Opel 1900 1973 Service Manual page 189

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION:
Front Wheel Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .."...........................
DIAGNOSIS: (Not Applicable)
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS:
Inspection Before Checking Front Wheel Alignment
Adjusting Caster . . . . . . . . ...' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting Camber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting Toe-In
King Pin Inclination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAJOR REPAIR: (Not Applicable)
SPECIFICATIONS:
Wheel Alignment Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Wheel alignment is the mechanics of adjusting the
position of the front wheels in order to attain the
least steering effort with a minimal amount of tire
wear.
Correct alignment of the chassis is essential to proper
alignment of front and rear wheels. Briefly, the es-
sentials are that the frame must be square in plain
view within specified limits, that the top and bottom
surfaces of the front cross member must be parallel
fore and aft, and that the upper and lower control
arm must be at correct location in respect to shafts
and the front cross member. All bushings, ball joints
and bolts must be of proper torque and in usable
condition.
Wheel and tire balance has an important effect on
steering and tire wear. If wheels and tires are out of
balance, "shimmy" or "tramp" may develop or tires
may wear unevenly and give the erroneous impres-
sion that the wheels are not in proper alignment. For
this reason, the wheel and tire assemblies should be
known to be in proper balance before assuming that
wheels are out of alignment.
Close limits on caster, front wheel camber, and
theoretical king pin inclination are beneficial to car
FRONT END ALIGNMENT
CONTENTS
Subject
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handling, but require only reasonable accuracy to
provide normal tire life. With the type of front sus-
pension used, the toe-in adjustment is much more
important than caster and camber are as far as tire
wear is concerned.
Caster and camber adjustments need not be consid-
ered unless visual inspection shows these settings to
be out, or unless the car gives poor handling on the
road. In the majority of cases, services consisting of
inflating tires to specified pressure and interchanging
tires at recommended intervals, balancing all wheels
and tires, adjusting steering gear and setting toe-in
correctly will provide more improvement in car han-
dling and tire wear than will other front end align-
ment adjustments.
The correct use of accurate front end alignment
equipment is essential to determine whether front
suspension parts have been damaged by shock or
accident, and to obtain correct alignment settings
after new parts have been installed.
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS
Inspection Before Checking Front Wheel Alignment
Before making any adjustment affecting caster, cam-
ber, toe-in, theoretical king pin inclination, or steer-
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