3rd gen camber adjustment after strut replacement.

[mattd1979]

I was reading the online service manual for the 1994 3rd gen Max and I noticed that there is no camber adjustment for the front wheels although it does give you a reading range. It says that it is preset at the factory. The only thing is that the replacement struts that you get from the local auto-parts store have a slotted hole at the bottom part of the strut to allow for the adjustment of the camber while the hole just above it is normal. I know that when setting the alignment the car must be on the ground with a full tank of gas and all fluids topped off. Now how would you adjust the camber on the strut while the suspension is preloaded?

[MaximA32]

Whoever told you that you needed a full tank of gas is full of balogna. To adjust camber, the front of the vehicle needs to be supported in order to take the pressure off the suspension and the coinciding bolts. Take it to a reputable shop and they should be more than capable of setting your alignment properly. Make sure you tell them that you NEED the camber adjusted and set to factory sepcifications.

[mattd1979]

I ended up adjusting the camber myself by jacking up the car to remove the load and loosened the two bolts, I then pushed the upper portion of the wheel in about half way in the middle of the slot. I also had to screw the tie-rod in about two full turns to compensate. I then lowered the car and after rocking it back and forth, I used a level on the center of the wheel to compare it to the passenger side. It could go in maybe another notch but it is good enough for now. The problem with the camber adjustment is that you cannot adjust it any other way other then the way I did. There is no cam bolts to rotate to allow for the car to be on the ground while you make adjustments accurately. And also if the car hadn't come from the factory with adjustable camber, the alignment computer won't have a provision for it. It is Xed out on the display. Unless there is a way to over ride-the stock parameters.