Van wheel alignment...perhaps?
Submitted: Friday, Jun 26, 2009 at 16:08
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henpecked
After returning from a 17000km trip I have noticed that the inside of one tyre is severely worn. The wear is fairly even right around the tyre. The van is a single axle with leaf springs plus shockies. The tyre is not PERFECTLY round as I have jacked it up and noticed the tyre will juuust touch and juuust miss a refernce point when rotated.
Do I need to pay more attention to tyre pressure? Both tyres were at same pressure but no undue wear on other tyre.
Do I need to have the axle/wheel alignment checked?...If so, does anyone know of anyone ( in the Liverpool area preferably) able to do this please?
Reply By: Member - RobnJane(VIC) - Friday, Jun 26, 2009 at 16:48
Friday, Jun 26, 2009 at 16:48
G'day Henpecked(???),
As it seems the van has 'conventional
suspension, 'solid' axle and tyre wear is restricted to one tyre then it is likely the cause is in the area of that tyre/wheel. If it was an axle alignment issue you would expect to see a similar concern with the other tyre, however the wear would likely be on the outside edge of the tyre.
I would first
check for any looseness in the wheel bearing adjustment, and correct that. In the event there is looseness and that has caused significant tyre wear I would
check the outer bearing for any untoward wear, if ok repack and install with correct adjustment.
Is it possible the van took a big (pothole) hit on that side and there is a slight bend in the axle end, this would explain one wheel/tyre only showing wear.
I'd start with the wheel bearing adjustment and go from there, ie simplest things first.
Rgds,
Rob.
AnswerID:
371972
Follow Up By: henpecked - Friday, Jun 26, 2009 at 17:38
Friday, Jun 26, 2009 at 17:38
G'Day Rob, it was by servicing the wheel bearings I noticed the tyre wear. Before removing the split pin, I marked the wheel nut so as I knew where to re-tighten
the nut to. I recollect thinking at the time on that particular wheel
the nut seemed a bit loose, but hey, I had had the bearings done by the pro's prior to the trip. Anyway when I reassembled everything I took
the nut up to the same castellation, but had to use a spanner to get there...too tight in my opinion so backed off one castellation which feels good to me. It appears to me now that
the nut was originally 5/6 of a turn too loose.
Thanks for your help.
Rgds. Ted
FollowupID:
639254
Reply By: Member - Fred G NSW - Friday, Jun 26, 2009 at 18:28
Friday, Jun 26, 2009 at 18:28
17000 k's is a lot of k's without doing any bearing and wheel checks on the road, especially if you had new ones fitted before setting sail.
I keep a watch on hub temperatures at most stops, only takes a few seconds, while you stretch your legs, and can save a lot of heartache as I found out with a boat trailer many years ago. About every 3000 k's I quickly jack each side of the van up and
check for bearing flog, and
check the wheel for any problems. Cheap insurance and peace of mind.
Hope you find the source of your problem.
Fred.
AnswerID:
371995