrubbing the outside edges then there is excessive toe-in and that would suggest the tie rods are too long [assuming there is no other induced cause]. As I understand you have tried both the longer version and the shorter version so this is quite mysterious. The only other explanation I can think of would be if the wheel carrier has been bent out of shape by a curbing incident or some kind of trauma that has reduced the total distance between the track rod ends.
The other commonly induced error is if they tried to do the alignment immediately after lifting the car off the ground. This causes the a false toe in condition but I am not convinced that could or would explain the thing being out of adjustment range.
The other commonly induced error is if they tried to do the alignment immediately after lifting the car off the ground. This causes the a false toe in condition but I am not convinced that could or would explain the thing being out of adjustment range.
It may be the fact that it was immediately after lifting the car. The problem was, I couldn’t drive it for 20+ mile to get it to settle because it was too far out of alignment. I had to drive to the shop with hazards on. It was riding on tire edges really bad. Turning caused an audible noise of tires. My thought was I could get it closer in alignment to drive and take it back afte it settled.
#44
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Memphis, TN 1987 S4
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 27 Likes
on
15 Posts
To ensure I can drive it to allow it to settle, which way should I crank the tie rods? All the way to the end like in the first couple of pics or should I leave threads showing?
#45
Administrator - "Tyson"
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Or you could show the alignment tech the factory procedure which includes pulling the chassis down to proper ride height before doing the alignment.
This should be shared with anyone doing an alignment on a 928.
This should be shared with anyone doing an alignment on a 928.