my front end needs to be re-aligned and i'm a "do-it-myself" kinda guy so i was wondering what is required to do a front end alignment and if i even can do it myself or should i just take it in and bite the bullet and pay for it.

if it can be done at home, how is it done?

thanks ya'll

 

Just take it in. Our trucks like to be set up perfect, otherwise you will get uneven tire wear, vibrations, a pull or even death wobble. Around here, a front end alignment runs about $50. That does not include any parts needed to do the alignment though. Trust me, you will be glad that you took it in rather than doing it yourself.

 

The precision measurements required take this out of the relm of the home mechanic in most cases. I guess you could use angle finders and measures to find all of the values, but if you don't have the tools on hand you are in for a long and expensive ride.

 

i appreciate it fellas, i'll price some alignment jobs around here and see what i can find, but ya, it pulls pretty bad to the right, (it is alignment right?)

you see, the only reason i thought i may wanna do it myself is that in august i'm going to college to become a diesel technician, and i hope to work on these trucks after school, but i suppose i better wait 'til school to learn how to do it, right?

 

Before you take it in, check your tire pressures. Sometimes as little as 5psi will make a truck pull. If that doesn't help, try rotating the front tires. If it pulls the other way or acts different, you have a tire problem. When you have the truck in the air rotating the front tires, check the front suspension. Bad ball joints, tie-rod ends, trac bar, steering box, wheel bearings can also cause a truck to pull. 90% of the time a vehicle needs an alignment, there is a worn part somewhere that needs to be replaced.

 

thanks for the great info, i'll try checking that stuff and make sure everything checks out.

just for the record, it's not a HARD pull to the right, it's just the kind that it's annoying, i'm just tired of holding it straight, it'd be nice not to.

 

Another thing that can cause pulls to one side is a bad tire. They call it a radial pull. before you take it in swap the front tires and see if it pulls the other direction, if it does then you have a bad tire.

 

can i have a bad tire if they're brand new tires, god i hope not, i only have about 4000 miles on them, if they're bad, then i'll have a bone to pick with my tire guy.

 

sure, its possible

 

ok, so then i should probably try switching my tires around still, just for S&Gs

 

I would...( )

 

I guess I wasn't clear enough on my previous post when I said to rotate the front tires because you could have a tire problem. I will try to make it clear as mud next time Good luck, and let us know what you find out.

 

Actually it was one of those "crap, that guy already said that but I just hit the post button" moments.

 

Make sure your caliper is not dragging also.
Take it to the shop, a reputable shop for truck front ends. There a very few around here I would trust but the one place has done my sons 94 and my 99 and they are very good. And, they only charge like $38.00.

 

i'll try all of the mentioned this weekend, if necessary, i'll take it to a shop, but that might have to wait a little bit, but i'll let ya'll know either way.