front axle camber problem

[Davetr44]

I got a 94 ranger 4wd stock, something is causing the camber to change when the vehicle is moving. i just changed the ball joints and that didnt fix it. you can literally watch the tops of the tires move in and out when moving the car. any ideas would be great

 

[forgey4x4]

Maybe wheel bearings, or old tires, kinda weird huh? Bent or loose spindle

 

[Tractor Dan]

Sounds to me like it could be a wheel bearing issue of some sort. How does the tire wear look? Any uneven tread wear? Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in, i'm just throwing out basic things i can think of.

 

[3rd Petal]

How much of a camber change are we talking about? I would imagine a good amount if you are posting up here about it. Because the design of the front ends on these trucks causes a slight camber change as the suspension cycles.

If you changed the ball joints then I would imagine the wheel bearings would be fine, seeing as you would have had to take them apart when you did the ball joints. I would jack it up off the ground and shake the tire around to see if you can find play in anything. Also, maybe check the axle pivot bushing up at the crossmember.

 

[Davetr44]

alot of movement, center top of tire will move from inside the fender to outside the fender just backing out of the driveway, but this gives me a couple things to check out. thanks for the help.

 

[martin]

sounds like the toe is off, by quite a bit.

 

[Chris_1]

Yeah too much toe - in causes the truck to try and climb on to it's sidewalls. You'll notice the front end sits higher as you go forward and lowers down as you reverse.
Too little toe in causes the truck to wander all over the place.
Twin Traction Beam (or twin i-beam)works great when you get it adjusted just right - but you do have to get it adjusted just right

 

[black_demon69]

check pivot bushings and inner and outer tierod ends

also too much toe can cause camber to be off but has to be alot

camber has a more dramatic influence on toe

did you get it aligned after ball joints were installed? should also check springs (check ride height to see if in spec)

 

[Davetr44]

This trouble started with a slight pull to the right. some time. coming out of a right turn you might have to steer it straight, some time. last week it made a hard right turn on its own. i could get it under control and drive it 2 miles home with just a slight pull to the right. Standing in front of the truckyou can see the tires go from V shape to A shape backing about 20 feet down a flat paved driveway. jacking the front end up everything seems tight so becouse of the direction the tires move , changed the ball joints, wasnt the problem. no change.

 

[Chris_1]

Recheck everything you already checked, then start checking your main mounts - radius arms, pivot bolts. Check the bushings and also the brackets for those. Sounds like something is moving - inspect real close for cracks or breakage.
To check that your toe-in isn't the issue, roll the truck back and forth 10' in the driveway a few times (with the steering wheel straight and don't touch the brakes). This will "unload the steering". Now measure the distance (at an equal height off the ground) between the back of the (front)tires and at the same spot on the front of the (front) tires.
The front measurement shouldn't be more than about 1/8" shorter than the back measurement.
The front measurement

 

[Chris_1]

If all that doesn't spot the problem get the frame up on jack stands and get under there with a pry bar and find what's moving. Probably shouldn't drive it till you figure out what's happening.

 

[Davetr44]

I appreciate all the info, got it on jack stands now, if i cant find anything will do the alignment. thanks

 

[Andy D]

what do the tie rod ends look like? Joints typically fail loose, but some freeze up and bind.

 

[Chris_1]

I think something's broke - just gotta find it

 

[BB92]

In all reality, if the truck is sitting still and you push the front end down my hand and watch it cycle back and forth you will see the camber in the front tires move just by doing that. Now imagine what happens when you take that in mind and drive down the road. It's really just the way the ibeam setup works