Prime Alignment?

ah too bad...
i have 2 primes, the first one, my wifes, handles like it should, stable , on center, tight, no wandering.
thats how i could tell right away that the second prime, mine, which we got a month later, was definitely off.
plus the steering wheel was off center on day one
i guess i'll have to get first one measured to get data for the second one...there is a good indie shop near me where the owner and another mechanic are scca members. they could do it, for a price. problem is even getting them to take a prius seriously enough to delve into it.
and i think toyota steering system in this car needs a computer to reset some settings, i'm not sure they are high tech enough for such complex electric steering system. dealer is high tech, but lazy and didnt get it right. twice in one day. couldnt even get steering wheel centered...twice. i wasted 6 hours sitting there for them to do a poor job. atleast it was free. grrrrr.

 

The maker of their alignment rack (usually Hunter) will have up to date specs for all makes & models available to the shop. Alternately most shops subscribe to a service that provides all sorts of data for all makes & models.

Most modern alignment facilities provide a print out of the before and after settings. Demand that. Have it written on the work order to provide the print out. This assumes that the alignment equipment is correctly calibrated. If the print out shows that settings are centered, and the car drives poorly, you'll know that the equipment calibration is off. That's the shop's responsibility, but you might have to go back for a free re-alignment after they get it correctly calibrated.

For any work, get your demands listed on the work order. Always get the problem listed on the work order. Do not accept the service writer's guess at what work needs to be done. If the problem is listed and it's not fixed, don't pay. Get your alignment problem listed on the work order, if you can clearly explain the problem, get your requirement for the settings to be in the center of the spec, not just in-spec, and get your requirement for a before & after print out listed.

 

Here is a good example of that. I had a slight right pull on my VW - took it to a good local shop. They spent quite a bit of time on the rack and then a 15 minute test drive. The car tracked straight as an arrow when they were done. Every shop that has ever done an alignment for me has provided this printout (or similar).

 

I thought the first thing you do is set the steering wheel to center? You would think there would be some incorporus mark for mechanics to do that rather than just a visual adjustment? if your dashboard is sloped and tilted, how in goddesses name does one make it "straight"?

 

The only way I've seen to set the steering wheel to center (I haven't looked on the Prius) is to screw one tie rod end in and the other out the same amount. This moves the wheel but doesn't change the alignment. Screwing the tie rod ends in or out to first set the toe-in is necessary, then the steering wheel can be centered.

 

so yes then, by adjusting the tie rods. but you have to admit "centering" the steering wheel can be subjective "illusion" with tilted dashboard/perspective. Where can one establish a straight wheel with/out "parallax"?
>>> "parallax(Noun)
The apparent shift of an object against a background due to a change in observer position".
Not trying to be a pita but had this problem with another car for ever. It finally seems fixed on this end.

 

It'd be nice if there were register marks on the steering wheel and the housing behind.

 

yes right now it is subjective observation. It needs to be scientifically baselined.

 

The adjustment procedure, in the Repair Manual (more info) under Steering: Steering Column: Steering System, directs the technician to apply masking tape and make such marks, after driving the vehicle in a straight line under specified conditions. It also offers a hint: “Look at the upper surface of the steering wheel assembly, steering spoke and SRS airbag line to find the center position.”

 

they give you a picture? I am thinking more like a laser mirror alignment of telescope just me j/m

 

They can just open the door and look at the position of the steering wheel's spokes. If they're even, the wheel is centered.

 

My significant other borrowed my Prime with ~3500 miles on it and returned it to me with a off-center steering wheel after hitting a speed bump with a bit too much haste. The car still tracked straight, but the steering wheel drove me nuts within 5 minutes. The plastic enclosure for the steering column that sits directly behind the steering wheel was the giveaway. Given that the dash behind it slopes at an angle, it isn't a proper reference for steering wheel straightness. One can also use a level on the steering wheel to find true center.

Anyway, I checked the alignment with some toe plates that I still had from autocross days and found it to be slightly out. I first worked to get it back in spec and then adjusted the tie rods until the wheel was centered again. The dealership I purchased from does a free one minute alignment check, so I took it there and they confirmed my work, which was quite satisfying.

To anyone with off-center steering wheel issues...I'd suggest inquiring with your dealership to see if a check like this is free. Their motive is that if you think it's off...it's probably off, and then they make $ fixing it. Once you know you can get a check done for free you're open to try fixing the issue yourself. If you have reason to believe you're still in alignment (other than the off-center wheel), then it's just a quick (but equal and opposite) adjustment to each tie rod to maintain the alignment but center your wheel. If you think both your steering wheel AND alignment is off, then you can either just cough up the $ for another alignment, or you can buy or make a set of toe plates and get to measuring.

I personally made the toe plates with an old book shelf, then pressed them against the wheel with an adjustable dumbbell. The two tape measures then give you a very toe reading. Here's a photo of my silly setup followed by a photo of the toe I got out of it, as confirmed with a Hunter system.

 

^ Great job with your homemade toe plates.

Two thoughts:

1) I really wish that printout showed right and left toe, not just the total toe.

2) Total toe indicates ~0.30, IMO that's high even if it's considered to be within spec.



Rob43

 

Thanks. I aimed for a bit of toe in, but would have preferred .20˚ or less. I'm guessing that my setup just isn't accurate enough to go lower than what I achieved. I will say that the car feels a tad more stable at highway speeds due to the toe in. I may be imagining it, but the steering also feels a bit heavier too (in a good way). This may be due to the linkage being under a bit of load. I'll have to keep an eye on tire wear though.

 

I'm trying to understand how front toe can vary, side to side, what with the wheels being turnable. Is this with the steering wheel locked, dead level/straight? I'm missing something?

 

Toe is measured against the vehicle's thrust angle, which is an imaginary line that's perpendicular to the rear axle. The visual position of the steering wheel doesn't have anything to do with the thrust angle, meaning a car can be in perfect alignment but with an off-center steering wheel. But a sudden change in the steering wheel's positioning is an indication that something has changed (for the worse) with your alignment.

If a wheel has zero toe, it is exactly parallel with the chassis's thrust angle and there is no "scrubbing". Through actions involving the steering wheel, steering rack, and tie rods, your front wheels constantly deviate from the chassis's thrust angle which is how you steer the car. While doing this, the two fronts wheels still maintain a fixed relationship with one another -- which can either be toe in or toe out.

 

I wonder if dealers are the only shops that keep their equipment software up to date or they just know that the 2017-2019 have identical alignment specs and they choose the most current model year when checking alignment. I know that the computerized alignment systems used today rely on software subscriptions to keep them current.

Recently had to replace one of my Toyos on my 2019 with 10k miles on it because what appears to be a 23 gauge trim nail (a stiff wire under 1/32") had punctured the shoulder area had cause a slow leak. Because tire manufacturer's guidelines preclude patching ANY punctures outside of the center "belted" section of the tire these days, no reputable shop will patch the area most prone to minor punctures. A convenient way to sell new tires and I could go on at length about that subject, but won't here.

I bought a replacement on Tire Rack and took it to the top rated installer in the area. I was offered a free alignment check when I arrived and but that offer was rescinded it because their software didn't have "2019 Prime in it's database". I wanted it because we had to pay for an alignment on my wife's RAV after early replacement of the tires because of a bad alignment from the factory. I heard the scrubbing at speed from the misalignment of the front passenger side long before the issue was apparent from wear. By that time, it was out of ToyotaCare and I was ticked. I'm having it checked again this week because it's free and tires are expensive.

Strangely enough, I took out a new tire in a curb accident on my 2013 Prius and the front alignment was good. It was low speed and straight on when I missed seeing one of those gratuitous "islands" in a parking lot on a rainy night and the suspension copes with that force much better than an offset impact.

 

Was at dealership early august they actually had Hunter alignment equipment built into service checkin/\entry floor as a check. Looks like instant check technology by Hunter.

 

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