don't they align it for you at an alignment shop?

 

Yes, but I would still like to know.

 

well the end screws on, and it held tight by a little clamp with two bolts
if you want to adjust i guess you loosen the clamps two bolts, and twist the tie rod end in or out to adjust it.
it can't be bolted to the knuckle while you're doing it.

 

I explain in more detail in the " The general repair and tech help " section. An alignment is better left to the pros but I wanted to give it a try myself since I try to do 99% of my own work.

 

Anybody know the rule for adjusting the DRIVER side adjusting sleeve? I know to give it an alignment you adjust the passenger side sleeve but what about the driver side? I replaced all the steering components from the lower steering shaft to the tie rod ends including the steering box.

Never heard of that rule. What the manual says, if you wish to put some alignment back into the steering after replacing components such as tie rod ends, is to first mark the tie rod to adjusting sleeve so you know where it was before replacing stuff. Do this on BOTH sides. Pull stuff off, put back on new stuff, turning the tie rod into the sleeve the same amount as the way you had it. Now drive, come back and have a bud help you take a mearsurement of the front of the tire, and of the back of the front tire. This should be close to the recommended toe-in spec. If not, adjust BOTH rods a pretty equal distance (to adjust the rods properly, remember one spins one way, and the other spins the opposite way, to get the desired inward or outward adjustment to both sides), unless you can discern that one of the tires is actually too toed in or out (hard to do on a TTB).

 

O.K. we are getting closer to my answer. Lets assume I bought a Bronco and had to trailer it home because it didnt have anything between the pitman arm and the knuckles. To get everything to bolt up do I get the wheels as straight as possible and install new draglink,inner tie rod,adjusting sleeves and tie rod ends at equal distances until I can bolt it together. I am trying to find out how its done from a fresh start. I know just call an alignment shop and ask but I thought I would ask here first. I found a websight on doing your own alignment and might try it myself. www.allpar.com/fix/alignment another one is at www.vtr.org/maintain/diy-alignment

 

To do an alignment properly, toe, camber and caster must be checked and aligned. The only way to properly measure the positions is with specialiezed equipment that will show a high degree of accuracy. Tape measures and such will only do a "close alignment", you wont get near the results of an electronic tool.

HTH,
Andrew

 

To answer your question, if you want to get the tires as straight as possible i.e. both pointing straight down the road have the front end jacked up and with the tres out of the steering knuckles make sure the tires are stright. Now adjust the sleeves so you are only using about half the threads on each side of them and adjust the tre so it will line up with the hole in the knuckle. Install the tre and tighten the nut. Now YES you can adjust the sleeves while everything is still connected, it would be a mojor pita to align if you couldn't. The threads on the sleeves are right handed on one end and left handed on the other so when you loosen the clamps on the sleeves and turn the sleeves one way it pulls the tire in and if you turn it the other way it puhes the tire out. Do a search, there was an in depth thread on here not to long ago on how to do your own alignment with pics.

 

Thanks, that gives me a good starting point. The part about using half the threads on each side makes sense and I will try it.

 

Once you get it going down the road, do yourself a favor and get it aligned by the pros. It's worth its weight in ruined tires.

 

There is an adjusting sleeve on both sides so you can correctly adjust your toe. If you have a sleeve on only one side then when you set your toe the steering wheel might not be straight. Most people complain of stuff like this, so the manufacurers fixed it with two adjusting sleeves.