DIY Wheel Alignment

[kourt]

Eurovan pilots,

I was admiring the Vanagon DIY Wheel Alignment thread and realized that we don't have a similar thread in the Eurovans forum. There is a thread whose subject promises good info but actually delivers very little useful information.

Following my installation of new ball joints and bushings this month on all four corners of my 2001 Eurovan Winnebago Camper, I optimistically started calling around the good shops in Austin for an alignment.

What I got was a bunch of NOs. The one shop that accepted my appointment changed their mind once I arrived.

Shop manager: "We don't have the specs for that van. We can't align it."

Kourt: [I know he's lying and at this point I am pretty sure I won't be leaving my van here, but I still try] "I printed out the specs and the adjustment procedures from the VW manuals and left them on the front passenger seat. Also, you aligned this van two years ago on your Hunter rack, which has specs for all vehicles."

Shop manager: [frowning because I caught him in a lie] "Let me go talk to my tech." [steps outside, mumbling] "Sorry sir, my tech won't touch it. Call suchandsuch and ask them..."

...and suchandsuch shop also declined.

I was mentally preparing for this months ago, saving possible tools in my Amazon wishlist. I wanted a tool that promised to measure caster, camber and toe, and do it all without too much trouble--like not using strings to make a delicate box around my van. The tool should compensate for imperfect work surfaces. The tool should be easy to setup and easy to make repeatable, consistent measurements.

I decided on the Tenhulzen 2-Wheel Alignment System. For around $210 I got a tool that meets all my requirements. There are cheaper versions and copies of this tool out there, and you could probably fabricate something similar with aluminum bar stock and a digital angle gauge, but I liked the support behind this product, including a few Youtube videos and some online docs including www.alignmentinstructions.com which is all about how to use their products.

What this tool does not do is measure individual tire toe angles. Instead, the tool is designed to measure total toe on two tires on an axle and allow you to set them in parallel to within an acceptable margin of error--about 1/16" to 1/32". Once they are parallel and your steering wheel is centered, you can adjust your axle for whatever positive toe you need and get continuous feedback from the tool on your progress. This standard of measurement is as good as any average alignment shop will deliver.

For my own documentation I put together a combined Tenhulzen 2-Wheel System PDF and the alignment repair guide from VW's erWin, which I have marked up with values for my vehicle in the Group 8 section.

I drove around my neighborhood and found a business park that has a secluded loading dock area that is deserted on the weekends. The pavement is mostly level but not perfect.

Alignment checklist

A relatively flat workspace
A van that is loaded appropriately, with tires inflated to proper pressure
Tenhulzen alignment tool set
printed instructions for tool and VW erWin alignment repair
one small piece of chalk for marking tires and tie rods
big 46mm wrench for the camber adjustment eccentric nut
headlamp
gloves
bottle jack
jackstand
wheel chocks
tool chest
floor tiles x 4 for low friction wheel turning
small bubble level
paper/pencil for writing down values
torque wrench

The process is fairly straightforward. I won't go into step-by-step instructions, because the tool manufacturer has already done that with their support documentation. However, for reference, I will include some basic concepts here.

In the world of vehicle alignments, the order of operations for a front wheel drive van like the Eurovan is generally accepted as:

1. start on the rear axle by measuring and adjusting camber, followed by toe. This establishes the thrust line, which is called "Direction of Rotation" in VW erWin.

2. move on to the front axle in this order: caster, camber, toe.

Positive caster means the tire contact point is forward of the axis of the upper and lower ball joints that sandwich the steering knuckle.

Positive camber means the tire contact point is inside of the wheel hub axis.

Positive toe means the tire is pointed in towards the thrust line/centerline of the vehicle.

Having said all that, I just wanted to learn how to use these tools, so I started with measuring front toe and camber, and then measured caster. Here are some toe photos:

On the first day of this work I didn't adjust caster, which was only +2.4 degrees and should be closer to +3.3 degrees. The caster adjustment requires loosening the lower control arm forward mount bolt and adjusting the eccentric fastener to change the caster angle, and retightening with the van on its wheels. I did that work on the second day.

Here I am adjusting the passenger side camber with the 46mm wrench:

You can see the Tenhulzen angle gauge on my brake rotor. I first measured the camber with the wheel on and the suspension loaded, and determined the amount of change needed. Once that change value is known you can jack up the van, take off the wheel, zero the gauge on the rotor, and dial the camber gradually to the change value you need. Reassemble, drive the van briefly to resettle the suspension, and measure again.

My passenger side camber was way off, and after I adjusted it, the toe also changed. I can see now why the order is caster -> camber -> toe. Lots of learning going on for me here.

On the second day, I started on the rear axle, measuring camber and toe and adjusting toe to get the thrust line in a reasonable place. My rear axle had far too much positive toe. It is worth noting that PowerFlex sells toe adjustable rear bushings in case more toe is needed. The rear axle should have a slight (0.66 to 1.0 degrees) positive overall toe (inward toe).

One thing I learned through this process is that it is not possible to "eyeball" evaluate the toe by standing above the wheel, looking down, and referencing the wheel arches, assuming they are square with the centerline of the van. They aren't, so don't do this.

There are lots of other great ways to do alignments, and there will always be those people who have a shop nearby that will do alignments. I've found that shops in my area regard alignments as a quick money maker. They will set the toe and not adjust anything else.

I hope you all find this post useful, and I welcome contributions to this thread that document other ways to DIY your Eurovan alignment.

kourt

[hcr]

Kourt

Super helpful, thanks for posting this.

Charles

[kourt]

Some additional notes on setting rear toe

The inner rear trailing arm mounting point on the frame has a slotted hole which allows for about 1 cm of toe adjustment on each rear trailing arm.

This hole will allow for a lot of positive toe if you want it, or will bring the rear wheels to zero toe if both sides are adjusted with the bolt in the farthest forward setting.

VW's erWin states:

If toe setting at rear axle must be corrected, the brake pressure regulator adjustment must be checked and brake pressure regulator adjusted.

However, erWin also states in the Brake Repair guide:

This note incorrectly names the brake pressure regulator as "brake booster".

My EVC does not have this brake pressure regulator assembly.

Here is the process:

1. park on a level surface and set the parking brake
2. measure the toe on the rear axle
3. if adjustment is needed, first unbolt the rear sway bar from both rear trailing arms and fold it down and out of the way.
4. jack up and support the side to be adjusted; I used the VW jack with a jackstand support and an additional jack as a safety.
5. loosen the rear trailing arm inner bolt/nut set. If you haven't opened this bolt in a while, you may need special tools or cheaters to get it moving.
6. visualize where the bolt is in the slot and guess where it needs to move for your toe adjustment.
7. grab the tire, which should be suspended in the air just slightly, and manipulate the entire tire/control arm assembly to move the bolt in the slot.

Run the procedure in reverse to reassemble, but be sure to drive the van a short distance to settle the suspension before remeasuring the toe.

kourt

[jjvincent]

If you want to square it, then 4 jackstands, a ruler and string. If you want to go high end, then cut two pieces of conduit the same length and then drill holes through it (slightly bigger than fishing line) that are 10 mm from each end. Then go to Wal Mart and get the cheapest fishing reels that have fishing line on them. After that get two big washers. Run the line through the holes you drilled. Wrap the reel around one end and let the washer supply the weight on the other end to keep the line tight.

From there put the conduit on each end of the van and then place them on jackstands. Use the scale to measure from the center of each hub until you are square. From there you can square the whole van and get the toe right. I suggest using mm as it's easier to read.

Camber is just a piece of square tubing and a digital level. If you are looking for pads, two pieces of sheet aluminum, saran wrap and grease.

I come from the world of motorsports and have aligned cars in the fireld for years.

[bigfoot_ev]

I'm in the process of educating myself and collecting the necessary items to do a DIY alignment. Thanks kourt for this post. Someday, when I complete my own alignment I'll be sure to add any tips or tricks I encountered. Also, the Vanagon thread was super helpful.

I have a question about measuring toe. I've seen a number of options to measure toe that rely on attaching something to both front wheels. In all of these instances I don't see mention of comparison to an external reference point. But, instead comparison between the front and back of the wheel. What if both the left and right wheels are cocked slightly? Wouldn't you need an external reference to measure against in order to discover this?

The external reference I'm referring to could be a string, but it could also be a centerline frame member or something similar.

As an aside, I've set up a string box before and found it to be super tedious. I didn't account for the difference in front and rear track width so I'm sure my toe was off. I would much prefer some other method of reference.
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2003 Westfalia Weekender, AXK, 01P

[dsh1705]

There is this gadget for DIY alignments: https://www.exploringoverland.com/overland-tech-tr...e-gyraline

https://gyraline.com/pages/landing-page
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David
1705.net
95 EVC
ACU,098

[bigfoot_ev]

Wow, I looked at that tool earlier but I missed the body align option. That is exactly what I'm talking about. This could be the solution for me. I'll do a little more investigation. Thanks!
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2003 Westfalia Weekender, AXK, 01P