Toe In Adjustment

[SydneyRoverP6B]

Both my front tyres have for some time exhibited feathering, being evident on the outside row of tread. This would suggest that there is more than the specified amount of toe in.

To reduce the tow in, after loosening both lock nuts at either end of the barrel adjuster, do I turn the adjuster forwards or backwards? What is the correlation between movement of the adjuster and changes in toe?

Ron.

 

[harveyp6]

To increase the toe out you need to lengthen the track rod.

 

[SydneyRoverP6B]

Thanks Harvey. So winding the adjuster forwards will lengthen the rod, thus reducing toe in.

Would you know by how much one turn of the adjuster will change the toe?

Ron.

 

[harveyp6]

So winding the adjuster forwards will lengthen the rod, thus reducing toe in.

I don't quite know what you mean by forwards, but, as the locknuts are LH & RH threads, when you slacken those, IIRC the one on the N/S (the longer rod TRE) should be normal RH thread, the short one on the drivers side, should be LH thread, so with a spanner held vertically on the locknuts then moving the spanner down and forwards will undo both of them. So if you want to lengthen the track rod you need to move the adjuster block the opposite way. ie upwards from horizontal to vertical. The way the locknuts undo should tell you the way you need to go.

I mark the adjuster to the rod ends and then note how far I go, and that amount depends on how far out it is. I would probably go one turn at a time at the most, moving the car and checking between adjustments.

Factory setting is 1/8" toe in, +-1/16", so if you're wearing the outsides you can set it to 1/16" toe in and still be within tolerence, although it has been suggested parallel is good, but I've never had the need myself.

 

[Vern Klukas]

The P6 front suspension is very sensitive to toe adjustments. Too much one way or the other will (I can't remember which) will cause the suspension to force the ride height high and make the front end very stiff.

Yours
Vern

 

[SydneyRoverP6B]

Thanks very much Harvey.

Using a string line along both sides of the car, having made sure that it was parallel with each rear wheel, the toe in on each front tyre when measured from the sting line to the rim is 5mm. I am using metric as that is what my tape measure is in. The specified amount in metric is 3.0mm plus or minus 1.5mm, so it falls outside, and is therefore too much. I would like to set it back to 3.0mm, but at present only have one 15/16" open ended spanner, which is too long to fit just about everywhere :evil:

I'll source a pair of shorter spanners with different offsets in the hope that they together will prevail.

Ron.

 

[Pilkie]

When I did mine, on the P6V8,I made up a measuring gadget.
I measured the distance from the inner rim of the front wheels at the back and then the front of the rim till they were the same. ie; -/+ 0.
As both wheels move in or out at the same time when adjusting there is no fear of getting them uneven.
Its my daily driver and no longer wears out the tyres edges like it did.

 

[SydneyRoverP6B]

harveyp6 wrote,...

IIRC the one on the N/S (the longer rod TRE) should be normal RH thread, the short one on the drivers side, should be LH thread,

Hi Harvey,

Is that the orientation that it should have? Mine has been fitted the other way, the longer rod is on the O/S (RH side), whilst the short one is on the N/S (LH side).

The longer rod is indeed a RH thread, the short rod a LH thread. I purchased another 15/16" spanner today and tried again. I did manage to loosen the locknut on the longer rod, but the locknut on the shorter rod remains locked on. Try as I might, I cannot budge it. I am going to remove the valance so that I can try and gain more advantage.

Ron.

 

[colnerov]

Hi, Ron, be aware that all measurements for tracking are done at the rim not the tyre.
Because the tyre maybe distorted and can't be relied upon.

Colin

 

[SydneyRoverP6B]

colnerov wrote,...

Hi, Ron, be aware that all measurements for tracking are done at the rim not the tyre.
Because the tyre maybe distorted and can't be relied upon.

Hi Colin,

Yes, I am using the rim as the reference point. There is a 5mm difference between the two points, so worst case scenario is that it exceeds the maximum recommended toe in by 0.5mm.

I would like to set it to 3mm or even a touch less, but first I need to loosen the LH thread locknut, and that is being a right pain. :evil:

I will persist!

Ron.

 

[harveyp6]

harveyp6 wrote,...

IIRC the one on the N/S (the longer rod TRE) should be normal RH thread, the short one on the drivers side, should be LH thread,

Is that the orientation that it should have? Mine has been fitted the other way, the longer rod is on the O/S (RH side), whilst the short one is on the N/S (LH side).

The adjuster on the driver's (RHD) side is how I remember them being.

but the locknut on the shorter rod remains locked on. Try as I might, I cannot budge it.

I presume that at the time you're trying to slacken it you're remembering that it's a LH thread.....

 

[Pilkie]

Yup it undoes the opposite way to normal.

 

[SydneyRoverP6B]

Hi Harvey and Pilkie,

I have made sure that I am applying force in the correct direction when attempting to release the LH thread locknut. So far it is resisting all attempts to yield. :evil:

The last time the toe it was adjusted was circa 1987, and where it was then is quite likely where it is now. Nothing else has changed whilst the tyre wear has also not noticably changed in any way.

As my adjuster is directly beneath the heater unit and quite close to the bottom heater hose, it has been subject to a good covering of coolant on more than one occasion over the years, and although there is no evidence of rust, I am sure that the coolant has helped to bond the locknut and adjuster fast. On the other locknut that I did manage to release, the threads on the rod appeared creamy white in colour, as if they had been given a treatment of loctite. I am wondering whether or not this was a factory application or whether the fellow at the tyre place all those years ago took it upon himself to use some. :?

If it isn't going to move, then I'll look at it again sometime down the track.

Ron.

 

[mikecoombs]

It might be easier to unlock the adjuster nut rather than trying to undo the locknut, it turns in the opposite direction to the locknut though if you want to seperate the two!