Expedition 2WD V8-5.4L (2009)
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A vehicle-related drift/pull, on a flat road, will cause a consistent deviation from the straight-ahead path and require constant steering input in the
opposite direction to counteract the effect.
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Drift/pull may be induced by conditions external to the vehicle (such as wind or road camber).
Nibble
Wheel Alignment Angles
The front caster and camber are adjusted by removing the lower arm front and rear bolts and installing adjuster kits to allow the arm to be adjusted in the
frame slots. Front toe is adjusted by the use of the front wheel knuckle tie rods. The rear camber is adjusted by removing the upper arm camber set shim
or shim pins to allow the arm to be adjusted in the frame slot. The rear toe is adjusted by the use of the rear toe link cam bolt and nut.
Nibble
Sometimes confused with shimmy, nibble is a condition resulting from tire interaction with various road surfaces or tire imbalance. This condition is
observed by the driver as small rotational oscillations of the steering wheel.
Poor Groove Feel
Wheel Alignment Angles
The front caster and camber are adjusted by removing the lower arm front and rear bolts and installing adjuster kits to allow the arm to be adjusted in the
frame slots. Front toe is adjusted by the use of the front wheel knuckle tie rods. The rear camber is adjusted by removing the upper arm camber set shim
or shim pins to allow the arm to be adjusted in the frame slot. The rear toe is adjusted by the use of the rear toe link cam bolt and nut.
Poor Groove Feel
Poor groove feel is characterized by little or no buildup of turning effort felt in the steering wheel as the wheel is rocked slowly left and right within very
small turns around center or straight-ahead (under 20 degrees of steering wheel turn). Efforts may be said to be "flat on center."
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Under 20 degrees of turn, most of the turning effort that builds up comes from the mesh of gear teeth in the steering gear. In this range, the steering
wheel is not yet turned enough to feel the effort from the self-aligning forces at the road wheel or tire patch.
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In the diagnosis of a steering or alignment concern, it is important to understand the difference between wander and poor groove feel.
Poor Returnability/Sticky Steering
Wheel Alignment Angles
The front caster and camber are adjusted by removing the lower arm front and rear bolts and installing adjuster kits to allow the arm to be adjusted in the
frame slots. Front toe is adjusted by the use of the front wheel knuckle tie rods. The rear camber is adjusted by removing the upper arm camber set shim
or shim pins to allow the arm to be adjusted in the frame slot. The rear toe is adjusted by the use of the rear toe link cam bolt and nut.
Poor Returnability/Sticky Steering
Poor returnability and sticky steering is used to describe the poor return of the steering wheel to center after a turn or when the steering correction is
completed.
Shimmy
Wheel Alignment Angles
The front caster and camber are adjusted by removing the lower arm front and rear bolts and installing adjuster kits to allow the arm to be adjusted in the
frame slots. Front toe is adjusted by the use of the front wheel knuckle tie rods. The rear camber is adjusted by removing the upper arm camber set shim
or shim pins to allow the arm to be adjusted in the frame slot. The rear toe is adjusted by the use of the rear toe link cam bolt and nut.
Shimmy
Shimmy, as observed by the driver, is large, consistent, rotational oscillations of the steering wheel resulting from large, side-to-side (lateral) tire/wheel
movements.
Shimmy is usually experienced near 64 km/h (40 mph), and can begin or be amplified when the tire contacts pot holes or irregularities in the road
surface.
Toe
Wheel Alignment Angles
