I got some basic questions for doing an alignment:

-Castor is measured by turning the wheel 20 degrees to the left measure camber, then 20 degrees to the right and measure camber again, if camber is the same then castor is zero. If it's +1 then -1, then it's +2 degrees castor?

-What is the correct order in doing an alignment; camber, castor, then toe?

 

I don't think it works quite that simple for all cars.

Caster is the angle formed by the upper and lower balljoints relative to the ground.

For most cars I've worked on, caster, then camber, then toe.

For all cars, toe is last.

 

i use a hunter hawkeye alignment machine and it prompts you to adjust caster first then camber then toe last and always adjust your rear wheels first

 

Okay, thanks guys. The way I described above for castor is what I heard to do with a camber/castor gauge, I figured if the the angle is off between upper and lower ball joint that would pull the wheel inward more when turning causing camber to be different. Is there another way to measure castor?

 

You do need to do a caster sweep, by turning the wheel and measuring at different steering angles, but the camber to caster change isn't the same for all cars.

And caster, with an E. Not an O.
www.google.com/search?q=define%3A+castor

 

Haha, didn't realize I was doing that. So what would it be for caster? If it's different for all cars, how are you suppose to do it? In my shop class there was an alignment machine and it didn't ask for the type of car, just measured everything and you adjust it. Has anybody done it on a CRX that knows the magical way

 

The procedure is the same. I was trying to write that I think the camber change for a given caster can be different from car to car.

Thinking about it more, I must have been getting confused with the conversion of toe in degrees to inches, which varies based off of tire diameter.

Bothering to Google it instead of going off of memory, you "zero" out the camber gauge while turned 20* one direction, and read it while turned 20* the other direction, to get the caster reading.

I was wrong, you were correct.

Apologies for the confusion.

I've always turned the wheel until the alignment rack computer instructed turning it the other way, and then just read the screen...

 

No problem, it's good to make sure because you sounded like you knew. When I had the alignment machine in my class you don't even realize what you are doing, just do what the computer says. I'm doing some DIY alignments again, and it's good to actually see what everything means. Thanks for the responses guys, good way to refresh my memory