Help with garage alignment

OK, so I had new tires installed a few months back and also wanted to have them do a front-end alignment to be sure my tires would wear evenly. After they did the "alignment" my '01 XJ has not driven/tracked straight. I took it back to have them do another check on the alignment and they said it was good and with in spec.

First problem is the steering wheel is cocked to the side which drives me nuts and I specifically told them to MAKE sure it's still straight after the alignment. Also, after the second time they did what appears to be nothing I'm not taking it back there.

So I've been reading the various forums on how to check and adjust the Toe of our rigs and after taking measurements at center of the wheel it appears the my toe is at almost 0 or even slightly ~ 1/16" toe-out... so that would explain why my XJ is a bit squirly ... it will track straight for a bit, then feel like it's pulling to the right and other times it tracks straight. I was going to try and adjust my toe-in but had no success. I loosened the clamps on each end (pics to follow) and couldn't get any movement at all. Didn't want to bend anything as I was torquing pretty hard to no avail. Can anyone confirm or tell me what I was doing wrong or if I just didn't torque hard enough w/the pipe wrench to get movement. It doesn't appear that I have tie-rod adjusting sleeves on my rig but rather one large bar??



I tried turning this piece (not sure what it's called as their is no tie-rod adjusting sleeve as I've seen noted on all the how-tos)

Drivers Side below:


Passengers Side below:


Any help or ideas is appreciated.

Spray a little penetrating oil, wd40, whatever onto the adjuster threads. The entire tie rod will spin once the adjusters on both ends are loosened, but I have had to really crank on them with a pipe wrench sometimes. The drag link has a small adjuster sleeve which also spins when loosened.

Penetrating oil is your friend here for sure.

The one in the first pic will adjust the steering wheel. In the second pic the whole center link between the TREs is the adjusting sleeve.

Thanks for the info. What you all said is what I thought was correct but wanted some confirmation before I bent or broke something.

It is apparent that they didn't do much for you

I would go with about 1/16" toe in.
Adjust with vehicle on ground.
Move truck back and forth so you know it is tracking straight.
Adjust drag link (Link to pitman arm) so wheel is straight.
This also messes up toe due to the Y configuration of the steering.
Then adjust toe by spinning the tie rod (The piece between the left rod end and where the drag link connects). Because this adjusts two TREs at a time, it will not take much adjustment to move a considerable distance.

As far as measurements, make sure you measure the same height from the floor and the same part of the tire on the front measurement as the back.

A pipe wrench will work, but you need to understand how the couplers work. The factory tool spreads the couplers when you apply force to break any adhesion which may be there. Make sure when you use a pipe wrench not to accidentally compress the couplers and make the task more difficult.

I have had tie rods so completely frozen that even when taken off and given a heat and penetrating oil treatment could not be moved.
Rock auto sells the tie rod for something like $22, then buy the ends. OR go to Autozone and pick up a ZJ v8 Tie Rod for some $44 and then buy one end.

I like to take the front wheels off, spin a couple lug nuts back on the rotor and measure from rotor to rotor. I can't ever get a good measurement guessing at the middle or the edge of the tire.

The only problem I see with doing that, is the radius involved. A 1/16" Toe in at 6" radius from the hub is going to become a larger difference at the 16" radius of a 32" tire.

I think that's why alignment machines measure in degrees; then arm doesn't come into play.

I think at that point you're splitting very very small hairs.

I don't set my alignment up with any toe so it's never been a problem for me. I like being able to actually measure a number, rather than guess at the correct location. Inducing that type of error usually makes the precise measurement impossible in the garage, so you're never going to get exactly a 1/16th anyway.

What I have found that works for me in adjusting toe-in is to make a mark on each tire tread near the center and at a half-way point, that is a level line with the center of the wheel as viewed from the side. Take a measurement of the distance between the marks on each tire while on th ground. Roll vehicle till the wheels rotate 180 degrees. Take another measurement and then adjust accordingly, having a -1/16 inch toe-in. Another person will be very helpful with this or make a jig similar to a long-legged square as I did (the long leg long enough to go from center to center of each tire).

To make my mark, I put a drywall screw through a piece of wood. Holding the point of the screw to a jacked up tire, I spin the tire. Leaves a very fine mark.

Cruiser54, I have used that marking method also; For me making a short mark on each tire and then moving the vehicle so the marks are 180 degrees different is easier.

I don't think I've ever had to take an XJ (ir a couple of other things needing only toe) for alignment, preferring to do it myself. The spec is for zero toe-in and out but I found it likes a tiny hair of toe-in when it gets older. I do as Cruiser and fredruss recommend, except that I take a big piece of soft chalk and chalk each wheel on the first spin, then mark it. The line is very well defined and easy to read. If possible, make or procure a stiff stick with legs that hold it parallel to the floor and always at the same height, and use that. If doing it once, you can simply use a magic marker to check lengths.

Remember that you jack the wheel up only to mark, then drop it to ground again, so there is weight on it.

Check your TRE's for loosness. If they are not tight, you may get wandering. I just replace track bar, drag link and tie rod. Made a huge difference. They only had 210,000 miles on them!