Tires misaligned after tie rod replacement (1 Viewer)

[Bryan062087]

Silly question, do I need to adjust the tie rod end individually if one tire is misaligned with the other after a tie rod end replacement? I replaced both ends on the tie rod itself. I can adjust total toe in/out by turning the bar (tie rod) after loosening the clamps. However, my situation is that when one tire is straight, the other is slightly turned, leading me to believe that I should adjust one or the other ends individually. If so, what is the best 'at home' method to get this correct?

Thank you.

 

[3_puppies]

did you count the turns and install new ends to same amount of turns?
you can turn the tie rod and get both tires adjusted, aprox 1/8" toe in front to rear
if the steering wheel is off, adjust the relay rod to center the steering wheel

no need to adjust each tire individually

 

[Bryan062087]

I thought I counted the turns and measured correctly when installing the new ends, but this leads me to believe that something went wrong there. Someone could have turned the steering wheel when I had one or both of the tie rods disconnected-- not sure what effect this would have.

 

[CruiserTrash]

I thought I counted the turns and measured correctly when installing the new ends, but this leads me to believe that something went wrong there. Someone could have turned the steering wheel when I had one or both of the tie rods disconnected-- not sure what effect this would have.

As mentioned above: adjust the relay rod to re-center the steering (which is re-centering the wheels to the steering wheel at straight travel). It's all in the FSM.

 

[dbbowen]

If you trap the steering wheel while you are adjusting the toe in how most normal cars are adjusted, youll run into some issues with one side toe moving at a different rate than the other. I noticed this when i was doing an alignment on mine on a hunter rack when i first got my truck. The best way to do it imo is to leave the steering wheel completely free to move, and adjust your toe. Adjusting the tie rod will move the relay rod some but should be 50/50 between wheels if that makes sense. once you have your toe set and the lock nuts secure then do the relay rod after to center your steering wheel. the FSM is probably different, but this is how i did mine last

 

[jjvbva]

If you haven’t scoped it out, there is a FAQ thread on doing your own alignments that is probably worth a look. I used it many moons ago satisfactorily.

 

[Bryan062087]

Per the FSM, i measured the distance of the threads on each tie rod end using a caliper. There was a disparity in this length, maybe several mm. The FSM calls for it to be equal. I released one of the tie rod ends and turned this end only until the distances as measured by the caliper matched. Then I reinstalled the tie rod end. It might be better to have taken back out completely and removed and reinserted both tie rod ends and matched then number of turns.


I then used toe alignment plates to perform the toe adjustment by turning the tie rod itself. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CND1N2RM

 

[dbleon]

FWIW.. the FSM has eye to eye specs for the relay rod and tie rod. That’s a great starting point for an alignment. I would leave the relay rod alone and center the steering wheel by pulling and adjusting after. Don’t know if that’s absolutely correct, but the FSM does give a really rod length spec.. so moving the relay to adjust steering wheel center may throw it out of spec.

My small brain thinks the trigonometry of shortening the relay rod could increase the steering angle and thus increase the likelihood of bump steer .. but again I could be wrong

 

[dbbowen]

I just realized you are in Memphis. If you want to get it on a hunter machine. send me a PM, the master tech at Lexus in memphis is one of my closest friends. Me and him have had my 60 series on the rack there many times. He knows what to do.

this is my truck in one of the bays after we aligned it before i moved to oregon

 

[Bryan062087]

Following up, had my alignment checked at a shop with a machine. Total toe in was 0.1 degree. Left was 0.1 degree and right was 0 degrees. Am I ok with the individual sides being unequal?

 

[SteveH]

@Bryan062087

Following up, had my alignment checked at a shop with a machine. Total toe in was 0.1 degree. Left was 0.1 degree and right was 0 degrees. Am I ok with the individual sides being unequal?

That amount is so minor that it's likely within the tolerance of your truck or the alignment machine. If it drives well and doesn't pull, you're likely ok. As you drive, the wheels splay out a bit due to the dynamics of things, so you end up with some toe that way. As always, watch for tire wear over time in case one side is different from the other.