Can we adjust Caster on our trucks with its front end setup??

Reason I ask is, my aligment shop said that they couldnt get the caster correct on my truck. They kept fittling back and forth with the tie rod end adjustment, on either side, back and forth, back and forth, trying to get it perfect, but couldn't.

I don't know much about aligments, but I went into the shop and watched the two guys work. One guy kept centering the steering wheel, and the second guy would adjust. After it was in alignment, the guy in the cab would wiggle the steering wheel and put it back to center, and the caster would be way out again. They would then do it again, and again, and again.

I didn't even know adjusting the tie-rod end could adjust caster??

Once they got it as good as they could, where they thought it was right, he then locked down the tie rod ends. The ball joints on each tie-rod end was cocked in the direction that it was adjusted. I asked him if it was ok to be left like that, and he said yes, that it would pivot normally with steering.

I feel like these guys did not know what they were doing.

The truck drives straight, and the steering wheel is slightly slightly off to the left, but other then that it seems good.

Is anyone experienced in alignments?

 

I've never had the tire shop mention any difficulty aligning my truck and the sheet always showed it in spec afterwards. Them telling you they can't get it in spec sound awfully odd to me.

 

As per the 2005 Service Manual:
Caster
Moving the rear position of the lower control arm at the frame in or out, will change the caster angle significantly and camber angle only slightly. To maintain the camber angle while adjusting caster, move the rear of the lower control arm in or out. Then move the front of the lower control arm slightly in the opposite direction

NOTE: Both from and rear lower control arm cam bolts are adjustable.
NOTE: Camber and caster adjustments must be made at the lower control arm. The upper control arm is not adjustable.
NOTE: When the lower control arm cam bolts are loosened the lower control arm will normally go outwards automatically with the weight of the vehicle.


On my 1996, the camber/caster is changed with the upper control arm.

 

Caster is a very hard angle to describe in word without any cool tire and suspension diagrams. I will try and describe it but i suck at describing stuff... oh well here it goes. if you are looking at the side of you're tire and wheel. draw a straight line down the center of you're wheel. Then imagine a straight line through you're front strut. The angle between those two is you're caster angle. .....sorry for the long winded explanation. either way we dont have any adjustment for it on our trucks. It sounds like the guys at the shop you took it to were just trying to "shlim shlam" the alignment. the reason youre steering wheel is off probably because the got the toe wrong. i would take it back and damand a mch more experienced guy do the aligment. anybody can get all the #'s in green but not everybody does a proper alignment. sorry again for the longwindedness[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Jamie/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]

 

I went to back to the shop, which was a Mavis Discount tire, and got my money back. My truck is now at a Firestone that I have always had good luck with.

Only reason why I went to mavis this time was it was $20 cheaper for the alignment. Guess it wasn't worth saving $20! All i did was loose my precious time.

When I explained the situation to Firestone they were pretty positive that Mavis did not know what they were doing. They are going to check the alignment, if it is correct they will simply charge me for a check, but they are pretty sure it sounds off, and in that case they will be doing my alignment.

Why is it so hard to find people that know what there doing??

 

i always go to sears automotive for my alignments. every 12000 miles i rotate the tires and have them rebalanced and aligned.

 

I like to think of caster as the way the front wheel contact patch "trails'" the suspension attachment point to the vehicle. A shopping cart has a ton of caster. Shopping cart wheels that aren't broken (so none of them) have a very strong self-straightening tendency. Just like a properly aligned car or truck.

Anyway, it is totally adjustable. I had Sears do mine in about 30 minutes.

 

Well i got my truck back from Firestone, they provided a specs sheet of before and after. Everything was wrong. Camber, caster, and toe was all messed around with. The firestone guy got everything in alignment on the first shot. He said it looked like the guy at mavis simply just messed around, and had no idea what he was doing, OR there machine is completely off.

Mavis Discount Tire uses the Hawk Eye 4 wheel alignment laser alignment system. I would never give Mavis Discount Tire another cent of my money again.

My truck drives great now, steering wheel is perfectly centered, drives perfect, and the tires all look right.

Steer clear of Mavis Discount Tire.

 

did he say how they centered your steering? I never did after my lift, and need to.

LB

 

All of the steering angles caster , camber, toe are adjustable on the Dakota , it is much easier on the 3rd gen. than earlier models . these trucks use cams to adjust the caster and camber on the front , and the only way to adjust the steering wheel to be straight is to have the truck aligned on a good alignment machine , and of coarse a good alignment Tech. to properly center the steering wheel the front wheels must be aligned with the back wheels . and steering wheel must be held in the center position , then the tie rods can be adjusted to correct the centered steering and also set the toe on the vehicle.