Chrysler Concorde 2004 Service Manual page 1448

2 - 56 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
WHEEL ALIGNMENT (Continued)
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - VEHICLE
LEAD/PULL
To assure correct diagnosis, it is important to fol-
low the steps outlined below in the order shown.
Road test the vehicle before and after each step to
verify that the lead condition has been corrected.
When evaluating a vehicle, always drive the same
road in both directions to get a feel for the effect of
road crown and cross wind. A neutral vehicle will
exhibit a small amount of drift on both right and left
crowned roads (normal crown sensitivity). A vehicle
with pronounced lead/pull may have one or more of
the following conditions:
(1) UNEQUAL TIRE PRESSURE. Adjust tire pres-
sure to the pressure stated on door placard. Make
sure the tire pressure is equal on all four tires and
evaluate the car. Also verify that the tire size and
type are correct and match each other. If the car still
has a lead condition go to step (2).
(2) TIRE CONICITY. Excessive tire conicity is one
of the more frequent causes of vehicle lead. Cross-
switch the front tires and evaluate the car. If the car
still leads in the same direction or gets worse, return
the front tires to their original position, then go to
step (3).
(3) SUSPENSION ALIGNMENT. Check and record
the wheel alignment settings including caster. Non-
symmetrical front caster or camber can sometimes
cause a lead condition or can be used to fix a lead
condition. To bias the front suspension caster and
camber alignment settings to correct or minimize a
lead condition, perform the Vehicle Lead/Pull Align-
ment Bias repair procedure (Refer to 2 - SUSPEN-
SION/WHEEL ALIGNMENT
PROCEDURE). If the car still leads after the align-
ment bias procedure, go to step (4) or (5) accordingly.
(4) STEERING GEAR
Steering gear valve imbalance can sometimes cause a
vehicle lead. Although there is no quick test or mea-
surement that can be performed to verify a good or
bad steering gear valve, generally the steering efforts
will feel much lighter in the lead direction and
heavier in the opposite direction with an unbalanced
valve. Replace the steering gear only as a
resort to solve the problem. To replace the steering
gear, (Refer to 19 - STEERING/GEAR - REMOVAL).
STANDARD PROCEDURE
STANDARD PROCEDURE - VEHICLE
LEAD/PULL ALIGNMENT BIAS
This procedure is designed to be used in conjunc-
tion with Diagnosis And Testing - Vehicle Lead/Pull
(Refer to 2 - SUSPENSION/WHEEL ALIGNMENT -
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING).
- STANDARD
VALVE IMBALANCE.
last
Proceed with the Caster Bias procedure before
attempting the Camber Bias procedure.
CASTER BIAS
On a vehicle that leads left, create more caster on
the left than on the right. On a right lead vehicle,
the procedure is opposite. Try to get at least 0.8
degree of cross caster, but do not exceed the maxi-
mum specification of 1.0 degree.
(1) Loosen the four engine cradle to frame bolts.
Rotate the cradle forward on the side that you need
to increase the caster.
(2) Tighten the engine cradle to frame bolts to 163
N·m (120 ft. lbs.).
(3) Center the steering wheel and set toe (toe must
be reset before doing another caster sweep to ensure
accuracy).
(4) Verify that the lead is corrected. If vehicle still
leads, continue with the Camber Bias procedure.
CAMBER BIAS
On a vehicle that leads left, create either more
negative camber on the left or more positive camber
on the right. On a right lead vehicle, the procedure is
opposite. To minimize uneven tire wear, try to
achieve the same amount of camber bias on each
side. For example, if the car leads left, compensate
by setting the front left camber to -0.3 degrees and
front right camber to +0.3 degrees. Do not exceed
cross camber maximum specification of 0.7 degree, or
individual camber specification of -0.6 to +0.6
degrees.
(1) Raise the front of the vehicle until the front
suspension is not supporting the weight of the vehi-
cle and tires are clearing the floor. Remove the pre-
ferred wheel and tire assembly.
(2) Remove one of the strut clevis to knuckle bolts
and loosely assemble a reduced shank bolt and nut
(Available through the Mopar
place. Loosen the other strut clevis to knuckle bolt to
provide for adjustment. In severe cases where a wide
range of adjustment is required, two reduced shank
bolts should be used per knuckle. Repeat the proce-
dure to the other side strut clevis as necessary.
(3) Install the wheel and tire assembly. Lower the
vehicle until the full weight of the vehicle is resting
on the suspension.
(4) Adjust the front camber to the preferred set-
ting by physically pushing in or pulling out the top of
the wheel and tire assembly as required. When the
camber is correct, tighten both strut clevis to knuckle
bolts to 203 N·m (150 ft. lbs.). Set front toe to speci-
fications.
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