521 centerlink

[tangent]

so Im about to put new tie rods and centerlink in my 521, anybody done this before with any profound wisdom.. Im planning on pulling both Idler arms off of their spines..(after I mark them of course so i can get them in the same position they came off) and then yanking the whole thing out.. then removing the centerlink and tie rods from them after its out from under the vehicle..

 

make sure centerlink is wound out to the same legnth and then put it all back together.. am I missing something???

 

oh yeah wheels and spindles are allready off of the truck..

[]2eDeYe]

Yep, it's as easy as that. At least it was on my 620...

 

In fact it's even easier...the idler arm bolt's to the frame on the passenger side (on the 620). I bought a new one of these as well and would recommend you do the same (if you can with the 521).

The steering arm will only go back on 4 different ways and it's very obvious which one is the right way.

 

I got mine aligned when I bought new tires, but you should be able to get it close with a tape measure.

[datslamd]

Use lots of lube(penetration variety), heat em up if necessary, get the biggest pickle fork you can. Good luck.

 

Lates

[tangent]

Use lots of lube(penetration variety), heat em up if necessary, get the biggest pickle fork you can. Good luck.

 

Lates

 

Just a few love taps to help it along...lots of liquid wrench

[]2eDeYe]

Nice...I tried my steering arm puller on mine but it started to slip past the arm. Works great on the jeeps arms though....

 

Now I know to use my 3-arm puller. Thanks :D

[datzenmike]

so Im about to put new tie rods and centerlink in my 521, anybody done this before with any profound wisdom.. Im planning on pulling both Idler arms off of their spines..(after I mark them of course so i can get them in the same position they came off) and then yanking the whole thing out.. then removing the centerlink and tie rods from them after its out from under the vehicle..

 

make sure centerlink is wound out to the same legnth and then put it all back together.. am I missing something???

 

oh yeah wheels and spindles are allready off of the truck..

 

You could just count the number of turns to remove too. Don't forget your alignment is set with worn parts, the new tighter ones may still be slightly out, but more than close enough to drive to a shop.

 

Here's how I aligned my truck: You will need two 100 foot long pieces of cord or twine that can be pulled tight without breaking, but not too thick, two stakes or rods that can be driven into the ground, a tape measure. Have a friend help you.

 

Make sure truck is level side to side with wheels pointing straight ahead. In case of toe in or out, average it as best you can from side to side. Bounce the front bumper a few times to equalize the suspension. You are ready to make some measurements.

 

Start on one side, say the passenger side. Have your helper hold the string tightly against the outside rear of the tire half way up from the ground. Take the other end of the 100 foot string and a stake, and stretch it out tightly in front of the truck staying somewhat to the passenger side. While your helper watches, carefully move toward the middle of the truck centerline. The object is to have the string touch the rear and front outermost bulge in the tire horizontally through the center of the hub. Have your helper signal when the string just touches the front bulge in the tire. Do this several times and get a good average position and put the.stake in the ground and tie the string to the steak.

 

Now do the other side. You should now have two 100 foot long strings pointing forward, showing the alignment of each wheel. Measure the distance between the two strings just in front of the tires and call this distance A. Do the same at the steaks, call this distance B. Distance B should be less than A in order to have some toe-in. Here's the theory and math for setting a 1/2 degree toe in. This is what I used but any any amount can be factored in.

 

100 foot radius X 2 = 200' diameter

 

Circumference (distance around circle) is diameter X Pi (3.14) or 200 X 3.14 = 628' OR (to make measuring easier) X 12 = 7,536 inches circumference.

 

There are 360 degrees in a circle so 7,536 / 360 = 20.93 inches per degree.

 

1/2 degree would be half that or 20.93 / 2 = 10.46" or 10.5 inches rounded off.

 

On a 100 foot base line you need the distance B to be 10.5 inches smaller that distance A to get 1/2 degree toe in. My 1/2 degree toe is a guess based on some manuals and works for me, but if you have the correct amount I can work it out.

 

After any adjustment bounce the front bumper to equalize the suspension and re measure. Cost nothing. Quicker than the time to go somewhere that does it. Simple and easy.