Front axle service and camber readings

[yep]

1997
115K miles.

Service went fine with no notable issues.
It appeared that a service was performed previously.
Old grease looked worn, but plentiful.
Kingpin bearings looked like they had normal wear.
Wheel bearings looked good.

While I do not have before camber readings, my post-service camber readings are as follows:

Right = .2
Left = .7

New kingpin bearings and races were installed.
New wheel bearings were not installed.
All birf seals were replaced.
Preload on left is 12 and right is 9.

Any reason to worry/wonder why the right side is low?

Thanks.

 

[Rookie2]

So why are you checking camber after a front axle service anyways?

 

[yep]

I don't know what it looked like before the service, but I figured that if I did the service correctly camber should certainly be within spec after the service.

.2 degrees on the right side is a little below spec (1 +/- .75 degrees) and I am wondering if I should be concerned about it.

Caster is good (3" lift and Slee's caster plates installed) and toe has been set to spec.

Anyone think .2 on the right, or the varience from left to right is something to cause concern?

 

[Rookie2]

I guess to be more specific my question would be..., why would the front axle service have any impact (positive or negative) on camber? I don't see how the two would relate in any tangible way.


Rookie2

 

[yep]

If any bearings were loose I would think that new bearings would make the caster more positive. In my case I don't have the before readings to know if this occurred.

Based on the condition of my old bearings I don't think the front axle service should have changed my camber, but I am questioning the overall affect of the right side's current low reading as well as the differential in the left and right readings.

 

[clownmidget]

I guess to be more specific my question would be..., why would the front axle service have any impact (positive or negative) on camber? I don't see how the two would relate in any tangible way.


Rookie2

the obvious here is that the camber wasn't measured prior to the axle, but I'll bet the answer is still the same - the wheel bearings spindles are worn beyond spec. It is a rare bird indeed that gets out the dial calipers whilst doing the front axle rebuild and measures the bearing surface diam of the spindle. Also, as noted in the front axle rebuild thread, the pinion/trunion bearings/race are a matched set so not replacing the race and just the bearings may put the camber out of spec. There could also be wear on the trunion bearing spindle, or the pre-load shim could be missing, out of spec, etc. Or your wheel bearings spindles could be bent, axle housing bent, wheel bearings spindles not properly mated to the knuckle housing (smooth metal, new gaskets, etc). Bottom line, it really wouldn't take very much at all to kick the camber out of spec