iantdopps

I have has 2 real crappy alignments in a row, and I need to have it done right. I can pay $250 to have a couple porsche shops do it here. Or, I could TRY to learn to do it myself. Has anyone ever done this? If so, I have a couple questions.
1. How do you center and lock the steering wheel?
2. Are there any cheap and acurate tool to measure the camber, caster, ect?
3. How do I get under the car if I can not jack it up, as the manual says not to?
4. Should I give up and get the money out?

WallyP

Yes, you can align the 928 yourself. Harbor Freight sells a laser level for less than $20, sometimes on sale for $10.
It is very difficult to set the caster without special tools, but you can usually get by with setting the camber at max.

The sequence for wheel alignment of a 928 should be:
1) Check and adjust tire pressure.
2) Check ride height
3) Jack up and check for and replace worn/damaged parts.
4) Adjust ride height if necessary.
5) Drive 25 to 100 miles over bumpy roads.
6) Repeat 1,2. If jacking is necessary, repeat 5 and start over. DO NOT raise car before or during alignment
7) Adjust camber and toe in on rear wheels
8) Adjust camber and caster on front wheels.
9) Install rack centering bolt.
10) Adjust front toe in.
11) Check for level steering wheel and pull and adjust on splines if necessary.
12) Remove rack centering bolt and replace with plastic plug.

All of this means that if your alignment shop lifts the front of the car, then sets the toe to the proper measurement, after a few miles the suspension will settle and you will have extreme toe out, and very rapid inner edge wear.
There are only two safe ways to align the front end of the 928.
1) Don't lift the front end at all. This creates some very serious problems.
a) Alignment shops don't believe this. They are experts, and they aren't about to listen to you. They know that all cars have to settle after being lifted, but rolling other cars a few feet allows them to settle.
b) Most of the alignment equipment in use requires that the sensors be placed on the wheels, and then rotated. The common way of doing this is to jack the car and spin the wheels. In some cases, the car can be pushed back and rolled forward to set the sensors, but may shops don't have room or don't have long cables on the sensors.
2) Use Porsche Tool 10-222A (or an equivalent) to pull the front end down 60-70mm for one minute. That is 2 3/4". Try to push your car down that far - no way are you ever going to settle this car by bouncing on the front fenders!
[Ed R. reports that his mechanic can properly align the car by lifting the front at the ball joints so that the suspension doesn't unload, so the car shouldn't be high afterwards. First problem is that this takes special fixtures on the jacks, as the ball joints are well inside the wheels. Second problem is that the ball joints are still about an inch inside the wheel centerline, so there may still be some unloading. Might work, might not. Earl tried to see if there was any movement, but couldn't lift the car by the ball joints to see.]
If you want to do a "quick'n dirty" check on your car, get two straight boards or pipes about six to eight feet long, and two assistants. Put the front wheels as straight ahead as possible, and have the assistants hold the straightedges against the front wheels so that they are on the sidewalls of the tires, and protrude ahead of the car. Measure the distance between the straightedges just in front of the tires, then four feet out. The boards should be ~ .210"(5.3mm) closer together at the outer ends. If they are farther apart at the ends, your suspension is misaligned. You can move the car just far enough to rotate the wheels 180 degrees and repeat to eliminate the effects of crooked tire sidewalls if you like. Using the same method but with the boards out the back of the car, you can check the rear toe in. The boards should be ~ .279" (7.09mm)further apart four feet out, behind the car. This isn't a very precise method, but it will usually show how close your toe setting is.
Thanks to Earl Gillstrom for his contribution to this.

iantdopps

Thanks Walley! That is awsome!

Earl Gillstrom

Iantdopps,

I developed and presented at The Frenzy a document that describes everything that you would ever want to know about managing 928 wheel alignment. Every level of owners mechanical ability is covered, from no involvement to DIY at home. I plan to put this infomation on a web site with pictures, but have been trying to get my GT painted before winter and do not want to spend the time right now. I expect to have it up in a month. If you need to start immediately, I could send it to you. The DIY assumes that you have shop manuals. One page is designed to give to an alignment shop that you want to train to do 928 alignment.

iantdopps

That would be very nice if you could do that for me! I really need to get it done, and noone around here want to do it right. I would like to learn myself. If you could send me a copy, even without pics, that is fine. My email is below. Thanks!

iandopps@netscape.net

Steve J.

If you can find a shop with a Hunter DSP400 alignment machine, they can do it without lifting. I found a NTB that has them. The cost for alignment was $89. They did a nice job.

NYDolfan

Earl,

If it's not too much trouble could you shoot me a copy of the procedures too? pwarth@hotmail.com Pics don't have to be there.... Me and my shark thank you.....

dr bob

I don't know if it's the angle of the picture Steve, but it looks like there's a big fist of room between the top of the tire and the fender lip. Are you sure they didn't raise the car any?

Steve J.

drbob - Good eye! I did indeed mess up the ride height adjustment BAD before the first time I took it in for alignment (when the photo was taken). The front tires became scalloped and ruined from bad toe out in just a very few miles. I corrected the ride height, centered the steering wheel with the rack, made sure the suspension was settled and gas tank full. I took it back, and they re-aligned it for free! I bought new front tires. I think I ended up at about 175mm ride height on all four corners. During alignment, the infra-red targets attached to the wheels are calibrated by rolling the car. It is never lifted off the wheels. But I had to watch them to make sure.

185318

Steve J.

Did you take your car to a local NTB in Irving? If so, could you give me the location? I work in the Arlington area and I've been wanting to get a 4-wheel alignment for some time.

Thanks.

Steve J.

The Irving NTB store didn't have the machines. I went to the NTB in Carrollton near Beltline and I-35N. 972-245-0002. You might also try Zims Autotechnik in Bedford 800-356-2964.