Delivery Alignment

[techman]

Just took delivery of my 22 BH.

How unusual is it for the alignment to be off on fresh delivery trucks? The truck seems to track straight although it follows the crest of the road quite a bit. The tires were delivered at 90 PSI....so I dropped them to 65 on all 4 corners. The biggest annoyance is the steering wheel is misaligned at 1-2 o'clock when driving straight.

Should I insist on an alignment check or is the centering the steering wheel a quick fix at the dealer?

 

[MtnRider]

Centering the wheel is a quick fix, you can even do it yourself if you want. Just loosen the collar on the drag link and turn it until it's straight and tighten back down. If it's driving straight and the tires are wearing evenly I wouldn't worry to much about the alignment but if you decide to take it in to center the wheel you might as well have them check it.

.

 

[techman]

Any pictures of the collar and drag link for the do it yourself crowd?

 

[Riddick]

I went through the same ordeal when my 22 came in last November. I went to the dealer and they insisted the alignment was fine and the steering wheel was within acceptable limits. I did some research on this forum and adjusted the drag link myself, its very easy to do and takes literally less than a minute. The only tool you will need is a ratchet or wrench. Be sure to make small very small adjustments, will not take much at all. I was able to have mine centered after 3 adjustments, one to figure out which direction to go then 2 adjustments on dialing it in.

 

[techman]

AWESOME!!!!

Thank you!

 

[Crusty old shellback]

My '21 PW the alignment was out since day one. It drove and tracked fine, but at about 2K miles, I was getting uneven wear on the outer edges of the tires. Was running at 35 PSI all around. Took it to my tire/alignment shop and yep, toe was way out of spec. So we adjusted to zero toe as per Thuren specs, which is a lot tighter than factory specs. Also adjusted the castor down to 3.5 degrees. I know it's a little under spec, but works great.

 

[jetrinka]

1 -2 o'clock? Like to the right of center? Yeah not normal. If it was 11 o'clock then yes that would be normal for crown compensation on these kinds of trucks.

And yes the factory alignment is laughable most of the time.

 

[techman]

When tracking straight, the steering wheel is off center to the right about the 1 o'clock position. I'll try adjust myself and then monitor for tire wear or other mishandling.

Unless, my dealer calls me back an offers to check the alignment etc under warranty. Might as well.

 

[Riddick]

When tracking straight, the steering wheel is off center to the right about the 1 o'clock position. I'll try adjust myself and then monitor for tire wear or other mishandling.

Unless, my dealer calls me back an offers to check the alignment etc under warranty. Might as well.

I probably should of added more detail to my post above. I took my truck back to the dealer to have the alignment checked with around 200 miles on it. They stated it was normal so I made the adjustment to center my steering wheel and its been straight since. However, I am fairly certain my toe needs to be adjusted. The outer edges of both my front tires are starting to wear uneven and the truck now has 7300 miles on it. Point I am trying to make is you will be wasting your time taking it to the dealer for an alignment. I will be installing a 1" spacer on mine when I rotate the tires and I plan to align to Thuren specs....... hopefully this solves my issues. Thuren specs call for the toe to be set to 0 which is very important on these trucks apparently.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

Rotate your tires every 5K as well to help with even wear.

Even if you set it at the factory specs, it will still show wear on the outer edge of the tires.
The Thuren spec of Zero toe is where you want to be. Thuren or CJC even has a video explaining why. It all has to do with being a solid axle vice A arm IFS.

 

[techman]

Well, I climbed under the truck to make the adjustment. The bolt to loosen the clamp on the drag link was "welded" on there (ridiculously tight). I had to use my impact hammer to loosen it up. As soon as I did that a few turns of the adjusting nut and I am back to center. I re-tightened the clamp using my arm strength only as I thought needing an impact wrench was a bit much.

I did noticed alignment "marks" on the clamp nut and adjusting screw. Along with marks on the drag link itself. I would assume they were check marks from the factory to see if any deviation from the initial adjustments were changed? But the lock nut marks were not aligned when I went to make the adjustments. I wonder if a little tweaking already occurred at some point?

I'll keep an eye on treadwear and I do rotate my tires.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[GBourne]

Just took delivery of my 22 BH.

How unusual is it for the alignment to be off on fresh delivery trucks? The truck seems to track straight although it follows the crest of the road quite a bit. The tires were delivered at 90 PSI....so I dropped them to 65 on all 4 corners. The biggest annoyance is the steering wheel is misaligned at 1-2 o'clock when driving straight.

Should I insist on an alignment check or is the centering the steering wheel a quick fix at the dealer?

My 2018 2500 SB 4x4 and my 2020 3500 DRW 4x4 were both off and needed an alignment on the test ride. Different dealerships both times.

It’s free if it’s done within 12,500 miles.

 

[cms1528]

My 2021 2500 alignment was out of spec when I took delivery. Took it back to dealer a few days later and they realigned it without issue since. Why do it yourself if it's new and under warranty, I like to work of vehicles too but not if it's under warranty. Personally I want to establish a track record if a future problem arises.

 

[DammitDave]

I bought my 2021 out of state and on the drive home I noticed the alignment was off. Just a few days later I got it into my local dealer for an alignment and they told me then that I was lucky I brought it in right away that alignments are covered under warranty for very long after purchase.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

I probably should of added more detail to my post above. I took my truck back to the dealer to have the alignment checked with around 200 miles on it. They stated it was normal so I made the adjustment to center my steering wheel and its been straight since. However, I am fairly certain my toe needs to be adjusted. The outer edges of both my front tires are starting to wear uneven and the truck now has 7300 miles on it. Point I am trying to make is you will be wasting your time taking it to the dealer for an alignment. I will be installing a 1" spacer on mine when I rotate the tires and I plan to align to Thuren specs....... hopefully this solves my issues. Thuren specs call for the toe to be set to 0 which is very important on these trucks apparently.

@Riddick I use TMR customs tool for toe. Doesn’t get any easier.

DIY Toe Alignment Tool

TMR Customs stocks the tools to get your off-road project finished! Check out the DIY Toe Alignment tool and save the cost of an alignment after a rough off-road use!

www.tmrcustoms.com

 

[Crusty old shellback]

The dealership will only align it to factory specs. I wanted mine done to Thuren specs, so I went to my tire guy and had it done when I had my new tires put on.
They actually didn't charge me for the alignment. Plus I helped do the tires and the alignment.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Tape measure for toe and angle finder for caster :.thumbsup:

YMMV

 

[Crusty old shellback]

Oh, I've done the tape measure for toe, a level, tape measure and plumb bob for camber. Never did much on castor.

But why not use the machine if its in the tire shop?