Shaking in the front end

[danger03ranger]

I have a 2003 Ranger 4x4. When i hit the brakes i get a vibration in front end. It fills like the ABS is kicking on. but it happens everytime i hit the brakes. I need to get my front end alined but i have not had the money lately. I got it checked free and it is 2" out of line. At first i thought it might be my tires not ballanced. They are ballanced the breaks look good. Will a front end out of line cause this problem? or would it be something else? I need some trouble shooting ideas.

 

[alain]

Wraped rotors

 

[danger03ranger]

thats what i thought untill i found out my front end was out. Then i was just lost.

 

[AllanD]

A loose or misaligned front end only aggrevates the base problem of warped rotors.

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[danger03ranger]

So do i need to replace or turn my rotors first then front alinement? or alinement the rotors. I don't have the money to do them at the same time.

 

[MAKG]

No. Align it first.

But TWO INCHES is a truly massive misalignment, and I'd go looking for something badly hosed and ask your SO if she crashed into a curb....

Do make sure there are not loose components (especially wheel bearings and balljoints) and repair any before aligning.

 

[Capt Jay]

That far out of alignment and you'll be buying tires in no time. Get it aligned. Not an option. Like MAKG said also fix what was bent or broken. They should tell you what it is during the alignment.

 

[b_aldredeg]

i would get it allined and then roate the tires then shoude be ok same thing happened to me went to a bad shop the morens did't even know what thay were doing lol

 

[Hawker]

Alignment ASAP. That badly out and you won't be able to tell if there's anything else wrong. Your other problems may not even be there when you get this fixed.

 

[MAKG]

Nonsense. Loose components are loose even with wild alignment.

You can't tell much from a road test with the alignment severely boogered, but you definitely can get results from a direct inspection.

 

[Hawker]

Nonsense. Loose components are loose even with wild alignment.

You can't tell much from a road test with the alignment severely boogered, but you definitely can get results from a direct inspection.

We responding to the same question? Where'd the loose components comment come from?

 

[MAKG]

You don't think a dead balljoint (for instance) can cause or exacerbate the problems reported?

By itself, that makes for poor (and variable) alignment.

 

[AllanD]

And Lower balljoints are a KNOWN PROBLEM on '98-up rangers and '95-up Explorers.

Trust me if you take it to any COMPETENT alignment shop the FIRST thing they will check is for play in the components, BEFORE they even put it on the rack, they will put it on a lift and do a general inspection, because if anything is loose doing an alignment is impossible.


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[MAKG]

While I agree (including the qualification), there seem to be quite a lot of INcompetent alignment shops around.

The last one I was in didn't notice the cracked radius arm insulator and charged me for one camber/caster bushing to correct excessive cross-caster (those idiots WANTED to install two until I questioned them on it). I noticed it when I did my road trip inspection a few days later. After about 10 seconds. They didn't even look (and it was the obvious side -- driver's).

 

[Hawker]

Are you getting confused yet danger03ranger? We've got more.