Technical tracking

[lockpicker1969]

Hi



I have had my tracking done at a garage recently. Although it was a lot better it’s still pulling to the left. I would go back to the garage, however they did my last van twice and it was still pulling to the left so I am going to stop using them and would like to have a go at doing this myself.

My last van was a Vivaro and the advice I had from the Vauxhall forum was that all the vivaros pull to the left and the best way is to overcompensate when doing the tracking. I did mention this to the garage but they said no

To do this job would I turn the outer tie rod inwards or outwards, say half a turn or one full turn? I assume I would do the same on the other side too.

Is this a job anyone has done ?
2012 1.3 mtj

 

[ZaphodB]

I'd be more inclined to check that you're not trying to compensate for other defects in the vehicle.....

Worn components in the suspension, uneven tyre wear, or a problem in the braking system, even poor /uneven tyre pressures...

That and the fact that a vehicle will veer off to the left to an extent (driving on the left) due to the camber in the road.

 

[lockpicker1969]

Just over 1 year ago I renewed all the parts shown.

Track rod and tie ends

Ball joints

Front shocks/springs

Drop stabiliser links

Top strut mounts.



Recently just had new tyres all around and today just passed mot. I understand what you say about camber. Its doing this on flat roads motorways etc.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Hi



I have had my tracking done at a garage recently. Although it was a lot better it’s still pulling to the left. I would go back to the garage, however they did my last van twice and it was still pulling to the left so I am going to stop using them and would like to have a go at doing this myself.

My last van was a Vivaro and the advice I had from the Vauxhall forum was that all the vivaros pull to the left and the best way is to overcompensate when doing the tracking. I did mention this to the garage but they said no

To do this job would I turn the outer tie rod inwards or outwards, say half a turn or one full turn? I assume I would do the same on the other side too.

Is this a job anyone has done ?
2012 1.3 mtj

I'm going to guess that what you actually had done was the front wheel toe in/out checked and adjusted. This is a much abused task. Done properly there's a lot of "stuff" to check out for wear and damage before you start and it's often just not done at all or only the simplest and easiest things are checked. The result is often, only a partial solution. I know, it was an everyday task for me. Seized/corroded adjusting screws/locking nuts are a major problem and can take time to deal with.

So your vehicle was pulling to the left before the check and adjustment was made? but it's still pulling? If it was me and bearing in mind I have the experience to know what I'm looking for, I'd be spending quite some time comprehensively checking the vehicle's suspension and steering and looking at tyre wear patterns - you can learn a lot from how tyres are wearing as long as you know for sure they haven't been moved around on the vehicle for a few thousand miles minimum. Only after that, and assuming I hadn't found any problems, would I then set about attempting an adjustment.

Without the experience and equipment you're wasting your time trying to DIY this.

As a supposedly competent person has already tried to sort this out your next best course of action is to seek out a chassis specialist who will have a good quality 4 wheel aligning setup, The name "Hunter" is a well known make, and get a full check done. Expect to pay around £80 to £100 for the check and then, depending on what is found and whether parts are needed to rectify, the price can be arrived at. It's a pretty sure fire way to find out what's wrong.

There are a number of workshops within reasonable distance I could go to for this but one in particular specializes in crash repair work and he's the one I'd go to. Always worth remembering, doing standard toe setting - often referred to, mistakenly, as "wheel alignment - is a job most general vehicle repair workshops have a tool for doing. It's nothing like a 4 wheel alignment "bench" and, at the end of the day, this simple check/adjustment will only be as good as the chap doing it, and, in my experience, there are some out there who are not too bothered about being accurate.