DIY Alignment
04-04-2005
#1
Jap-Euro Fusion
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Washington DC
Age: 41
Posts: 13,151
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Rep Power: 400 
DIY Alignment
Pictures will be added later.
Necessary items
A buddy
A camber gauge
Level ground (or a gauge that can correct for uneven ground
Assortment of metric wrenches and an adjustable crecent wrench
Camber kits and/or plates
Toe Plates
Floor Jack
There are lots of ways to do this, with lots of different tools to do it. If you search the internet, you'll probably find 250 ways it can be done, so I'll just write up how I did it.
First thing is to install camber adjustment devices if you haven't done so already. Then you need to decide on a desired angle you'd like to end up with. The alignment needs to be set with the car ON THE GROUND and the suspension loaded if you want good measurements. If your car is really low, you may have issues with this and it will take a lot longer since you'll be constantly jacking the car up to make your adjustments.
Start with the rear, put the camber gauge on the rim lip and take your initial measurement. You'll need to rotate the adjustment sleeve on the camber arm until you reach your desired angle. If you have a gauge that attaches to the wheel, this becomes a 1 man job. If not, you may want to have your buddy hold the gauge as you rotate the camber arm. Once you get close, you'll have to either roll the car forward (if its on level ground) or jack up the car and set it back down. The tire will slip on the ground a little but not enough to pull the wheel for its exact angle. Set it back down and remeasure. When you hit the angle you want, tighten the lock nuts on the camber arms.
The front is a little different. First set your camber. If you have camber bolts, I believe you need to rotate the offset bolt until you get the angle you want then tighten it down to XXX ft.lbs so it holds. With camber plates just slide the plate until you get the angle you want, then retighten the allen screws. Check your angle with the gauge.
To set your steering angle, first roll the car back and forth a few times and mkae sure your steering wheel is straight.
Once it is, crack the tie rod nuts loose. You'll probably have to jack the car up and pull the wheels to get a good handle on it. Use a 19mm wrench to hold the tie rod end still use an adjustable on the nut. To loosen the nut turn it clockwise (its left handed). Wheels back on, car back down, roll it again to make sure you're still straight. You can reach the tie rods from the top of the engine bay if you don't have a stock airbox. If you do, pull out the resonator or plan on getting under the car a lot. Set the toe plates on each tire, making sure they're flat against the side of the tire and touching in the front and the back. Take the tape measures (or other measuring devices, some have laser tapes), and put them in the supplied location on the plates. Take a measurment so you can get an idea of what you need to adjust. If your tape measurement is bigger in the front then you have toe out and you need to make the tie rods longer. If you have a smaller reading on the front tape, then its toe in and you need to shorten them. a 14mm wrench can be used to rotate the tie rods. Make an adjustment then roll the car again to set the new toe angle in place, make sure the wheel is still straight and measure again. Keep going until the front measurement = the rear measurment. When it does, tighten the tie rod end locknuts and take it for a drive to make sure your wheel is infact straight. if its not, you'll need to make length corrections to the left and right to make sure that it is straight or close enough to straight that you can deal with it. Plan on about 3-4 hours until you get the hang of it.
Necessary items
A buddy
A camber gauge
Level ground (or a gauge that can correct for uneven ground
Assortment of metric wrenches and an adjustable crecent wrench
Camber kits and/or plates
Toe Plates
Floor Jack
There are lots of ways to do this, with lots of different tools to do it. If you search the internet, you'll probably find 250 ways it can be done, so I'll just write up how I did it.
First thing is to install camber adjustment devices if you haven't done so already. Then you need to decide on a desired angle you'd like to end up with. The alignment needs to be set with the car ON THE GROUND and the suspension loaded if you want good measurements. If your car is really low, you may have issues with this and it will take a lot longer since you'll be constantly jacking the car up to make your adjustments.
Start with the rear, put the camber gauge on the rim lip and take your initial measurement. You'll need to rotate the adjustment sleeve on the camber arm until you reach your desired angle. If you have a gauge that attaches to the wheel, this becomes a 1 man job. If not, you may want to have your buddy hold the gauge as you rotate the camber arm. Once you get close, you'll have to either roll the car forward (if its on level ground) or jack up the car and set it back down. The tire will slip on the ground a little but not enough to pull the wheel for its exact angle. Set it back down and remeasure. When you hit the angle you want, tighten the lock nuts on the camber arms.
The front is a little different. First set your camber. If you have camber bolts, I believe you need to rotate the offset bolt until you get the angle you want then tighten it down to XXX ft.lbs so it holds. With camber plates just slide the plate until you get the angle you want, then retighten the allen screws. Check your angle with the gauge.
To set your steering angle, first roll the car back and forth a few times and mkae sure your steering wheel is straight.
Once it is, crack the tie rod nuts loose. You'll probably have to jack the car up and pull the wheels to get a good handle on it. Use a 19mm wrench to hold the tie rod end still use an adjustable on the nut. To loosen the nut turn it clockwise (its left handed). Wheels back on, car back down, roll it again to make sure you're still straight. You can reach the tie rods from the top of the engine bay if you don't have a stock airbox. If you do, pull out the resonator or plan on getting under the car a lot. Set the toe plates on each tire, making sure they're flat against the side of the tire and touching in the front and the back. Take the tape measures (or other measuring devices, some have laser tapes), and put them in the supplied location on the plates. Take a measurment so you can get an idea of what you need to adjust. If your tape measurement is bigger in the front then you have toe out and you need to make the tie rods longer. If you have a smaller reading on the front tape, then its toe in and you need to shorten them. a 14mm wrench can be used to rotate the tie rods. Make an adjustment then roll the car again to set the new toe angle in place, make sure the wheel is still straight and measure again. Keep going until the front measurement = the rear measurment. When it does, tighten the tie rod end locknuts and take it for a drive to make sure your wheel is infact straight. if its not, you'll need to make length corrections to the left and right to make sure that it is straight or close enough to straight that you can deal with it. Plan on about 3-4 hours until you get the hang of it.
11-06-2006
#5
The only Wyoming Redneck on here
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 501
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 223 the only problem i ahve is its not as precise as the alignment machine use everyday, this will get you close but not as close as a me and a machine. nice stickie though, i wouldve never thought anyone would do this at home. rep.
Thread
Thread Starter
Honda Civic Forum
Replies
Last Post
TheRiddicles
Suspension Performance Modifications
0
09-21-2015 01:28 AM
