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4 Wheel Alignment or Front End Alignment?

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Old Nov 16, 2020 | 10:01 PM
  #81  
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Reading through this thread was frustrating. If your thrust angle isn't in spec your truck will never drive straight, period. That needs to be addressed before anything else is done. What happened when the thrust angle went from 0 degrees to a half degree? That is a very significant change and is a big indication there was an accident of some sort. A solid rear axle doesn't shift a half degree for no reason, something happened. I don't think anything is bent because total toe on the rear axle is only .04, if the truck was in a wreck the total toe would be way out of wack depending on which side it got hit.

All you need to do is loosen up the u bolts, pull the axle back and re tighten the bolts. This will straighten out the axle and you can proceed with the rest of the alignment when the thrust angle is acceptable. I have no idea why anyone would touch the camber and caster on these trucks in stock form, they are set perfectly from the factory. If for some reason the camber/caster needs to be adjusted you have to get a cam kit for accurate adjustments, if you loosen those control arm bolts and try shifting it with a pry bar you'll never get it right, and you'll never get it back exactly where it was. It's a huge headache and a massive waste of time. This is just wheel alignments not rocket science it's not hard to figure it out. At this point I would take it to a good frame shop and get everything cleared up, obviously people on the alignment rack can't figure it out. You're going to need cam kits to fix the camber and caster that should have never been touched in the first place.
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Old Nov 16, 2020 | 10:19 PM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by Ewon1
Reading through this thread was frustrating. If your thrust angle isn't in spec your truck will never drive straight, period. That needs to be addressed before anything else is done. What happened when the thrust angle went from 0 degrees to a half degree? That is a very significant change and is a big indication there was an accident of some sort. A solid rear axle doesn't shift a half degree for no reason, something happened. I don't think anything is bent because total toe on the rear axle is only .04, if the truck was in a wreck the total toe would be way out of wack depending on which side it got hit.

All you need to do is loosen up the u bolts, pull the axle back and re tighten the bolts. This will straighten out the axle and you can proceed with the rest of the alignment when the thrust angle is acceptable. I have no idea why anyone would touch the camber and caster on these trucks in stock form, they are set perfectly from the factory. If for some reason the camber/caster needs to be adjusted you have to get a cam kit for accurate adjustments, if you loosen those control arm bolts and try shifting it with a pry bar you'll never get it right, and you'll never get it back exactly where it was. It's a huge headache and a massive waste of time. This is just wheel alignments not rocket science it's not hard to figure it out. At this point I would take it to a good frame shop and get everything cleared up, obviously people on the alignment rack can't figure it out. You're going to need cam kits to fix the camber and caster that should have never been touched in the first place.
thank u for explaining the thrust angle and bents situation, there was a wreck but after the repairs the thrust angle was solid and straight ig because i did an alignment after that and everything was fine the thrust angle was at -0.1 after and before the alignment, everything was straight after that i didnt do anything related to steering and stuff, i dropped my truck off at the dealership for recalls and stuff and after i left it there for almost a week weird door noises started to show up I complained to ford because it was not like that when i had it and they also twisted my key somehow after dropping it off,,and the alignment was off i bought new tires and a alignment done and the steering was way off center after this, i saw the thrust angle at 0.70 at goodyear and 0.51 at the dealer that same day, i couldn’t understand why it was way off cause i remember the first alignment after the incident the thrust was at -0.1 which ig is straight and in spec and after dropping it off at the dealer somehow the axle shifted, but if u say to fix it i need a good body shop and move some nuts in the rear to straighten the axle then ill do that. And it was hit on the right rear side, the axle/thrust angle changed after the dealership made recall repairs.AND after i dropped my truck off at the dealer other parts would show up loose and i had to continuously keep bringing it there so they could fix whatever was loose, after the dealer repairs the alignment changed. They mustve moved something in the rear.

Last edited by Julio Perdomo; Nov 16, 2020 at 10:29 PM.
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Old Nov 16, 2020 | 10:39 PM
  #83  
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Originally Posted by Ewon1
Reading through this thread was frustrating. If your thrust angle isn't in spec your truck will never drive straight, period. That needs to be addressed before anything else is done. What happened when the thrust angle went from 0 degrees to a half degree? That is a very significant change and is a big indication there was an accident of some sort. A solid rear axle doesn't shift a half degree for no reason, something happened. I don't think anything is bent because total toe on the rear axle is only .04, if the truck was in a wreck the total toe would be way out of wack depending on which side it got hit.

All you need to do is loosen up the u bolts, pull the axle back and re tighten the bolts. This will straighten out the axle and you can proceed with the rest of the alignment when the thrust angle is acceptable. I have no idea why anyone would touch the camber and caster on these trucks in stock form, they are set perfectly from the factory. If for some reason the camber/caster needs to be adjusted you have to get a cam kit for accurate adjustments, if you loosen those control arm bolts and try shifting it with a pry bar you'll never get it right, and you'll never get it back exactly where it was. It's a huge headache and a massive waste of time. This is just wheel alignments not rocket science it's not hard to figure it out. At this point I would take it to a good frame shop and get everything cleared up, obviously people on the alignment rack can't figure it out. You're going to need cam kits to fix the camber and caster that should have never been touched in the first place.
i will take it to a body shop and buy the cam kits, its a long story of how it ended with an off thrust angle but theres a resume, and that happened after all of the dealer repairs, they would always leave parts loose to keep bringing it in, i complained a lot but they didnt do ****
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Old Nov 17, 2020 | 07:31 AM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by Ewon1
Reading through this thread was frustrating. If your thrust angle isn't in spec your truck will never drive straight, period. That needs to be addressed before anything else is done. What happened when the thrust angle went from 0 degrees to a half degree? That is a very significant change and is a big indication there was an accident of some sort. A solid rear axle doesn't shift a half degree for no reason, something happened. I don't think anything is bent because total toe on the rear axle is only .04, if the truck was in a wreck the total toe would be way out of wack depending on which side it got hit.

All you need to do is loosen up the u bolts, pull the axle back and re tighten the bolts. This will straighten out the axle and you can proceed with the rest of the alignment when the thrust angle is acceptable. I have no idea why anyone would touch the camber and caster on these trucks in stock form, they are set perfectly from the factory. If for some reason the camber/caster needs to be adjusted you have to get a cam kit for accurate adjustments, if you loosen those control arm bolts and try shifting it with a pry bar you'll never get it right, and you'll never get it back exactly where it was. It's a huge headache and a massive waste of time. This is just wheel alignments not rocket science it's not hard to figure it out. At this point I would take it to a good frame shop and get everything cleared up, obviously people on the alignment rack can't figure it out. You're going to need cam kits to fix the camber and caster that should have never been touched in the first place.

Here is the latest alignment sheet
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Old Nov 17, 2020 | 11:21 AM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by Julio Perdomo

Here is the latest alignment sheet
​​​​​​
What did they do specifically to the rear axle? Was it replaced? Without being able to physically look at the vehicle I can't tell you exactly what's wrong. Regardless, they should have re positioned the axle when they did the alignment because that thrust angle is terrible. I know it's only .01 out of spec but ford trucks have very close to zero degrees thrust angle from the factory they are set up very well. If I was the one working on it I would also check to see if the center bolt in the leaf springs were broken as that can also cause dog tracking but if the axle was replaced then that shouldn't matter. Install the camber kits (I recommend spc) and take it to a better shop. This shouldn't take more than a few hours worth of work.
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Old Nov 17, 2020 | 12:21 PM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by Ewon1
​​​​​​
What did they do specifically to the rear axle? Was it replaced? Without being able to physically look at the vehicle I can't tell you exactly what's wrong. Regardless, they should have re positioned the axle when they did the alignment because that thrust angle is terrible. I know it's only .01 out of spec but ford trucks have very close to zero degrees thrust angle from the factory they are set up very well. If I was the one working on it I would also check to see if the center bolt in the leaf springs were broken as that can also cause dog tracking but if the axle was replaced then that shouldn't matter. Install the camber kits (I recommend spc) and take it to a better shop. This shouldn't take more than a few hours worth of work.
no, after the accident in the first alignment i bought for this truck the thrust angle was at -0.1 not 0.51, everything was fine in the first alignment everything green and the steering perfectly centered, then my dashboard had bumps on it it was a recall and my window was dry and they took off the door panel and applied lube, i took it to the dealer they replaced the dash and then plastic parts were loose when i picked it up i had to take it back again and after this door noises started to show up,then after all this a tsb for the glovebox gap it was replaced, i dropped it off and picked it up days later and my key was bent and the door noises were still there, the alignment started to change,the steering was harder to turn and it would return faster after a turn or moving, i didnt take it back there, they didnt touch anything in the axle or alignment nothing related to the axle that i know of in the service sheets, they only ran a electric chassis test idk why, i bought new tires for it at goodyear and a alignment and the steering was crooked after many tries. I took it to the same place i had my first alignment and the thrust angle was at 0.51 now, my truck was fine after the incident and before dropping it off to the dealer, idk how they shifted my axle.nothing on the chassis or suspension was ever replaced

Last edited by Julio Perdomo; Nov 17, 2020 at 01:00 PM.
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Old Nov 17, 2020 | 12:28 PM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by Ewon1
​​​​​​
What did they do specifically to the rear axle? Was it replaced? Without being able to physically look at the vehicle I can't tell you exactly what's wrong. Regardless, they should have re positioned the axle when they did the alignment because that thrust angle is terrible. I know it's only .01 out of spec but ford trucks have very close to zero degrees thrust angle from the factory they are set up very well. If I was the one working on it I would also check to see if the center bolt in the leaf springs were broken as that can also cause dog tracking but if the axle was replaced then that shouldn't matter. Install the camber kits (I recommend spc) and take it to a better shop. This shouldn't take more than a few hours worth of work.
i can take pictures of the rear tires and axle and stuff its slightly dog tracking depending on the road it looks slightly sideways sometimes. And idk where the bolts leaf springs are. Its odd how the thrust changed after the dealer repairs, can the thrust angle/axle be fixed back into its place? After the accident on the rear right side the thrust angle was still fine at -0.1 and u believe there is nothing bent because of the total toe? if its easy to fix ill take it to a body shop or ill check the suspension first.

Last edited by Julio Perdomo; Nov 18, 2020 at 11:03 PM.
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Old Feb 23, 2021 | 10:28 PM
  #88  
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Originally Posted by Ewon1
Reading through this thread was frustrating. If your thrust angle isn't in spec your truck will never drive straight, period. That needs to be addressed before anything else is done. What happened when the thrust angle went from 0 degrees to a half degree? That is a very significant change and is a big indication there was an accident of some sort. A solid rear axle doesn't shift a half degree for no reason, something happened. I don't think anything is bent because total toe on the rear axle is only .04, if the truck was in a wreck the total toe would be way out of wack depending on which side it got hit.

All you need to do is loosen up the u bolts, pull the axle back and re tighten the bolts. This will straighten out the axle and you can proceed with the rest of the alignment when the thrust angle is acceptable. I have no idea why anyone would touch the camber and caster on these trucks in stock form, they are set perfectly from the factory. If for some reason the camber/caster needs to be adjusted you have to get a cam kit for accurate adjustments, if you loosen those control arm bolts and try shifting it with a pry bar you'll never get it right, and you'll never get it back exactly where it was. It's a huge headache and a massive waste of time. This is just wheel alignments not rocket science it's not hard to figure it out. At this point I would take it to a good frame shop and get everything cleared up, obviously people on the alignment rack can't figure it out. You're going to need cam kits to fix the camber and caster that should have never been touched in the first place.
im back, i tried to move the axle back, i loosend the u bolts slide the axle and tried to re tight the bolts while the strap was holding it in place but i couldnt re tight them, i had to put the axle back in place, apparently because the u bolts go around a plate with two bolts holding the leaf springs i cant slide it back or forth
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Old Feb 24, 2021 | 12:08 AM
  #89  
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Relocating an axle is not a DIY project and it’s unlikely that it could be done with straps. Furthermore, there are locating pins that keep the axle aligned with the springs. If the axle is shifted there is almost always an underlying cause. And by shifted it isn’t side to side, it’s one side pushed of being held forward or back (in your case left forward, rear back, or a combination of the two). There seems to be a missing piece to your puzzle. Perhaps your alignment technician collected inaccurate readings or has a machine out of calibration? Your truck has been in an accident?

Consider this. I have a lifted Jeep YJ which includes aftermarket leaf springs, wedges installed to point the pinion slightly upwards, the track bar removed, and aftermarket shackles. Significant modification and still the thrust angle is near zero. Solid rear axles generally stay located perfectly in place.

Have your truck taken elsewhere to have the alignment checked. If the thrust angle is truly half a degree out take it to a qualified frame shop to find out why. Your only other option would be to have the front wheels adjusted for thrust angle compensation and just roll with it. I’ve seen thrust angles so far out that the truck left four tracks in the snow!
Originally Posted by Julio Perdomo
im back, i tried to move the axle back, i loosend the u bolts slide the axle and tried to re tight the bolts while the strap was holding it in place but i couldnt re tight them, i had to put the axle back in place, apparently because the u bolts go around a plate with two bolts holding the leaf springs i cant slide it back or forth
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Old Feb 26, 2021 | 05:56 PM
  #90  
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As the truck was struck in the rear, have the leaf springs been compared to each other to see if one of them is bent?
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