Alignment question

[colincoon]

Hey guys,

Today I tackled the task of installing new tie rods on Norm, which was pretty uneventful to say the least. Getting the old tie rods out was a pain, especially because they were the original ones!

Anyway, I now need an alignment. I got it as close as I could to the previous tie rods, but it's still off by a lot. My question is will just any shop be able to align the car or am I seriously looking at taking it to the dealer?

I know the dealer has special tools and whatnot to do the job "right", but I'd rather take it to a shop that can do it a LOT cheaper. Not sure if they have the specs for a 123 though, which is my concern.

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks

[TylerH860]

Usually I can get them to do it, after arguing that they've done it multiple times before and I sign away any right to a warranty.

[DocSarvis]

Print the specs out and take them with you although they shouldn't need you to. I think I would go to a shop that had the specs and wanted to do the work. Not the dealer. And just for kicks I did my own after reading all I could. I think alignment of a car is simpler than most people think. With todays simple tools that provide acuracy almost anyone can do it if they want. Thanks

[NoSparkNeeded]

I've read that it takes some "special" tools to align a W123, and that some shops don't have it or even get the need for it. If one does an alignment on their own wouldn't you need that tool? I think it's called a spreader bar or something. I'm even thinking of letting the dealer mount my tires and do the alignment, however even the dealer may not be used to the older cars. We took my wife's SD in for something about 5 years ago, and they did a complimentary tire rotation. I told her how generous that was, as we have staggered wheels on that car. Something went "un-oh" in my head. She was due to leave town in the morning. I went out to look. Sure enough, they rotated the wheels, not the tires. I had to put everything back,LOL. I calledthe dealer on that Monday. They were very sorry, and since I fixed the problem, they did generously comp us on something else, to their credit.So I wonder. Is doing an alignment at home something one can do? I do everything else. I have a pretty high skill level, but never even thought aboutdoing a home alignment. What's involved tool wise?

[leathermang]

Doing a toe in is simple but really labor intensive. Which in many cases for these old cars.. unless everything is new on the front suspension is about all one can hope for... but a good toe in can make a huge difference...
There are good threads in the archives about what has to be done to get it right..

[colincoon]

I thought I was able to do it myself as well, and literally spend the last 4 hours trying to no avail. The car doesn't really wander or anything, but it's harder to turn one direction then the other, the wheel isn't centered, and no matter how many times I fiddled with the tie rods it would give me a variation of this. I'd rather pay someone else to do it at this point. I'm also taking Norm in next week for some work, might stop by that shop and have them do an alignment for me.

Doc, do you have the specs or know of a place where I can get them?

[leathermang]

Basically you set the wheel bearings using a dial indicator...
then you jack up the front end and spin the wheels making a mark on the tires for reference.. the narrower the better.... then you put it on the ground and center the steering wheel....and move the tie rods to put the wheels at the specs in terms of the relative distance from each other measured at the front and rear of the tires...
then you roll the car forward and measure again.... repeat until you get it to be what it should be when finished moving... you have to move it to take out the 'set' of the resistance to movement in and out... the ' give' in the tire which resists the movement of the tie rod end changes until the tire is rolled to allow it to respond...
I certainly agree with taking it to someone with the equipment to do it.... it is a real pain to do at home...

[colincoon]

Yeah that's what I've been doing all day. Tires are in spec, 1/16 narrower in the front then the rear, but it's still out of wack. I even took the old properly aligned tie rods, installed them, removed them with the wheels secured in place, and installed the new ones making them fit, but it was still off. It's amazing what a fraction of an inch will do.

Might take it in tomorrow or Monday...

[leathermang]

Where are you measuring them at ?

[colincoon]

The front of the tire and 180* opposite on the tire.

[leathermang]

What do you mean by ' the front of the tire' ?

Read my post number seven and tell us exactly what you did or did not do compared to that description...
if you want to know how to do it... since you are taking it in it is sorta moot...but others might be helped..

[NoSparkNeeded]

Even at the dealer, should I ask if they have the proper equipment? At any store for that matter. Do you know what I'd ask for? Would a real MB shop lie? It seems harder and harder nowdays to even get truth, as a lot of shops
in any industry hire the cheapest workers they can. Since most folks, including myself, couldn't exactly tell, until your tires started wearing funny,
that the alignment was incorrect. I've seen MANY Mercedes TD and SDs that
have wear on the outside edge of the driver's side tire. Our SD used to wear
like that, so I started looking at other cars. I thought for a time it was just something unique to Benz. My car is doing that now. Wife's tires are too new
to tell, and the place that she purchased them and got the alignment has a bad online rep. I don't really have a place I trust, other than the default dealer.

[leathermang]

First, you need to look at the FSM chassis manual where they have pictures of the tire wear patterns they expect ' their' .. meaning ' your' car.... should produce..
it is different from an American or usual unequal length A arm set up...
that may make you feel better seeing that...
but otherwise... unless you have replaced everything new... about all I would expect is a good toe in...which can be felt....and asking friends and locals who they trust is all I know to suggest...

[colincoon]

Where the pink dots are, in the middle of the tread pattern.



These are what I have on the car btw...

[leathermang]

Colin, did you read post number seven ?