Front Alignment for Dakota 4WD V8-318 52L (1991)
Alignment: Service and Repair
Front Alignment
Caster & Camber
Fig. 1 Loosening Pivot Bar Adjusting Nuts
On four wheel drive models, front suspension height must be checked and corrected as necessary prior to checking wheel alignment. Refer to
FRONT SUSPENSION HEIGHT for procedure.
1.
Remove all foreign material from exposed threads of pivot bar adjusting nuts.
2.
Record initial camber and caster readings before loosening pivot bar adjusting nuts.
3.
Moving only the rear pivot of the upper control arm in or out will greatly affect caster while changing camber only slightly. Moving the front pivot
of the upper control arm in or out will greatly affect camber while changing caster only slightly.
4.
Caster should be held as nearly equal as possible on both wheels.
5.
Camber settings should be held as close as possible to desired specifications.
6.
Tighten pivot bar attaching nuts to specification.
2 Wheel Drive
With the front wheels in a straight ahead position, retain steering wheel using a suitable tool. Loosen tie rod locknuts. Adjust toe-in by turning the both
rods an equal amount. Do not twist tie rod to steering gear rubber boots during adjustment. Tighten tie rod locknuts to specification, then adjust steering
gear to tie rod boots at tie rod. Remove steering wheel retaining tool.
4 Wheel Drive
1.
With the front wheels in a straight ahead position, retain steering wheel with suitable tool. On vehicles equipped with power steering, start
engine before straightening wheels and leave running while adjusting toe in.
2.
Loosen tie rod clamp bolts.
3.
Adjust toe-in by turning tie rod sleeves evenly. Each wheel should be set to be 1/2 the total specification to ensure steering wheel will remain
centered.
4.
Shutoff engine (if running), then tighten clamp nuts. Ensure clamp nut does not project above top of tie rod sleeve.
