Thread: B13 rear suspension re-assembly problem. Alignment all wrong. (Broadband only!)

You should put the information how ever you feel appropriate in your thread. Let me know when you update and I'll look over it.

I'm thinking there's too much good information here to fit all of it into your thread. This is a pretty comprehensive thread on the entire rear suspension geometry that could be referenced whenever anyone wants to touch the rear of their car. I'm thinking this should be a sticky on it's own (not to nominate myself for a sticky or anything :o ).

Sorry Ben, i was weeding through all the pics and blogs ( very nice job BTW ) , and i hadn't read what your source problem was?

I concluded that you had somehow sliced off a piece of your left rear knuckle, allowing the bolt that holds the link to bend causing your toe in problem?

I know this is a ton of information and text/pictures to wade through. I'm surprised if anyone's actually followed it all.
You're close, but no cigar. See post #66 for a better explanation. =]

I still have no idea why my alignment is all off. Logic says I must have messed something up when I took the rear apart for the first time but I don't see how I could have messed it up at all, let alone this bad.

eehh, I'm lost. have you tried getting it aligned with a good alignment rack?

Would it help if someone with a known good rear suspension setup took extensive pics?

I just did an alignment on my car on monday and my front toe was way off ( IIRC Lf was something like -13.0 * and Rf was something ridiculous like +30* )

I was getting what felt like nasty torque steer, but i wasn't sliding or pulling, just drifting to the right on acceleration as if it were on ice.

I reset the rear toe to 8.0* on both sides, and same for the front . I used a Hunter alignment machine that brings up alignment specs for all vehicles and it now feels like it turns on rails AND with $hitty tires. I'm taking corners at like 40 mph LOL .


I ordered some new tires so after i mount and balance those i will realign it back to factory settings, and this time i'll print it out.
I will bring my digicam with me to take pics of my rear suspension.


Maybe if you compare the 2 you may find something out of wack.

No I have not. If my eyes can pick out the terrible alignment then it's way off. Also, a decent alignment should be able to be obtained by eye. Not perfect, but decent. Even so, the only thing adjustable in the rear is the toe adjustment bolt which doesn't give nearly enough adjustment to correct the problem completely. I'm pretty sure if I take it to get it aligned at a shop they'll just send me out of there telling me the frame or suspension is bent somewhere.

I wouldn't waste your time. I don't see how anything could be gained by just pictures of what's on your car. The only thing I'd be really curious of is the exact length of your front vs. back parallel links and a picture of the toe adjustment markings on the toe adjustment bolt/washer and how they line up with the chassis marking.

My brother has a stock B13 SE-R that I can dissect if I find the need.

not sure if you explained this or not, how did you try to adjust it yourself?

i have more questions, but i perfer asking one at a time.

A decent alignment should be able to be picked up by the naked eye?

You have to keep in mind performing an alignment is a precise measurement.

When i was aligning my car , just a slight turn of the adjustment bolt would send the numbers go way off in a crazy direction. it went from .38* to something crazy like .24* on a single turn. If you don't have the numbers in front of you it's more difficult to adjust the right way.

I tried the eyeball method before with no success, on an alignment machine it cuts the time down to prolly a 1/4.

But either way that still doesn't solve your bent bolt problem.

I think you should compare notes. Raise both vehicles up by the rear and compare part for part. Bolt for bolt. IMO this situation may be resolved by the smallest detail that may have been overlooked.

Believe me i have been in that situation where i was pulling my hair outta my head trying to figure it out, only to find it was a tiny thing causing my anguish.