Yet another Caster Adjustment Issue + more.

[MOMSPH]

I had her aligned last week and was told that she needed a caster adjustment. The nuts were seized up and can't get them to come loose. Any solutions to this? I am afraid of if force was used, I could potentially damage some very very expensive parts.

Note however, that the toe adjustment and camber adjustments were fine. And I don't feel anything when driving her, no pulling to left nor right. So is the Caster Adjustment really needed???

Also please see pics and I hope to receive your expert opinions.

NOTICE the HEX SHAPE NUT is protruding on the DRIVER SIDE whereas the its flushed on the Passenger Side(left picture.) IS THIS NORMAL? (NO BENDS NOR ACCIDENTS ON THE PARTS PICTURED)



Also Please NOTICE that there is a gap as pointed by the arrow on the passenger side and none on the driver side?????? IS THIS NORMAL as well?



Please help as we've been scratching our heads regarding this.

 

[greenberet]

I haven’t seen enough front compliance pivots to say what “normal” looks like, but I don’t remember mine looking like that.

Does your shop know which two nuts to free up on each side? It’s the ones the green arrows point to in the picture in post #14 here: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/24602-Caster-Adjustment-Seized. Note: that picture is of the caster adjuster in the right front wheel well and the front of the car is towards the right. Once those two nuts are loosened, you can stick a 5mm (I think that was the size) Allen key into the adjuster / washer dial under one of those two nuts (the thing that looks like a big off-center washer with dashes along the edge and a little hole in it), rotate the adjuster using the Allen key, moving the whole compliance pivot in the process, thereby adjusting the caster.

You don’t need to loosen the big bolt in the center of the rubber bushing.

The gap on the passenger side looks to me like the two adjusting bolts weren’t tightened properly or maybe a little rock got wedged in there while it was loose at some point. A gap opened up in my compliance pivots when I loosened the two nuts on each side and went away again when I torqued them back to spec. It could have been at the same place your arrow points to.

If the shop did loosen the correct nuts, couldn't rotate the adjuster washer, and the gap stayed even after torquing the nuts back to spec, maybe the compliance pivot is frozen in that position due to corrosion.

Hope that helps!

 

[ntenseone]

Okay, so there are two things I've determined about this...

1.) My garage floor is really cold this morning.

2.) The center section with the bolts appears to be protruding from the bushing roughly about the same amount on each side on my car, but there are no gaps like you have pictured above when viewed from the sides.

Methinks that gap is not supposed to be.

Good luck, sir.

 

[MOMSPH]

So ntenseone, does it protrude like what's shown on the picture?

 

[sparky]

MOMSPH I've looked at my car, plus a spare compliance pivot I have. Your driver side is correct in both photos, but there is something amiss with your passenger side pivots (the two photos on the left above). The nut and star-shaped bush should protrude at the bottom, and there should not be a big gap further up. Hope this helps.

 

[chudson1549]

For what it's worth. My drivers side looked like yours for years. I knew it wasn't right after looking at so many other NSX. I tried fixing it about 8 years ago by gently prying it down. It moved about an 1/16" I didn't want to break anything and left it. The car aligned with no issues.

I was finally able to fix it a month ago before I installed my compliance clamps. Brain fart happened back then with prying. I jacked the car up on stands. I took off the black plastic a-arm cover and sprayed a bunch wd-40 type product on the pivot shaft top and bottom making sure I hit the rubber bushing in the middle where the shaft slips into it. Set my jack on the point where the cover was and used my car jack and the weight of the car to make the shaft slide back in place. Took 10 mins. Like you I never knew why it was like that. Car rode great and aligned every time. I just knew it was out. why i don't know why
HTH

 

[MOMSPH]

Great info Sparky. Thanks so much.

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For what it's worth. My drivers side looked like yours for years. I knew it wasn't right after looking at so many other NSX. I tried fixing it about 8 years ago by gently prying it down. It moved about an 1/16" I didn't want to break anything and left it. The car aligned with no issues.

I was finally able to fix it a month ago before I installed my compliance clamps. Brain fart happened back then with prying. I jacked the car up on stands. I took off the black plastic a-arm cover and sprayed a bunch wd-40 type product on the pivot shaft top and bottom making sure I hit the rubber bushing in the middle where the shaft slips into it. Set my jack on the point where the cover was and used my car jack and the weight of the car to make the shaft slide back in place. Took 10 mins. Like you I never knew why it was like that. Car rode great and aligned every time. I just knew it was out. why i don't know why
HTH

Thanks as well, did you install a CT clamp?

 

[chudson1549]

Great info Sparky. Thanks so much.

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Thanks as well, did you install a CT clamp?

Carbon6 clamps. I was worried about them not fitting right with the pivots not sitting right.

 

[MOMSPH]

Carbon6 clamps. I was worried about them not fitting right with the pivots not sitting right.

How does it feel? Does the tires rub? I may need to order me a set to eliminate the caster issues. thanks.

 

[sparky]

I have 17" rims and 215/40 Kumho tyres and KW3 coil overs. After careful checking (with coil overs' disconnected and moving wheel to all extremes by hand) I've found that minimum caster setting will cause the back of the front tyre to rub (against metal wall) on full lock. With maximum caster they just touch the plastic wheel well liners on the other full lock. Mid-range caster seems to be the answer. How people can fit 18" rims I have no idea, it's very tight in there even with 17's, and I'm pretty sure anyone with 18's will get rubbing.

 

[MOMSPH]

Very helpful info Sparky. Thanks

 

[nis350]

I just checked mine and both sides are pretty even without that large gap.

Also Please NOTICE that there is a gap as pointed by the arrow on the passenger side and none on the driver side?????? IS THIS NORMAL as well?



Please help as we've been scratching our heads regarding this.

 

[MOMSPH]

Thanks, I will just probably get a non compliance clamp.

Thanks for all your feedback.

 

[chudson1549]

How does it feel? Does the tires rub? I may need to order me a set to eliminate the caster issues. thanks.

No rubbing at all.

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Thanks, I will just probably get a non compliance clamp.

Thanks for all your feedback.

Like I said. Just make sure you try to slip it back down. they might work with it out of sorts, but there is not much room to play with on the clamp before it starts to widen. You'll see what I mean if you look at the compliance clamp threads here. Where the clamp bolts to the car. It starts to radius and I didn't have room to fit the drivers side. I was really worried about filing away the pivot to fit the clamp. If you slide it back in place, mine bolted right up.