jordyt123

Purchased new tires and had my car aligned. I noticed the steering wheel was not centered (left of center) and took car back. They fixed it, no problem.

Counter guy mentioned something about alignment washer moving due to a nut not being tight enough. Anyway, wheel was now straight and I was on my way. Everything was fine until today, now the wheel is off center to the right. Shop says no problem bring it back. Eyes got big when my ears heard the counter guy mention "tack-weld" I assuming he means a small weld to hold the nut fixed. I can't believe that is a correct "fix" as I have only seen that on my son's Baja Bug.

What is this "nut" they are referring to? Any torque specs. I can pass along?

(I've gone to this shop for over 30 years and never had a problem)

GonzoTheGreat

Funny you should say that... I am running into the same issue on my 2008 Z51.

BEZ06

No, NO, NO!!!!

If you're talking about the jam nut (lock nut) on the tie rod - DON'T LET THEM TACK WELD IT!!!!

There's absolutely no reason that if the jam nut is tightened down satisfactorily that the alignment will slip or change!!!

The torque spec for the jam nut on the front tie rods is 50 lb-ft, and the jam nut on the rear suspension adjustment link is 44 lb-ft.

You can't get a socket on the nut, and if you use a crow's foot on it the torque spec will be changed very slightly due to the small additional distance the crow's foot is offset from the nut.

However, whenever I work on the alignment, I just use an open end wrench and give a good pull on it to snug the jam nut down - and it's never come loose and allowed the toe-setting to change, even during very hard track sessions.

So......I wouldn't let them near the car with a welding machine if they're talking about tack welding the jam nut!!!!!

BTW, if I were really worried about the jam nut and/or the tie rod slipping adjustment, I'd just put some loctite on the threads, but I sure wouldn't even think of welding it.

Good luck!!!

Bob

LMB-C6

You center the wheel by adjusting the tie rods in opposite directions (one side out, the other side in) until the wheel is where it's supposed to be. Like BEZ06 said, there is a jam nut on each tie rod that you use to 'lock in' the setting. Tack weld the nut? I have never heard of such a thing. What's the poor tech that does the next alignment going to do...grind the weld off to adjust the tie rod?

And if they aren't talking about the jam nut, I'd be even more concerned.

Larry/car

I have discovered that if the old tires had worn correctly with no handling issues, there is absolutely no reason to check or perform an alignment. Don't mess with something that isn't broke.

C7Joy

Could it be that the original "off center to the left" might have been compensation for road crown? My car tracks beautifully but the wheel is slightly right of center. But when I drive on a road with a noticeable crown the steering wheel comes back to center as I compensate for the crown. I will have it addressed with a wheel alignment when I replace the tires next year.

hot1

No weld, not even a option. I had a similar issue with the steering wheel off center, just a bit but I'm a nut case for things being correct. Took it back and was fixed in 30 minutes. No problems. A good shop will do it right.

PatriotZ

Excellent post Bob....thanks for some good info

VET4LES

I'd find a new shop. Welding is not an option.

jordyt123

They fixed the first time no problem. When I called the second time, no problem, "Just bring it in when it is dry. It may need a tack weld"

Maybe the counter guy is speaking "off-the cuff", and the tech never intended to weld. This shop handles everything from exotics and hot rods to Peterbuilt's and motorhomes. Just sounded strange to me and you guys confirmed it.

I copy and pasted Bob's reply and forwarded to the shop. We will see.

Thanks for all the advice!

marc8090

Like everyone else said no need to tack weld. I've done my own alignments on multiple cars and trucks and while test driving after making an adjustment I've driven the car with the jam nuts only snugged up, not very tight at all and never had one loosen up, they are a little hard to take apart even after only being snugged up. Like was mentioned about the crowned road, I only expect the steering wheel to be centered on a perfectly flat road. Find your self a perfectly flat road for a test drive and always use the same stretch of road to check alignments.

SweetBlueZ51

I had an alignment done when I got new tires put on because my steering wheel has been off-center ever since I bought it. It still is a little bit off and I asked my shop several times to fix it when I was in for other things, however even though they say it's now fixed, it's still no different. I guess my question is, how perfectly centered should one expect the steering wheel to be? I don't think I can find a better shop than the one I'm at. They've been very good, and have been highly recommended by locals and people on here. But I feel they're not even doing anything on this issue, just blowing me off because the steering wheel position has not changed in the past two times I mentioned that it's STILL NOT CENTERED. Hmm…

BEZ06

My '09 pulled to the left, and when going straight the steering wheel was cocked to the left about 4 or 5 degrees. I do the alignment on my track car, but the new one was under warranty so I took it to the dealer.

I also had a vibration in the steering wheel that felt like a tire out of balance.

My local dealer is very good with Vettes - they sell huge amounts, and they have a couple of very good techs that work on all models, including a lot of ZR1s.

Unfortunately, when you take it to the dealer for an alignment, you probably don't get a Vette tech. It probably goes over to the alignment shop and is taken care of by the guy that mostly works on Cobalts and Tahoes.

So....when I got the car back, the left pull was pretty well gone, but the steering wheel was still cocked off to the left about the same.

Same with the wheel/tire balance problem - the vibration was still there.

I took it home and jacked up the front enough to reach under to make the adjustment. I loosened the jam nut, then I lengthened the left tie rod and shortened right one. I can't remember, but I think I did 2 full turns of the tie rod (12 flats) on each side, then tightened down the jam nuts, and the whole process took about 10 minutes.

I took it out for a drive, but the steering wheel whas now off to the right a few degrees. So, I took out about 4 flats on each side, and after about another 10 minutes took it for another test drive and the steering wheel is now dead center.

So......there have been many reports on the forum that dealers just are not very good at alignments. My experience with my otherwise very good Vette dealer confirms that. If you want a good alignment, go to a good alignment shop, or DIY.

I took the front wheels off and took them over to my local Discount Tire to get balanced - no vibration in the steering wheel any more!

Bob

SweetBlueZ51

Mine pulls to the right consistently, but the Vette tech tells me that's because the roads/highways around here are slightly banked to the right. I still think that when I'm on a road that has no bias, it still banks to the right but the tech swears it's aligned correctly.

I wish that I was as mechanically inclined as you. I was able to bolt on a simple air intake, and am now able to change the oil and filter pretty well and I think I've about reached my limitations. Oh, wait… I was able to grease the Z51 zerk fittings in the rear as well, so maybe there's hope for me?

Yeah, I've read that and really should have followed that advice. It would have been cheaper (I believe the dealer charged me $169 for the alignment - however, per my provided specs which were geared towards dual track/road use), and done right. I figured since the GM shop I found after years of searching for a good reputable place could be trusted.

madcadr

WTF !!! WELD - NOOOOO WAYYYYY on my car....

Your shop manager is an idiot.

I had EXACT same issue with my 08 z-51 after I got new tires installed. My chevy dealer did an alignment and everything was GREAT again. No problems at all.

So, they did you alighnment wrong.

Boy, glad I live in D/FW where there are numerous shops to go to (I use Bruce Lowry and am damn proud of them).

Cybernetic Medic

If you want to be a purist, you need to be sitting in the car when they do the alignment because your body weight is going to cause the left side of the car to go down slightly and that will change the geometry of the wheels.

foremaw

That should not be happening except occasionally on some roads. Get on the highway and get in the left lane. If its still pulling to the right it not aligned correctly. If there is any banking for water runoff it would be left, not right. The"banking" explanation is kind of an overused excuse for when they can't get it right.

Racer86

Man I'd think twice about welding the tie rod nuts, Just a proper torque on them like the other 100,000,000 cars on the road. Plus what damage will the high frequency welding current do to all the computers (ECU, BCM) if the moron does not disconnect the battery. good luck with that.

Chevy Cust Svc

Hello,

I do apologize that you are having problems. I can understand your frustrations. If you would like, I will be more than happy to have this looked further into. Could you please send me the following in a private messages:

First and Last Name:
VIN:
Telephone Number:
Dealership:
Case Number (if available):

Thank you and again, I do apologize for your frustrations.

Geoff Allen
Chevrolet Customer Service

v8capt

A good alignment shop is worth it's weight in gold. I had no problem with my 2011 GS, but I trust my alignment shop. They said my alignment was way off. I gained 4 MPG after the alignment and the car feels much better. If your wheel is off center, the alignment is not right.
Capt Bob