Question About Slotting The Struts In Order to Get Wheels Aligned

The service center tells me that the wheel alignment on my 95 Cutlass cannot be accomplished without slotting the struts. This is the first time I've heard of this practice. Is it an accepatable method for getting a car back in alignment? From what I was told, it is somewhat common.

I was going to go ahead and have this done, but I've begun wondering if a car that requires its struts to be slotted in order to acheive alignment may have bigger issues than just an alignment issue.

Any information or recommendations would be appreciated.

Reply to
KC
Loading thread data ...

My '01 Cavalier needed the strut slots elongated to get the thing into line. The technician says that they often don't have enough slot length. He also said, IIRC, that the aftermarket struts have longer slots so that they can be aligned properly. Sounds to me like GM struts don't have long enough slots, so they just align them as close as the slot allows and kick them out of the factory.

Dan

Reply to
Dan_Thomas_nospam

======= ======= On Jul 30, 6:32?pm, KC wrote: . The service center tells me that the wheel alignment on my 95 Cutlass cannot be accomplished without slotting the struts. This is the first time I've heard of this practice. . Is it an accepatable method for getting a car back in alignment?

. ======== ========

Yes

~:~ MarshMonster ~takes a toke......man.....some of these cerification questions are easy as sht~ ~:~

Reply to
Marsh Monster

Thanks for the answers. I was told all four struts need to be slotted, so I was concerned the car's frame should be worked on and not the struts.

Reply to
KC

If it still have the original struts in it, then I would replace them first. Unless the car ahs really low miles, or something.

Reply to
scott21230

This only has an effect on camber -- by far the least important of the wheel alignment angles. If the original struts were not slotted and camber is radically wrong then something is bent.

Don

formatting link

Reply to
Don

I am going to have a shop that specializes in frames/alignments give me an opinion on the condition of the frame, and if necessary, slot the struts. They have not seen the car yet, but the person I spoke with said slotting the struts is sometimes necesary and not indicative of a bent undercarriage.

I can't see an automaker selling a car with parts that do not permit the cars wheels to be aligned. To me the fact that slotting is required to achieve alignment would mean that something is bent/ damaged, causing the suspension to be out of calibration range. But I don't fix cars everyday, so that may not be the case in real life.

.
Reply to
KC

Everything is bent. Life is like that. Some things are bent a tiny little bit and you don't have to worry about them. Some things are bent a whole lot and are a major problem. The alignment guy's job is to know the difference between the two.

Your local tire place has a kid who can put the car up on the machine, look at the numbers the computer spits out, and make the adjustments the computer tells him to make. He probably doesn't have a good idea of what he is doing or why, he just does what the computer tells him to do. He may even overlook problems that make the vehicle impossible to align, because the computer doesn't know and nobody ever told him to look for them.

Unfortunately, there are few expert alignment guys out there these days. But if you have a shop that can do it, take it there. If they don't find anything wrong, well, then you have made a good investment because now you know there's nothing wrong.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

======== ========

If the "AutoMaker" slots the struts.....

then.....

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF EM ......has to be aligned before they're shipped. Think about it.

Then, when yer through crunchin the numbers on pay'n folks what you have to pay folks to do what folks would have to do cuz computers couldn't do it and how many folks it would take to do the job that a computer couldn't do, then.....go read Scott Dorseys reply to your post and think about how shit is made to bend,warp,sag, and droop after awhile.

(man.....can i make a runon sentence or what)

:)

Guess i cudda jest said that the automakers save BILLIONS because they don't have to align them at the factory.

anywhoooooo.......

Read what Scott wrote very carefully cuz he hit the nail on the head........

and my "guess" would be that the spings, isolators and the bearing plates have wear causing the vehical to sag, which is causing the camber to be way off.

which brings to mind another thing, if you have time, read the scathing i'm fixin to go give DON.....

who told you in open forum for all the world to see for eternity...... (i do not quote....i copy and paster!!)

This only has an effect on camber -- by far the least important of the wheel alignment angles.

In closing, SOMEONE.....should have mentioned that aftermarket replacement struts............ usually have the slots in em. :)

~:~ MarshMonster ~sips his mushroom tea........wonders if he shudda mentioned camber cams.........~ ~:~

Reply to
Marsh Monster

This only has an effect on camber -- by far the least important of the wheel alignment angles. ?If the original struts were not slotted and camber is radically wrong then something is bent.

====== ======

So if ones pulling real bad to the left...... . you adjust the toe......?? . when that don't work...you look for something bent?? . If a vehicle comes in with radical (i love that word)... tire wear due to camber...and i'm sure YOU can differentiate camber wear from toe wear or wear due to worn struts or bad shocks or .......fk it.....anywhooo..... IF it came in with radical camber wear on the tires... you autmatically look for something bent?? . . You're incorrect in advising this customer that camber is least important alignment angle.

You are also incorrect in advising this customer that something IS bent if the camber is RADICALLY wrong.

You are NO alignment technician if you actually adhere to this train of thought.

NOTHING......has to be bent for camber to radically off. (wrong..whatever)

ever.....watched the alignment angle WHILE..... adjusting torsion bars???

in closeing...i ask...... please read slow cuz i don't type fast.. and read what i wrote, not what you think i wrote...cuz i took the time to read what you wrote........before i fell outta my chair>

~~ oo L O

~:~ MarshMonster ~takes a toke.......mmmmm......now.......that's some gooooood stuff~ ~:~

Reply to
Marsh Monster

Please observe stipulation "IF THE ORIGINAL STRUTS WERE NOT SLOTTED....."

Correct. If the factory saw no need to provide camber adjustment and now it is way off, something is bent. Or, I should have included, ride height or other modifications have been made to the suspension.

Rear toe or caster. Rotate or substitute tires to check for tire pull.

You won't see camber wear very often these days.

Toe error destroys tires rapidly -- as little as 1/8" error makes a difference in tire wear. Toe error also causes very disconcerting handlindg as the tires constantly battle deach other for dominance while pointed in didfferent directions. That's why ALL vehicles have adjustable toe on the front suspension, also on the rear unless solid axle.

Caster causes pull. Some vehicles have caster adjustments, some do not.

I have seen many a vehicle with significant camber error and no tire wear or apparent tire problems. It has been tradionally taught that camber causes pull towards the side with a more positive setting and that camber error can wear tires on one side. This was far more the case with bias ply tires than with today's radials. I have seen as much as a 4* camber error with no apparent problems. In fact I owned a vehicle with that condition (due to a collision) for quite some time. I kept looking for "camber wear" or expecting pull and it just didn't happen because caster and toe were good. Many vehicles have no camber adjustment provided at the factory.

If the camber is so far off as to require slotting struts where the factory did not provide camber adjustment something got bent. OK...or the suspension has been altered.

Don

formatting link

I certainly would agree that a radical deviation from stock ride height will affect camber.

Reply to
Don

And it is critical. If wrong, the tires are each trying to go in a different direction with disasterous results to stability and tire wear. That is why it is ALWAYS adjustable except on a solid rear axle. FWIW what some people would think is camber wear -- tire tread worn on one side is usually actually toe wear. What happens is the tire is effectively dragged sideways some percentage of its forward traveled distance and this pulls the sidewalls so the tire wears unevenly side-to-side. Obsolete text books which were written for bias ply tires still call this camber wear and show pictures of feathered tires for toe wear. You rarely see feathered (I am not referring to cupping) tires these days.

Correct. And it made a significant difference with bias ply tires. The effects are very subtle with radial tires. The flexible sidewalls of radial tires absorb the camber error and the tread patch is hardly affected. I have seen many a vehicle where the suspension was not fully repaired after a curb impact. If only the camber is off spec it's about impossible to tell.

Don

formatting link

Reply to
Donald Lewis

I====== ======

Don.......let me start by saying........

that i jest LOVE that link you add to every post, that gits us to yer shop.

with that said........

I'm a brake and frontend tech..... I made $1783.47.....this week..... I work for someone else...........

and........ that's all i gotta say about that.

~~ oo L O

~:~ MarshMonster ~sips his crownroyal.....sure is glad he quit tranny work and went back to brake and frontend~ ~:~

Reply to
Marsh Monster

I'm sorry, but was that supposed to be impressive? It kinda came off as childish.

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Comboverfish

==== ==== marsh spat out:

I'm a brake and frontend tech..... I made $1783.47.....this week..... I work for someone else........... . and........ that's all i gotta say about that.

========= ========= Comboverfish spat back:

' I'm sorry, but was that supposed to be impressive? ?It kinda came off as childish. ========== ==========

I'm sorry, but was that supposed to be impressive? It kinda came off as an inability to comprehend statements given in context.

~:~ MarshMonster ~takes a toke.......mmmmmmmm...........good stuff~ ~:~

Reply to
Marsh Monster

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.