Alignment Parameters please

[97 Octane]

Taking my '97 to an alignment shop.

What are the parameters for a Gen 2 Mark VIII alignment?
I'd like to have the proper numbers to take to the alignment shop just in case
they say they are not familiar with Mark VIIIs.

Does anyone have the parameters? for:

Left and Right Front Caster
Left and Right Front Camber
Left and Right Front Toe

Left and Right Rear Camber
Left and Right Rear Toe
Left and Right Rear Thrust

I know I can count on you guys. Thanks




Ren/Octane

 

[LaserSVT]

Any shop with a machine will have Mark specs in the computer. Dont deviate from them. Just tell the tech you want the camber as close to dead center of the specs as he can get them.


They may say you have no rear camber adjustments but they are wrong. The Hunter machines database shows outboard camber rings but in the Mark they are inside the mount. If he just turns the UCA mounting bolt it will adjust rear camber.

 

[DieselDan]

Laser is 100% correct. The computer will have the specs in it already. If it is a reputable alignment shop, they will at least have a book with the specs in it, but that is stone-age right there... The Mark is actually a very easy car to align, I would just mention to them that it has air suspension, and I would try to shut it off at parked height, because that is also highway height. I say that because I usually aligned my car with the engine running so that the power steering would help the wheels move easier on the turn plates.

 

[97 Octane]

Thanks for the intel, i knew i could count on you.







Ren/Octane

 

[LaserSVT]

+1 on making sure its dropped to park height and shutting the system off. These cars go through pretty radical camber and toe changes as the suspension moves and since the tires wear faster at highway speeds that is where you want your camber to be closest to -.5* to not wear the tires inner edge.

 

[slowmkviii]

Ill probably get some :q:q:q:q for this but I also have them
Put caster all the way positive on the verge of going red

 

[oldstick]

I have a followup question on this subject. I just replaced all the front ball joints and struts then got an alignment on my 98.

The "after" printout from the shop now shows green for all four wheels. And comparing the numbers to the shop manual specs someone posted on here, they ARE pretty much within the ranges. However, there is still a very slight pull to the right on the hiqhway.

The shop told me the pull was still there when I picked the car up. They attributed it to the tires being 5 years old, which I can't argue with because I have experienced slight pull issues with tires many times before and these don't have too many more miles on them.

So here is my question. The printout shows:

front Left - caster 5.8, camber -0.4 toe 0.05
front Right - caster 4.9, camber -1.0, toe 0.06

Should the caster and camber values be closer to equal each other or is that too difficult a task to make adjustments this fine?

I am wondering if I should request them to set the right camber and caster closer to the numbers on the left side. Would this be a reasonable request or is there some other reason both front wheels need to a little different?