Opinions on this trolley jack?

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Opinions on this trolley jack?

Sad to say even the cheap ones sound expensive to me;)
As you have freed off all the adjuster side , it should be easy for the operator to adjust and if you mark the original position both sides you can easily see if only one side altered and by how much, so if you get to read it on his equipment, you should have sort of idea what he has actually done.
Hopefully most operators are very good and we only hear about the bad ones.
Here is a photo of my Dunlop gauge in a sorry state in my garage. The main advantage I found was it was easy to Zero so you knew it was accurate when checking each vehicle.
 

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Sad to say even the cheap ones sound expensive to me;)
As you have freed off all the adjuster side , it should be easy for the operator to adjust and if you mark the original position both sides you can easily see if only one side altered and by how much, so if you get to read it on his equipment, you should have sort of idea what he has actually done.
Hopefully most operators are very good and we only hear about the bad ones.
Here is a photo of my Dunlop gauge in a sorry state in my garage. The main advantage I found was it was easy to Zero so you knew it was accurate when checking each vehicle.
Yes Mike, ease of calibration, that was one of the great features of the Dunlop gauge. For those not in the know, any measuring equipment like this is only going to produce an accurate outcome if it's accurate. In the case of the Dunlop gauge you would put the ends of the measuring probes on one side of the guages against the ends of the probes on the other against and set the scale up to read zero. You were meant to do that every time you used it and doing so ensured the machine's readings were accurate. Modern versions have to be calibrated by a technician with specialist equipment so costs the workshop money. I wonder how many actually get calibrated as often as recommended?

D'you know? With all this talk of "tracking" (which really means checking toe in most instances - a full alignment check is another thing altogether!) it occurs to me that there's a very simple check anyone can do which will catch problems before they develop into something serious and save money on unnecessary and/or premature tyre replacement. This is quite simply to make a visual inspection your tyres on a regular basis. At it's simplest this will take only a few minutes and you won't even get your hands dirty.

So what should you do? Well, let's say we want to check the Near Side Front. Start by turning the steering full lock to the left. This will make it very easy to see the full width of the passenger side front wheel tyre tread. Ideally the tyre should be evenly worn over it's entire width. However we don't live in a perfect world so here's some of the things you may see:

The inside shoulder of the tyre more worn then the rest of the tread width. This is a very common wear pattern and in extreme cases can wear through to the casing itself even though the rest of the tyre may not even be half worn yet! It may well be due to there being too much static toe out due to either worn suspension parts or, simply, that someone has set it up wrong in the past. More subtle though, and more difficult to diagnose - so often missed - is when the inner rubber bushings on the suspension arm are worn. This may not be easy to see as they may be only slightly cracked but be suffering from a break down in the structure of the rubber itself. This lets the arm pull outwards under braking which introduces excess toe out so wearing the inner tread shoulder. When the vehicle is just standing the arm will return to more or less it's normal running position so it's difficult one to pick up on. One way to check is to have someone drive the car past you (somewhere like an empty supermarket car park works for me) and and get them to "dab" the brake pedal quite hard as they go past. You may see the wheel move back in the wheel arch if the bushes are worn (but check manually too as it may be something else too). Because all cars use rubber bushings these days for noise insulation it's usual to see a wheel move back slightly in relation to the wheel arch, but this will only be by a very small amount if ok.

Wear on the outside shoulder is nearly always too much toe in - Unless you're a completely mad driver who corners on the door handles all the time! but it just might be too much camber which is not going to be sorted out with a visit to the tyre store.

Tread lipping. When the tredas of the tyres are "scrubbed" one way or the other because the tyre is not rollong down the road in line with the chassis so effectively, the tread is being dragged sideways in relation to the road surface. If due to either too much toe in or out then both wheels will display the same "lipped" wear pattern with the lipping going one way on one tyre and the other on the one on the other side of the axle.

Over pressuring or, more commonly, under inflation if let to go too far - so greatly over inflated or under inflated produces distinctive wear patterns. In the case of over inflation the centre of the tyre will wear before the shoulders due to it being crowned out and under inflation lets the shoulders wear more rapidly as there is no pressure to support the centre of the tread.

The tyre on the other side is usually easy enough to see by just walking round and looking at it from the back, but you may want to turn the wheels full lock in the other direction and then you can look at it from the front as you'd just been doing with the one on the other side - vary from make of car to make of car as to which gives the best view. I do this check probably about once a month on my cars and, if it's dry I also kneel down and take a quick look for obvious inner sidewall damage. The outer sidewall you can, of course, check at any time but the inner sidewall will otherwise probably only be checked at service time and even then maybe only if it's a "big" service interval, so I like the security of doing my own visual inspection just for my peace of mind - Of course I do a more detailed examination at the annual service.

Rear tyres should be checked too but wear abnormalities are much less common and anyway, there's not usually any way of easily making adjustments - good idea to have a wee look from time to time though. Problems with wear on front tyres are far more common.

Of course there's a lot of other stuff you can check but this simple visual check is so quickly done and you don't get dirty so can be done anywhere. It's very likely you'll pick up on any tyre related problems long before they become too serious so saving you money and. maybe, problems with the "boys in blue" if stopped for a roadside check.
 
This morning I tried putting on the new exhast gasket but its too small...so now I'm going to send those ones back and try again. I got another opportunity to tighten up the first new gasket I tried and its a bit quieter but still a bit blowy, especially at first start up.

I adjusted the inner rod ends to try to get the steering back straight. The steering wheel was a few degrees pointing to the right, so I took off one thread on either side and now its pointing a tiny bit to the left...I could easily forget about that its so close but it could probably do with a quarter turn back the other way.

I've had a look at the kit mentioned above, it doesn't look too expensive new and have also found an ebay set for £35, the problem being as its used it may be poorly calibrated.


I'm somewhat tempted to use the string method I've seen on youtube. I could put some old tyres on the front and "watch" them closely as implied but not actually said above. I will go and check the tyre pressures now and take pictures of the thread wear for future reference in case I go down this path. I've recently checked the control arms and they're reasonably new. I'm currently satisfied with the primary job, i.e. subframe.

I could also book it into a local Halfords autocentre for about £45 for front alignment only.

I'm undecided what to do at this time.
 
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Often from experience simply rubbing your hand across the tread will tell you if a tyre is "toeing in or out", as you say Jock a few simple checks will save the cost of new tyres.
When brand new Lada cars came in for a PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) we would have to adjust the camber,caster and kingpin inclination using another Dunlop gauge (another tool I regret selling on) as well as doing the basic alignment.
If this was not done the front tyres could and did wear out in 600 miles;)
Many Lada owners who came to us from other dealerships used to complain about heavy steering until we set them up ourselves on the shims in lower wishbone inner mounting bolts. We got an award for being the best Lada workshop at that time, this was a set of Sun engine diagnostic tools , including a leak tester to pressurise the engine cylinders to diagnose faults.
The joke used to be that female Lada drivers needed the arms of a Russian shot putter. ;)
This is the like the other gauge I used to own, shame this one has been repaired.:(
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Often from experience simply rubbing your hand across the tread will tell you if a tyre is "toeing in or out", as you say Jock a few simple checks will save the cost of new tyres.
When brand new Lada cars came in for a PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) we would have to adjust the camber,caster and kingpin inclination using another Dunlop gauge (another tool I regret selling on) as well as doing the basic alignment.
If this was not done the front tyres could and did wear out in 600 miles;)
Many Lada owners who came to us from other dealerships used to complain about heavy steering until we set them up ourselves on the shims in lower wishbone inner mounting bolts. We got an award for being the best Lada workshop at that time, this was a set of Sun engine diagnostic tools , including a leak tester to pressurise the engine cylinders to diagnose faults.
The joke used to be that female Lada drivers needed the arms of a Russian shot putter. ;)
This is the like the other gauge I used to own, shame this one has been repaired.:(
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There are lots of fancy looking laser ones around these days. This looks like it should be easier to use? But i couldn't guess with any accuracy. Certainly looks a nice piece of kit though!
 
There are lots of fancy looking laser ones around these days. This looks like it should be easier to use? But i couldn't guess with any accuracy. Certainly looks a nice piece of kit though!
The castor gauge was a bit more involved, but the basic wheel alignment one was fairly simple and most vehicles these days do not give the option to adjust very much else. It probably dates back to early 60s at least.
 
One important question I have...

If i were to alter the tie rod end on just one side, would it affect the alignment on the other side?

I can imagine myself aligning these if they're independent of each other, but it'd be nightmarish if they have to be done together.
 
One important question I have...

If i were to alter the tie rod end on just one side, would it affect the alignment on the other side?

I can imagine myself aligning these if they're independent of each other, but it'd be nightmarish if they have to be done together.

It will affect the overall toe setting. Try to imagine the steering rack and tie rods replaced by just one piece of threaded bar with a track rod end on either end. This is basically what the rack is like (except it allows you to move the bar left and right to steer and bend to accommodate suspension movement. So far as the toe adjustment is concerned though, it might as well be a straight piece of rod. So, if you make an adjustment on one side only that will affect the overall toe. The reason both sides are adjustable is so you can adjust it so that there are an equal number of turns of the steering wheel on full lock to either side and to let you centralize the steering wheel - ie. it's not "squint" when the car is traveling in a straight line. Making an adjustment on one side only is a sure fire way to end up with a "squint" steering wheel.

For those who've never done it before, yes, getting the correct toe setting is bad enough but doing this and getting the steering wheel straight is quite a challenge.
 
I can imagine myself aligning these if they're independent of each other, but it'd be nightmarish if they have to be done together.
Doing this on a modern car with modern equipment is comparatively easy. The steering wheel will almost certainly be mounted on a steering column which has only one possible position it can be fitted - a "master" spline. This has largely come about because electric power steering has sensore which detect the straight ahead position and won't tolerate a steering wheel fitted a few spline teeth out. The equipment is usually mounted in a dedicated position, usually a ramp so you can get under to tackle the adjustment, and the laser projectors strap to the wheels so you can watch the scales as you adjust the track rod ends. In use you put the car on the ramp (having first checked all the ball joints, rubber bushings, any signs of accident damage etc - some of the very newest machines actually run a diagnostic procedure which claims to identify any problems themselves. Not sure if I would trust that? - use the tool to lock the steering wheel in the straight ahead position and check where the laser beams are pointing on the scale. If adjustment is needed you simply slacken the track rod end locking nuts and rotate the side rods until the laser beams hit the right readings. Tighten the lock nuts back up and away you go. If the lock nuts aren't hopelessly seized it's a few minutes and a jolly good "earner" for the workshop too as worn/faulty components are often discovered which, if the customer agrees, means income for the workshop to fix it so it can be properly adjusted. Unfortunately the temptation in an organization which is aggressively profit motivated is to perhaps condemn parts which still have some life left in them?

Working with cheaper DIY equipment, which usually measures the relationship between the two front wheels and can achieve a pretty accurate result in terms of Toe, leaves you with the problem of "experimentally" sorting out how to get the wheel in the straight ahead position when the wheels are pointing straight ahead.

Assuming you've thoroughly checked all suspension, ball joints, bushes etc then the first thing to sort out, before you even start doing any other adjustments, is to turn the steering wheel full lock one way and stick a bit of masking tape (or similar) to the wheel rim opposite a part of the dashboard which you can use as a reference. Now turn the wheel full lock the other way counting the exact number of turns, including part turns (ie, maybe 3.5 turns) you need to be precise here. Half that number and wind the wheel back by that amount. Doing this centralizes the rack to the middle of it's possible extremes of travel. So now the steering wheel should be in the straight ahead position. If it isn't the wheel is not on the correct splines so you'll have to take it off the top of the column and refit it correctly. Next you take the car round the block to properly settle the suspension and drive back onto your nice, very flat, piece of concrete floor or other very flat place you've found and carry out the adjustment of the toe on both sides so that you end up with the correct toe and both front wheels pointing forward equally. Now go for a short drive on a nice bit of flat straight road (if you can find such a thing) and get ready to curse and swear when you discouver the steering wheel is slightly squint. If so, the problem is not the Toe setting (assuming you've adjusted the track rod ends correctly) so you don't want to loose the relationship between the two track rod ends and their side rods (track rods some call them). Also, you set the steering wheel on the end of the steering column exactly in the middle of the rack's travel so what you need to do is, ever so slightly, shift the rack either left or right by screwing a little bit off one track rod end and the exact same amount onto the other side. I've been doing this for so long I can pretty much do it in my sleep now and usually end up with maybe a third of a turn needed with maybe a wee "tweek" just to get it dead on. However when I first started I would be winding too much on and then having to wind them back again only to find I'd gone too far the other way so had to wind maybe half of it back on again. It was a nightmare. A laser aligner does away with all this fif faf but the accuracy of what is done is still down to the man on the job - which is why I like to do my own.
 
Doing this on a modern car with modern equipment is comparatively easy. The steering wheel will almost certainly be mounted on a steering column which has only one possible position it can be fitted - a "master" spline. This has largely come about because electric power steering has sensore which detect the straight ahead position and won't tolerate a steering wheel fitted a few spline teeth out. The equipment is usually mounted in a dedicated position, usually a ramp so you can get under to tackle the adjustment, and the laser projectors strap to the wheels so you can watch the scales as you adjust the track rod ends. In use you put the car on the ramp (having first checked all the ball joints, rubber bushings, any signs of accident damage etc - some of the very newest machines actually run a diagnostic procedure which claims to identify any problems themselves. Not sure if I would trust that? - use the tool to lock the steering wheel in the straight ahead position and check where the laser beams are pointing on the scale. If adjustment is needed you simply slacken the track rod end locking nuts and rotate the side rods until the laser beams hit the right readings. Tighten the lock nuts back up and away you go. If the lock nuts aren't hopelessly seized it's a few minutes and a jolly good "earner" for the workshop too as worn/faulty components are often discovered which, if the customer agrees, means income for the workshop to fix it so it can be properly adjusted. Unfortunately the temptation in an organization which is aggressively profit motivated is to perhaps condemn parts which still have some life left in them?

Working with cheaper DIY equipment, which usually measures the relationship between the two front wheels and can achieve a pretty accurate result in terms of Toe, leaves you with the problem of "experimentally" sorting out how to get the wheel in the straight ahead position when the wheels are pointing straight ahead.

Assuming you've thoroughly checked all suspension, ball joints, bushes etc then the first thing to sort out, before you even start doing any other adjustments, is to turn the steering wheel full lock one way and stick a bit of masking tape (or similar) to the wheel rim opposite a part of the dashboard which you can use as a reference. Now turn the wheel full lock the other way counting the exact number of turns, including part turns (ie, maybe 3.5 turns) you need to be precise here. Half that number and wind the wheel back by that amount. Doing this centralizes the rack to the middle of it's possible extremes of travel. So now the steering wheel should be in the straight ahead position. If it isn't the wheel is not on the correct splines so you'll have to take it off the top of the column and refit it correctly. Next you take the car round the block to properly settle the suspension and drive back onto your nice, very flat, piece of concrete floor or other very flat place you've found and carry out the adjustment of the toe on both sides so that you end up with the correct toe and both front wheels pointing forward equally. Now go for a short drive on a nice bit of flat straight road (if you can find such a thing) and get ready to curse and swear when you discouver the steering wheel is slightly squint. If so, the problem is not the Toe setting (assuming you've adjusted the track rod ends correctly) so you don't want to loose the relationship between the two track rod ends and their side rods (track rods some call them). Also, you set the steering wheel on the end of the steering column exactly in the middle of the rack's travel so what you need to do is, ever so slightly, shift the rack either left or right by screwing a little bit off one track rod end and the exact same amount onto the other side. I've been doing this for so long I can pretty much do it in my sleep now and usually end up with maybe a third of a turn needed with maybe a wee "tweek" just to get it dead on. However when I first started I would be winding too much on and then having to wind them back again only to find I'd gone too far the other way so had to wind maybe half of it back on again. It was a nightmare. A laser aligner does away with all this fif faf but the accuracy of what is done is still down to the man on the job - which is why I like to do my own.

I will give this a go, thanks. Trial and error is just fine by me. I've just spent a month doing the subframe so i'm not time critical. And even losing some tread doesn't bother me. I'm currently studying what you've wrote (yes really).

I took the car out on a longer drive and the wheel wobble that was present at around 60mph is now gone. I'm not sure if that was caused by the cracked subframe or the worn out rod ends, but it was a smoother drive.
 
I dug out the manufacturers toe in spec from the EVO manual. Something that isn't clear........the manual says "Total front toe-in: 1 +/- 1mm"......does this refer to a single wheel or both wheels?



Screenshot 2024-08-16 201212.png


I've reserved a new exhaust gasket from GSF, i'm sure when I last looked I couldn't find them stocking any, maybe I used the wrong search term, anyway the blowing problem should be gone when I get the new gasket.

I'm going to try the string method of measuring toe in, that should be interesting...
 
Measuring 1mm toe-in with the string and tin cans, great huh? LOL
Still if the exhaust gasket is wrong you can always ring to tell them on your tin cans and string like when we were kids:)
You need to clarify re toe in data, is it 1mm + or - 1mm or one degree + or - 1mm, tracking is often measured in degrees and minutes.
 

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Still if the exhaust gasket is wrong you can always ring to tell them on your tin cans and string like when we were kids:)
You need to clarify re toe in data, is it 1mm + or - 1mm or one degree + or - 1mm, tracking is often measured in degrees and minutes.
Usually there's only one unit per line, so I reckon its 1mm +/- 1mm. I.e. 0-2mm. Not sure whether thats per wheel or both wheels though.
 
I dug out the manufacturers toe in spec from the EVO manual. Something that isn't clear........the manual says "Total front toe-in: 1 +/- 1mm"......does this refer to a single wheel or both wheels?
Ok, imagine you are looking at the wheel from the passenger side (Near Side N/S) side of the car. If you measure from half way up the front of the tyre or rim at 9 o'clock (on the inside of course) to half way up the inside of the wheel on the Driver's side across the front of the car to the front of the Off Side (O/S) wheel - looking at it from outside the car this would now be at 3 o'clock so we're talking in front of the axle line here. Then carry out the same measurements but behind the axle line, the measurements should ideally be -1mm. However the specification - "Total total front toe in is 1mm" but it's tolerable to be plus or minus 1mm from that reading which means that it can be tolerated if it measures between 0 (wheels exactly parallel) to minus 2 degrees - minus 2 degrees would be 2 degrees toed in which is the front of the wheel rims are 2mm closer together than the measurement across the rear of the rims - in simple terms the front wheels are slightly "pidgeon toed"
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I've reserved a new exhaust gasket from GSF, i'm sure when I last looked I couldn't find them stocking any, maybe I used the wrong search term, anyway the blowing problem should be gone when I get the new gasket.

I'm going to try the string method of measuring toe in, that should be interesting...
 
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