How to do a quick and dirty alignment (that is often better than the pros.)

[tommyguns4life]

this vid is great i have a 00 dodge ram 1500 4x4 and my alignment is way off due to wheel bairng replacement and doing the pitmin shaft gasket... Yeah my steeing wheel is way off. I dont drive the truck that much unless i take it wheeling on the beach so i dont wanna pay alot just to aline it. So this vid was very help full.

[briansmobile1]

@tommyguns4life Glad I could help- You're welcome!

[walterbrunswick]

You should get the underbody rustproofed (oil sprayed). The oil keeps all the oxygen from reacting with all the iron and creating what we know as rust. Metal loves oil:)

Up here in Canada we have Krown Rust Control and they do a good job at it using a vegetable-based oil.

[MegaChevy65]

Nice vid.  Does this work with camber too?

[briansmobile1]

@MegaChevy65 On trucks yes- on the back of a Mazda car- no.

[onekutguy]

Question: Could I use two jack stands and string to accomplish this? Basically put a jack stand aft of the rear wheel then run a string to a jack stand forward of the front wheel.

[briansmobile1]

@onekutguy Sounds reasonable to me.

[onekutguy]

I know most folks on here have trucks but this works with cars also right?

[briansmobile1]

@onekutguy for the most part yes.

[Vacmasterthegreat]

I replaced my all my tie rods and the wood-sawing feeling went away. then I used your great method to align the wheels and for once my truck drives straight. also, on the adjuster, the two bolts are supposed to lock it in place correct? I bought new ones and I have them tightened down as much as possible and it still turns without much effort.

[shanatp]

Thanks this is the simplest and best vid i have seen on this yet. I changed my left tie rod end yesterday and noticed when i checked the right one the right tire was WAY more worn than the left one. Since i changed the left tie rod the steering is even worse lol. thanks again man.peace from atlanta.

[BASSCHAMP101]

A bit off topic, but what brand of fender flares are those? They look pretty good. Thanks!

[briansmobile1]

@BASSCHAMP101 Bushwhacker

[jonyrock]

really informational video!! cant wait to try it on my car, my right front tire has terrible wear on the outside and the car turns by itself to the right so hopefully this will fix it :D

[Avinash1943]

Brian, why dont you measure distance between front tires on rear of the tire and also front of front tires to get the toe, and give it 1/8 inch toe in. I know this will not give you front tires to rear tire track but if you are not pulling to one side then just the toe in will be OK.

[briansmobile1]

@Avinash1943 That can be pretty effective too. On this truck there's obstructions that prevent that from being possible on the back of the wheel. It also takes a bit more time to put a tack in the tread to hold and hook the tape. I'm also doing this with just me so hooking the tape can be tough. For the effort vs effectiveness I choose to do it this way. As the title says "quick and dirty."

[TK42138]

Good video, well explained.

You can also use glossy magazines under the wheels.

[briansmobile1]

@TK42138 Good idea- thanks!

[Vacmasterthegreat]

if there are things affecting my alignment, such as bad ball joints and pitman arm, can I still straighten the steering wheel, or at least get it more towards center? Belle tire said it can't be done without an alignment, and I can't do a proper alignment because I have a bunch of worn out stuff.

[briansmobile1]

@Vacmasterthegreat How's the fishing where you live? J/K It's best to fix the worn parts, but if they won't align it, you might as well do what you can in the mean time or convince them to align it free of liability as close as they can.

[Vacmasterthegreat]

how do I know what direction to turn the adjuster once I loosen the bolts?

[briansmobile1]

@Vacmasterthegreat You turn it one way and watch usually. If you're Temple Grandin you just look at the threads and KNOW. Most of us use experimentation till we're proficient.

[Vacmasterthegreat]

@briansmobile1 I'll have to try it, thanks!

[lefty1999]

nice cover for the radar detector :)

[JakeAskew]

This videao is going to help out a TON i just bought an 04 5.7 Ram 1500 and got fucked. it needed new half axle and ball joint and tie rods so now i can do the tie rods and get the alignment perfect right after! thanks verry helpfull video

[briansmobile1]

@JakeAskew You're welcome.

[JTE420]

Nice Cummins!

[briansmobile1]

@JTE420 Thanks.

[Auszug21]

props on your choice of truck i have a 96 i rebuilt the engine on. sadly they are not with out fault theres a handful of flaws designed into em

[TheFred1952]

I used a laser to set my toe when I did the rack & pinon on my wifes car

[Spaka77]

Awesome video.. I have been wanting to do this for a long time due to crooked steering and new ball joints I put on along with tie rod ends.. Thanks for the intel.

[briansmobile1]

@Spaka77 You're welcome!

[Dicofole]

Would there be a way to use some laser pointers and emulate the way the thousand dollars alignment machines work ?

[briansmobile1]

@Dicofole I'm sure there is. Everything ever made..... was made by somebody with an idea. = )

[contagiousFX]

Scotty Kilmer is good but, your much imformative!

[SgtJStupid]

Will come in handy!! Thanks Brian!

[briansmobile1]

@SgtJStupid You're most welcome!

[rchang04]

Finally something worth watching! Great vid cuz I actually learned something valuable!

[ghana21]

Thanks alot bro, I just did my alignment on my Grand Marquis....very helpful!

[briansmobile1]

@ghana21 You're most welcome my friend!

[DodgeMan360]

I changed my tie rod end and really fucked the alignment,

[briansmobile1]

@DodgeMan360 That's normal. Using baby powder between layers of painting plastic under your tires. You can get the toe set pretty close.  It will save your tires in the mean time before getting it aligned.

[DodgeMan360]

@briansmobile1 Thanks for the video and the advice man! I will get at it first thing in morning. Its a Dodge also, but its an 08' 1500 with the junk CV joints and weak suspension.

[00dodgecummins]

HA! 25mpg with a 24v with mud tires. Not going to happen bud, don't believe what the overhead says. Maybe if your truck was a 2wd at stock height unloaded with not-so-aggressive tires. If it says 25, youre probably getting 21. Just my .02

[briansmobile1]

@00dodgecummins fill the tank and reset odometer. Drive in highway 300+ miles. Get off freeway. Fill up tank. Divide current trip odometer by gallons of gas pumped. 25.21 Given my mud tires are low on tread/resistance. I do have Edge Juice with Attitude and new bearings, huge exhaust, new wheel joints, and I drive kinda conservatively where I can. The Edge stuff helped the most. I was getting like 14 before on the average no matter what I did.

[xxsharkbaitxx100]

thats a nice looking truck but can you help me out? ive gotta 97 dodge ram 1500 4x4 but i cant find the chamber alignment....

[briansmobile1]

@xxsharkbaitxx100 "Camber" can only be adjusted by a special ball joint kit and is very rarely needed.

[xxsharkbaitxx100]

@briansmobile1 where do you get those i tried autozone, pepboys, NAPA, and o' reilly etc but they never heard of it...

[briansmobile1]

@xxsharkbaitxx100 The only place I've ever heard about them was from a specialty alignment company. Like I said before you rarely need them. On a solid front axle you shouldn't need it. If you do have a bad camber measurement you may have a bent steering knuckle or axle beam.

[klt777]

Great job & informative. I just replaced the ball joints & saved $600 now I'm off to try this :) thanks.

[DuckAndDodge05]

It's a good looking truck!

[briansmobile1]

@DuckAndDodge05 Thanks. It was pretty accidental I assure you.

[DuckAndDodge05]

What size tires and lift do you have on this truck?

[briansmobile1]

@DuckAndDodge05 I've got a 4.5" lift and I've got 35/12.5R18's

[LinearNavigator]

Good effort. I was going to do this today along the same lines as you did, however my wheels are set too far inside the arches to be able to see both front and rear axle alignment together to make them equal. I may hash something up involving rods and a measure.

[briansmobile1]

@LinearNavigator Thick clear painter's plastic folded in half three times with baby powder between each fold works better than cookie sheets. Also you can use wood shop clamps sometimes to kind of extend.

[greg197040]

The person that did that alignment should be fired, that was horrible, how could they let that go out the door.

[briansmobile1]

@greg197040 They trust the machine and don't drive it when it's "done". I didn't take it back and I quit referring several people a month to them too.

[midlantic1]

It's amazing the shop gave the truck to you in that condition, even the wheel wasn't straight. Thanks for the video, you have tons of skill dude. Scotty's video's don't come close to your quality

[briansmobile1]

@midlantic1 Scotty gets my respect though- He's got some serious editing and enthusiasm. That means on Sesame Street on a day brought to you by the letter "E" he'd epicly kick my butt! He aims at a more general audience to get more views. That's probably more profitable and if I was getting close to retirement age I might do the same thing. I'm glad you like my videos- means a lot to me! Thanks for watching/posting.

[trunitemare]

Hey Brian, I got an alignment done on my Legacy (a few months ago) and I've noticed my steering wheel is a little off center and my tires are wearing off a lot more on the outer edges. Is this most likely due to the bad alignment or what?

[gassolean]

that thing is looking good

[KillerZero259]

brian, why dont you work at the dealer anymore? which dealer was it?

[briansmobile1]

@KillerZero259 It was the local Mazda dealer. And there's WAY too much red tape and B.S. to put up with there for me! Now I have NO Reynolds software, no ignorant service writers, no people from Japan holding special pilot program meetings that I don't get paid for, no used car managers that know perfectly nothing about their job, no nepotism, and no sales guys taking keys while I'm at lunch and getting me in trouble for them being lost. AND now I make more and deal with less B.S.

[KillerZero259]

@briansmobile1 and thats a happy ending : - )

[chickenofsea]

@briansmobile1 Everything you say about working at dealerships is absolutely TRUE! I've worked at several stealerships over the years and experienced all the same BS you had to put up with. Thanks to the crappy economy around the midwest, the dealers I worked for all went out of business...and the next dealer I went to would pay progressively less. So before I worked for free, I got out of the game. Best decision I have ever made!

[briansmobile1]

@chickenofsea LOL I think that they all have the same book that they read. "How to run a steal-ership" They hook up the sales guys and the finance guy and steal from every one else they come in contact with.

[Mrgeemoney25]

what dealers did you work for?

[zxz1997]

Hey Brian, you should check out this guy named "Armless Archer". In one of his videos hes checking the rear breaks, with no hands. Very inspiring.

[2LateIWon]

I like scotty kinda quarky guy but he does have alot of great information

[epiphaknee]

I wonder if instead of a string you could use a laser? In construction, they have laser measuring devices (with a certain error factor) or even a laser pointer? I'm going to try and use a laser pointer to check my eyeballs. Does anyone have any experience with using hand held laser devices for alignment?

[briansmobile1]

@epiphaknee I'm sure it would work, but it would have to be mounted on a jig that spanned the diameter of the wheel.- Something you could line up consistently.

[shockashoota]

thoes tires rule! wear like a mofo but shred in the mud i love em'

[srv3fender]

i been doing alignments fro 7 years now, and on this type of steering system, the method that brian shows is pretty much how i do it. when you do it the way the alignment machine wants you to it never ever works out. Still got to check your angles on a machine after your done to make sure your not toed in or out too far. On big mudders,, 0.00 works best

[briansmobile1]

@srv3fender Thanks for your input!

[rtzapper]

wow i learned a little on alignments thanks brian

[ndchevy]

Aren't the front wheels of fwd cars supposed tilted a little bit too??

[epiphaknee]

Great video Brian! I have always wondered about being able to perform a DIY alignment. On your Dodge, you note a separate sleeve that allows you to center the steering wheel. On a GM or Chevy, S10, Blazer, from 1994 to 2004, there is no separate steering wheel adjustment sleeve. Only the center link or drag link, tie rods and adjustment sleeves.. In such a circumstance, do you adjust the steering wheel by manipulating the sleeves between the inner and outer tie rods? Again, Great Video!!

[briansmobile1]

@epiphaknee You have to center the wheel first and then make the primary wheel straight to it. Then set toe on the other wheel. It's an order of operations thing. Some teachers I've had say you can't center the wheel, but then I just would any way.

[justin3zelda]

Yeah I had the same issue with my Ram 1500, same setup as yours but yours is nicer :P I did some investigating on mine and found out that they never adjusted the steering wheel...which was my concern in the first place to go straight I had to hold the wheel at an angle... easy to adjust myself once I freed up the adjustment.

[briansmobile1]

@justin3zelda I LOVE being able to handle my own stuff. Nobody cares for it the way I do.

[transdetendal]

@briansmobile1 just to make it easy for some , i use two pcs of steel angles 4 meters long ,clamp on side the steel rims ( if not alluminium) messure at near and far of wheel edge and turn in or out as comes(do it make sense this description)

[briansmobile1]

@transdetendal I'd love to see what you're talking about. Could you make a video response?

[transdetendal]

@briansmobile1 ill try but im not good at uploads cus the vids get kinda messy, try looking on my "channel" i got 3 uploads of a 250 cc 4 stroke pocet or mini bike andyou see how "foggy or blurry it is

[briansmobile1]

@transdetendal Upload your video on your channel. Then go to comments here. Then before typing anything click on video response. Then click on your video you want as a response.

[cordel666]

hey bud does that work with small cars with rack and pinion steering 

[briansmobile1]

@cordel666 The procedure is a little different but ya you can.

[605manuel]

sick truck man ....is the fuel mileage effected alot with does big tires????

[landlockedviking]

sneaky detector under the hat :), the dodges are so front heavy with the cummins, mine seem to need about two allignments a year, if you don't keep an eye on it you can destroy a set of tires in a hurry, good vid!

[hp11208]

Yes i watch Scotty Kilmer cool funny guy

[kary1982v6]

I did alignments for a year and learned to hate the Lazer computer.. we had the mechanical set up and I loved it.. I ought to put one together and show you what we did.. it would even compensate for a tire or wheel that is bent or not quite strait (for toe adjustment anyway) I ought to make the camber/caster gauge but that will be a bit tricky.. loved the cookie sheet idea though. that is a good trick!

[hp11208]

u can use a piece of rope the redneck way lol

[dojmike]

A method I have used to align toe-in on my 71 Chevy is to stick a short pin in the front of each front tire (not enough to puncture the seal) and measure the distance between the two pins. Then back the car one half wheel rotation so the pins are now on the back of the front tires. Then take another measurement. When the pins are on the front, the distance between the two should be 1/8 inch less than when measured on the rear. Some cars need a different toe-in but my Chevy is 1/8-1/4 inch.

[peelout40]

ETCG whoop whoop!

[TPB420]

Another great vid cheers Brian Ginger power!

[jsnyara]

lol everyone you gave shoutouts to, i'm subscribed to. i like how every one of you car guys have different knowledge and a different feel to your videos. keep em coming!

[AdirondackNY]

I wrap a piece of string from the rear bumper across the center of the back tire and pull the string to the center of the front tire to check the eclips :) this works good with 4 wheel steering as well

[jsnyara]

@AdirondackNY good thinking!

[modwickman]

Another cool channel is fiatnutz.Theres a lot of engine machining and rebuilding content there.

I wouldn't recommend scottykilmer.It seems his interest is more in funneling people to his shitty website to click snake oil links than actually passing on knowledge.

[beefystik]

Awesome trick man, they sure didn't teach this in my steering and suspension class. I'm curious though, aren't you supposed to have a hair of toe-in to the wheels essentially go straight when there's friction pulling against 'em?

[integraz32lover]

I have a 97 maxima,with bad rear alignment.Any idea about if i can fix it myself?

[AdirondackNY]

@integraz32lover using a piece of string around the center of the tires will show you the rear alignment as well

[integraz32lover]

@AdirondackNY how does that work?

[AdirondackNY]

@integraz32lover as long as the tracking of the tires are the same on the rear as the front (most are) using the string from the back tire across the front you will be able to see if the back ones are out as well as the fronts. also reverse it from front to rear. also all 4 tires must be the same size

[integraz32lover]

@AdirondackNY ok Thanks for your help!!!

[CURBECK]

Dude I thought I was the only one that used the "eclipse" method. Lol works like a champ!

[TheHondadirtbiker]

Thanks! I learned something :)