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Check for dog tracking

skoal_mint

Well-Known Member
Joined
September 19, 2005
Messages
537
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1
City, State
Geraldton ontario
Year, Model & Trim Level
97 explorer sport 4.0
Well I cant seem to find why my explorer is pulling hard to the right, tires arent showing no were beside a little cupping.

Did anyone ever measure for dog tracking befor? where did u measure from and how did you adjust

the tow in is perfect
 



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Well I cant seem to find why my explorer is pulling hard to the right, tires arent showing no were beside a little cupping.

Did anyone ever measure for dog tracking befor? where did u measure from and how did you adjust

the tow in is perfect

brakes?
 






First thing would be to check your air pressure.

Second,swap your front tires side to side and see if it switches with the tires.

Also check your Upper control arm bolts and make sure they are tight.
 






Drop a plumb bob from the very center of each axle and mark the position with chalk. Move the expy out of the way and measure crosswise left front to right rear and right front to left rear. Any difference is how much it dog tracks.

Scucci
 






Well I cant seem to find why my explorer is pulling hard to the right, tires arent showing no were beside a little cupping.

Did anyone ever measure for dog tracking befor? where did u measure from and how did you adjust

the tow in is perfect

Take it to a shop and have it aligned. It could be a whole bunch of stuff, or it could simply be an alignment that's off.

Didn't you just replace the upper control arm or ball joint recently?

-Joe
 






It's been doing this for 5 years from the day I bought it.

Yes, I replaced 2 ball joint, bearings, tierods, and a upper control arm bushing.

Thanks eb, going to give that a try later... Going to be hard fine tunning it, guess i'll lossen the ubolts and get out the old sledg hammer
 






Have you had the thing aligned??? That should be job #1. There is no reason not to... You'll never get it perfectly aligned by eye... with the stuff you replaced, the UCA bushings, tie rods, and ball joints all affect the alignment. Odds are it's all outta whack. It's not necessarily dog-tracking. It could simply be too much caster on the right side, or too little on the left, or a tie rod that's too long on the right... It's quite possible to have a pull to one side that's NOT caused by a rear axle issue. Happens all the time, especially after replacing front end components.

Is there a reason you haven't had it aligned yet??
 






Drop a plumb bob from the very center of each axle and mark the position with chalk. Move the expy out of the way and measure crosswise left front to right rear and right front to left rear. Any difference is how much it dog tracks.

Scucci

Please elaborate on this? How, exactly, do you determine the 'very center' of each axle? How do you accurately measure to a 1/4" wide chalk mark?

Even inaccurate alignment racks are going to provide measurements to the 10ths of a degree. Good alignment racks will provide caster, camber, and toe angles to the hundredths (.01 degrees). Measuring chalk marks with a tape measure is pointless IMO.
 






The plumb bob is not an alignment rack. It is a quick check of axle triangulation. You pull the hub caps and get as close to the center as possible and measure to the center of the chalk mark. This is an old procedure- dates back to the first cars made. I was taught by some very old timers - which I am now. I have used this in a production environment and in building competition cars. If the measurements are not within 1/4" it goes to the alignment rack or frame rack. It is not very precise but can help confirm dog tracking.

Scucci
 






I have a VERY big pull, and nothing in the front could cause that much of a pull and not wear the tires.

But I was talking to another guy who says to measure the ends of each exel to a center point of the vechile..that way your only measuring the rear and not the front too, which could be off and would screw up the measurment... I'll try both and see
 






well...around here we just hop out and start dancing around the car, im sure youll see if its dog tracking or not ;)

although id be careful with that ghost ride stuff in school zones and such prolly not too safe
 






okay.

It would be doing a complete circle within 2 blocks
 






oh id align it mine pulled to the right when i let go on the freeway i thought it was just the road crown til i got it aligned, made a difference me thinks..
 






okay.

It would be doing a complete circle within 2 blocks

Why haven't you taken it to an alignment shop yet? They'll have the problem pin-pointed in literally a few minutes...
 






Why haven't you taken it to an alignment shop yet? They'll have the problem pin-pointed in literally a few minutes...

Agreed. Just make sure it's a four wheel alignment machine they use.
 






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