I recently replaced a knuckle and a control arm with another factory one from my old car that had new bushings,a wheel bearing, and ball joint. I did not disconnect the tie rod ends other than from the knuckle. My alignment is terribly off and I've burnt up my tires extremely fast, like 200 miles fast, so this can't wait any longer.

The jam nut was never removed so my question is can the outer tie rod, when connected to the inner tie rod, make a full turn or two causing the alignment to be off? Something is terribly wrong and I think this may be the problem but I wasn't sure if it was possible. I would just reset the toe but I think a new rack is in order and that isn't possible for a month or so. I gaurantee the outer is seized to the inner at this point.

 

no but the knuckle can be off just a tad. I replaced both knuckles from my civic to integra knuckles and I had a full 2 degree of toe added just from the knuckles.

It's best to spend the $60 worth of an alignment everytime you do anything with your suspension.

 

 

Yea but mine is drastically off, like one wheel is pointed straight and the other is turned. I think it must have got twisted a couple of times. I've done lots of suspension work and have never had to touch my alignment unless I touched the rack or dropped it.

Come to think of it the alignment must be able to twist a couple rotations with the jam nut connected but disconnected from the knuckle. Or am I just way off base here and simply swapping stock suspension parts for other stock parts would have my alignment to be off severely bad, not like a degree or two, but like 45 degrees of on one wheel?

 

60 bucks everytime? I think I'd rather do the string method...And I doubt anyone can set the alignment right because this car sat and rusted for so long I gaurantee the outer tie rod is seized to the inner. There's no way my alignment is this off, the tie rod must have got twisted a rotation or two.

 

$150 firestone lifetime alignment. I have had it for about 3 years now..... 7 alignments later, I am still paying $0.00 out the door.

 

I think I found the problem. The axle is stuck in the dust ring on the inside of the knuckle. The wheel would move but I wouldn't consider the ease of rotation acceptable. The drivers side had the same problem, but the wheel wouldn't move at all until I took off the dust ring. I just had swapped an Si tranny on my D15z1.

I drove for a couple hundred miles with it pulling really hard to the right because this axle was binding with the dust ring. Other than the axle and the tires which are shot now, did I maybe ruin anything else? Would a wheel not rotating too freely cause me to have to turn my wheel sideways to go straight and cause me to bounce all over the road? Could I have bent anything?

 

Why in the world would you continue to drive it, if something was wrong!?

I could see the wheel bearings not being very happy after that.
I don't think you could have bent anything.

Fix the problems, get an alignment and see if anything else happens.

 

Had to make it home with it because it was sitting for two years. Im just glad I made it. Im going to take off the dust ring right now to see how many of the problems go away.