Chapter 17 Wheel Alignment Procedures 365 Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Performing Wheel Alignment Th e following procedure can be used to align any vehicle. Th e procedure described is for a four-wheel alignment. A two-wheel alignment is similar, but has fewer steps. Th is general alignment procedure applies to both short-long arm suspension and MacPherson strut suspension. Question Vehicle’s Driver Th e fi rst step in any alignment is to fi nd out as much as pos- sible about the vehicle. If the vehicle’s driver is available, fi nd out why he or she thinks the vehicle needs an alignment. Ask about any specifi c problems they are having. In many cases, the problem is something that an alignment cannot fi x. Worn parts or unbalanced tires oft en cause what the driver thinks is a wheel alignment problem. Th is is partic- ularly true of vibration complaints. Make your customers aware that misalignment rarely causes vibration. Road Test If possible, road test the vehicle before beginning the align- ment. Pick a quiet, level street for the road test. Th e road test can be brief, but it should be complete. Make a series of starts, stops, and turns. Drive several blocks in a straight line. Listen, look, and feel for road wander, unusual noises, pulling, hard steering eff ort, excessive road shocks, and other handling problems. Th e results of the road test will give you a basis for making other pre-alignment checks and for determining what alignment adjustments are necessary. Pre-Alignment Checks Aft er the road test is complete, drive the vehicle onto the alignment rack. Position the vehicle as squarely as possible on the rack, Figure 17-9. Make sure the front tires are cen- tered on the turning plates. Caution: Before driving the vehicle onto the rack, be sure the turntable locking pins are in place. This makes driving on the rack easier and prevents damage to the turntables. Before beginning the alignment procedures, always check ride height, the tires and rims, and the vehicle’s underbody. Th e use of a pre-alignment inspection checklist is sometimes helpful. See Figure 17-10. mrfiza/Shutterstock.com Figure 17-7. Alignment readings sent to the computer are displayed on a screen. This display shows alignment measurements for both front and rear wheels. pipicato/Shutterstock.com Figure 17-8. Target boards are mounted on the vehicle’s wheels before checking alignment settings. There are no electrical connections between the target boards and the alignment console, so the target boards are much lighter than conventional alignment heads and do not require calibration. BirdShutterB/Shutterstock.com Figure 17-9. Position the vehicle as squarely as possible on the alignment rack. Be sure the centerlines of the front tires are aligned with the centers of the turning plates before driving onto them.