86 Comanche Alignment Issues?

[trapperbb]

hey, i have a 1986 jeep comanche lwb 4x4 when i got it had 31's i am now running 235-75-15 on it. the tires started to wear on theinside not long after i put them on. I checked the ball joints and they where bad. So i changed all 4. Once i was done it still looked as tho the camber was off. i put on another set of tires as the old ones where wore to much. Ive had the new balljoints in for a couple of months now and the tires are  starting to wear on the inside again. Is there any way to adjust the camber ? also my front vaccum disconect stopped working so i have the fork fixed so the transfercase take it in and out of 4x4. There for I'm always pushing my front axle could that cause tires to wear funny?

[cruiser54]

CAD elimination will not cause tire wear. Have the camber checked. In around 1986 or so, the factory had some front axles built incorrectly with too much negative camber. The solution was adjustable aftermarket ball joints.

[Eagle]

Camber isn't the only thing that can cause uneven tire wear. The only adjustment for camber is to install offset balljoints. Have you had your alignment checked? Incorrect toe-in/toe-out can easily cause wear on the tire shoulders, and toe-in is the only setting that is usually adjusted on these vehicles. You can do a pretty decent job of checking and setting toe-in by yourself, with just a tape measure.

[Geonovast]

Pretty good tutorial for adjusting toe: http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html

[Eagle]

Pretty good tutorial for adjusting toe: http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html

 

That's a start, but not a good one. Doing the adjustment with the wheels off the ground is not a good idea, because if there's any play in the ball joints that can affect the setting. If you do it with the tires on the ground, you have to compensate for the  resistance of the contact patch to moving.

 

I just went through this today after replacing a drag link (the long tie rod "end" from the right steering knuckle up to the pitman arm). IMHO the only way to do it is to adjust some, then start the engine, back up several car lengths, then pull forward again before checking to see if you moved it enough. It took me about half a dozen tries to get it where it should be.

 

You can turn the adjusting sleeve with a pipe wrench, but there's a special tool made for the job:

 

[Geonovast]

Agreed, do it with it on the ground, I always have.  Plenty of room to get under there.