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Rear wheel alignment

M

Mike from Spain

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The nearside rear tyre is wearing away on the outside edge. I believe the alignment can be adjusted. How's it done and in which direction should it be corrected????
 
Mike, are you talking about a 4GTL?

If so it's toeing in too much. Best to get it done at a good tyre company with tracking gauges that fit on the rims. First you have to ask yourself why that one tyre is wearing unevenly and not the other. Has the chassis leg been repaired where the inner radius mounting bolts on? Are both the suspension mounting bushes in good condition? Has the car been in an accident and is the radius arm bent? Has the radius arm been taken off at some point and put back on without the alignment being checked? Is the shock absorber seized on that side?

If all is in order, you'll need to loosen the 3 bolts holding the outer radius arm mounting on - plenty of penetrating oil will be needed. Make sure the car is jacked up with the wheel off the ground. If you put a tyre lever in the gap on the lower part of the mounting, it should move up and down by a small distance. Note that the wheel will move in and out - this will be for your adjustment. Tighten the bolts before driving it to the tyre company. Loosen the bolts when the car is on the ramp and with the wheel on the ground, move the mounting until the correct adjustment is attained. Tighten the bolts, bounce the rear end a few times and re-check. I can't remember the toe in measurement and I have not got my Haynes manual with me, but it's in there somewhere.

Steve
 
Thanks Steve. Yes it is a 4GTL. I'll have a look over the weekend. I've got a manual and know a chap close by with the equipment so I'll get it checked out.
 
also remember that even with the tracking etc sorted the tyres will still wear if straightened and look like the trackings still out.

Very common oversight, solution new tyre or to stop it adjust out the other way to make it wonky to get the trye to wear evenly again!
 
I've been known to run around with rear wheels pointing in the wrong direction. The most noticeable symptom is rear wheel steering when you drive over bumps. It's not nice.

:clementi:
 
I had that problem when I changed the chasis. There was no further adjustment possible to correct the problem, so it had to be a problem of the aftermarket chasis. I then had a custom "outer radius arm mounting" made for the chasis. I prefered that over modifying the "new" chasis. No more 4 wheel steering after that.
 
Steve, checked the toe in today with equipment. Apparently it is nearly 2 degrees out! Is there sufficient adjustment available to compensate for this?
Also, I loosend the 3 bolts just behind the rear door and stuck a bar in the hole but didn't get any movement. Did I loosen the right ones or do the bolts on the chassis need loosening. Can the radius arm be bent in with hydraulics?
 
Those three bolts on the outside suspension mounting should be the right ones. With the wheel on the hub I was able to change the angle by holding onto the tyre and moving it by hand. http://www.renault4.co.uk/rosalie_repair_sensible.htm (bottom of page).

Maybe the outer suspension mount is a bit seized to the chassis. Jacking the car up with the bolts loose and then perhaps tapping around the mount with a hammer might be enough to move it.

2 degrees should be within the adjustment range. They will adjust quite a long way.
 
Mike - Clementine has said what I would have. Just liberally soak the area with penetrating oil as the outer mount could have rusted onto the chassis. 2 degrees is a lot out - may be worth investing why!

Steve
 
Thanks for that chaps. Nothing seems amiss with the suspension so I think I'll get a big hammer to it in case it is welded to the chassis with rust!

Does it move up and down or from side to side?
 
The bracket where the outer suspension mount joins on pivots on the upper bolt. The two lower bolt holes are oval to allow adjustment.

A big hammer is mean. Tapping with a small hammer should be enough to loosen things off :D
 
Whatever it takes Clementine! Thanks for your useful info. I'll have another go in a couple of days and let you know the outcome.
Using the nearly lpg'd Rangerover tomorrow to tow the other R4 from Runcorn, back to the island. It's a left hooker so I'm looking for a doner so I can make it a right hooker! I'll post a picture in the gallery when I get it back.
 
rear wheels alingment

Hi,
I'm worry, my chassis was repaired changing parallel panels where rear suspension is mounted, but rear suspension got messy, left rear wheel shows a severe positive camber (my new tire has an accelerated external side wear) and the right rear wheel experiences some toeing...

Is it possible to adjust them? Do I need to dismount complete rear suspension ? ..

thanx
 
If the rear suspension has been removed the tracking will need to be adjusted. There is adjustment in the outer mountings. Just loosen off the three bolts and move the rear wheels. The toe setting is in the manual - don't have it to hand but it's near parallel.

That'll improve tyre wear as well as stopping the car from steering sideways when you go over a bump.
 
Castorlex, what model year is your R4? Pre-1976 ones did not have oval holes on the outer arm bracket! Before hammering or levering take the nuts out to check that your arm is adjustable. From what you say it seems that it has the oval holes,though. Don't be afraid by the excessive values, they appear normally if the arm has been removed. Adjustment should only be done using alignment equipment as camber is affected simultaneously.
Toe in: 0 to 4mm (0deg to 0deg40mins) TOTAL (half to each wheel)
Camber 0deg. to 1deg30mins positive
 
Unable to adjust

Thankx to everyone, but I tried to make adjusts to suspension rear arms, but , with an expert (in car suspension and wheel allingment) friend of mine we realised that the only way to fix my car is making a chassis allingment. We set the arms in the maximum allowance of oval holes but total convergence was 13mm. At least we could reduce it from 18mm to 13mm. So, who can give an advise to make that chassis allingment?
 
Can you check over the alignment printouts if these 13mm refer to independent or total toe? Also are you talking about toe-in or -out? The camber went OK after the alignment?
 
What work was done to the chassis? DIY realignment might well be possible but the work required will depend on which part is out of place and why.

13mm is a lot. You know the front and rear wheels have a different track? That might confuse some wheel alignment measuring systems.
 
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