Alignment: Impossible with H&R springs-follow-up

[Bernie Benz]

Hi Jake,
IMO, your negative camber is excessive for maximumizing tire wear under
hiway cruzing conditions.  Further, it should be equal, side to side, and
best set at zero.  Raising the ride height by replacing your HRs with stock
springs may reduce the neg camber a little, but may not bring it back to
zero.  The addition of a properly adjusted Benz strut brace would also help.
Shifting the subframe could equalize the camber side to side differences.
Every little bit adds up.

1/8th toe out.  1/8 what?  Degree, or " measurement diff at the tire max
bulge?  Anyway, toe out can be unstable.  I set mine to Zero centered on the
chassis, because the forward driving torque will pull it slightly negative.

To diagnose an oil leak you must find the source withabsolute certainty.  To
do this you must clean the engine and underside absolutely oil and dirt
free.  and then look and feel for it/them.  If it is coming from the center
of the rack, where the tie rods attach, you have a piston rod seal problem
in the rack.  The major and almost only possible rack problem.  Any other
fluid on the rack is probably a hose problem.  Happy hunting!

Bernie

> From: "jalexmichaels" <jalexmichaels at netzero.net>
> Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 18:47:46 -0700
> To: <200q20v at audifans.com>
> Subject: RE: Alignment: Impossible with H&R springs-follow-up
>
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Folks,
>
> Had the alignment done before I took a trip down to California from Portland,
> OR.
>
> The car, with the H&R's and OE shocks, had the front camber come in -1.5 left,
> -1.0 right. Front toe was 1/8 out, which might have been causing most of inner
> tire wear. Best they could get the left camber was -1.25, -1.0 right.
>
> During my drive down the lovely I5 corridor,  bump steer was evident.  Bernie
> planted the seed of awareness on that one.
>
> Mulling over installing the original springs that came with the car when I
> purchased it.   I'm driving to Colorado in a week in this beast and want to
> get the suspension/tires sorted out before this 3,000 mile trip.  I did just
> purchase a set of Sumitomo summer tires, HTR 200, (my first off-brand tire
> purhase) from the tire track, but I am low on cash and these tires seem right
> for the car, and were only $46 each. I ahve dedicated winter tires.
>
> Also in evidence was what I think is the smell of burnt pentosin coming
> through the climate vents. This smell only wafts through when the car is
> idling at stops.  It looks like pentosin, or something, is dripping onto the
> exhaust pipe right below the inner driver's side cv joint, but also the front
> of both cats seem to be coated with something too. Smells bad, but not like
> motor oil.  Anybody else have this smell or leak pattern? Is it indeed
> Pentosin?
>
> Jacob
> --
>
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