96 escort wagon rear alignment problem

[smkdamicz]

I just put new struts on the front and the back. Rides like brand F'in new, I love it. One problem, The pass rear has a postive camber of 1.3 that is going to cause the new tire to wear. I just got a 4 wheel alignment and I know there is no camber adjustment. Didnt have any wear until I put the new strut on. Should I get a new strut, is there something i can wedge on top of the srtut mount, or should i try the old bend it route?

Thanks
TheRural Mailman

[tripletdaddy]

You had the alignment after your strut replacement, and they didn't try or offer to correct it? They didn't offer any solutions? I'd dissassemble and reassemble it, looking for possible causes. Do you have anyway to measure the camber yourself to see what you have and what you have after trying to correct it? I'd definitely look for causes at the top of the strut, dirt, rust, etc. Are the strut to tower nuts good and tight? Is it not centered maybe? Maybe you can try to force the top to tilt in (I assume you need the top of the tire to tilt in). If it is held in place by more than one nut you could try shimming under the outer side to move the camber in. I assume you mean it is too positive? Was that inches, mm, degrees? I've seen it measured both as length and degrees. Likewise, the bottom might just need to be repositioned at the strut to spindle clamp. If not enough, then see if some light shiming inside the clamp might help. Just maybe, if you can rotate any part of the replacement so that you switch its postion from inside to outside, changing the direction of any tilt that might be created by it, that might be enough.

If you want to bend something, I'd be reluctant to wail on it in a way that would hurt or bend the pressurized tube. I'm not sure what could be reasonably bent to get it to move if you bang on it fully assembled or even with the strut just hanging. I feel like the other suspension members that tie in to the strut and splindle assembly will unfortunately not allow many of my suggestions and bending to work. I can't think of any good place to grind some metal to change the angle of something. Is there a lower control arm that maybe the inboard pivot point can be wacked towards the tire?

[AzTumbleweed]

Dittos with Tripletdaddy. This should have been the alignment shops problem-not yours.

[smkdamicz]

The alignment shop said that the computer told them there was no chamber adjustment for the rear. Which I thought, and they are not gonna just bend or shim went they don't have to. Lazy F er's

I think I am going to pull the strut off all turn the strut mount 180 degrees and see if that looks better. They measured in degrees but I think I can see the positive tilt. But I might just be fooling myself. If that doesn't work, I will then shim they outside of the mount and see if the tire wears on the outside.

It still drives sooooo smooth. I drove it around the mail route today, love it.

Thanks for the response.

Dave
140,000 miles and counting.

[AzTumbleweed]

My '93 wagen has 290,500 and still going strong. I just checked and I'm getting 37 MPG. I'm real easy on the gas pedal.

[tripletdaddy]

Hey AZT! Are you the first owner of that car? If not, what condition was it in when you got it and how long you've had it? What have you done to keep it running so long? Any major repairs?

[wolfe]

I havent replaced the rear struts for a while, but i know the front 4 bolt plates are made that the strut shaft is offset to the center of the 4 bolt pattern. You can change the angle off the strut ever 90 degrees that you rotate the mount. Also the 2 swing arms that attach to the spindle are easily bent if it was jacked up at the wrong place. I also have elongated the 4 holes with a file if all else fails.

[Davescort97]

I think wolfe gives good advice. This is what I would do if I had too much + camber on the rear wheel. Wondering if a carpenters level with the bubble gauge would tell you when the camber is right? First I would try rotating the strut block in the strut tower 180 degrees.
When you got a 4 wheel alignment did they set the toe to 0 on the back wheels? As far as I know this is the only adjustable setting on the rear wheels.