2002 Explorer Rear Camber Issue

[Biggnate81]

• #1

Hey everyone, I picked up a 02 explorer a while back for cheap as a secondary vehicle for winter and when I needed to haul stuff. At any rate it was too good to be true and ended putting way more money in it than i anticipated. Now the issue I have is it looks like the rear tires lean really far in at the top, I had read other forums where it seems like you have to get a camber adjustment kit or something for the explorer's specifically? Do explorers normally have lean on the rear tires? This is my first explorer so I'm fairly unfamiliar with them. Also theres a whine going from the rear end under acceleration, from what I've read its possibly the pinion. Is it worth fixing? I'm not bothered by the noise and I might put 100 miles a month on it. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[fordysenior]

Mine has no leans on the tires. But these things are famous for wheel bearing failures. Have you jacked it up and tried to wiggle the wheel, or at least spin it.

 

[Biggnate81]

Mine has no leans on the tires. But these things are famous for wheel bearing failures. Have you jacked it up and tried to wiggle the wheel, or at least spin it.

Yea I actually had to replace the wheel bearing on the drivers side. Everything is tight no play at the ball joints or wheels bearings. I'm assuming theres some kind of adjustment where the control arms mount to the frame?

 

[Donystoy]

Looks like some major wear in suspension components. Frankly with that much out of whack camber I would be afraid to drive it. Take it to an alignment shop if unable to repair yourself.

 

[Biggnate81]

Looks like some major wear in suspension components. Frankly with that much out of whack camber I would be afraid to drive it. Take it to an alignment shop if unable to repair yourself.

So does the control arm mount bolt have like an oblong hole or something to allow for camber adjustment? It looks to me like there's no adjustment but there has to be somewhere. That's one of the main reasons I dont drive it, well and that I love driving my focus st lol.

 

[Donystoy]

Here is a bit of a write up on the Explorer suspension. Certainly check for wear first. This write up mentioned the coil spring issues. I replaced both of mine a couple of years ago.

Alignment Specs: 2002-2005 Ford Explorer

 

[TechGuru]

The rear camber is adjustable BUT adjusting it affects the rear toe so you will need a alignment if you adjust it.

 

[Biggnate81]

Here is a bit of a write up on the Explorer suspension. Certainly check for wear first. This write up mentioned the coil spring issues. I replaced both of mine a couple of years ago.

Alignment Specs: 2002-2005 Ford Explorer

Thanks @Donystoy I might try and get it in the garage this weekend and see if I can get it adjusted, had too many projects going on the past few weeks to mess with it. That write up was very informative and yes my springs were also broke, I ended up replacing both strut assemblies in the rear.

 

[FPGT24]

My 05 Mounty's rear wheels have an inward lean, but not nearly this bad. Thought the struts were bad or worn/cracked coils, so i replaced them with KYB quick struts - it helped a little bit but the lean is still there. .Im going to take mine to an alignment shop to see what they have to say about it. I highly recommend you to do the same, this is not normal by any means. Our OEM struts are known for the coil springs cracking, get up in there and take a close look at your springs, it may be difficult to see a crack by a quick check, so look them over well. If you find any cracks, replace with KYB quick struts and then send it to an alignment shop.

 

[Biggnate81]

My 05 Mounty's rear wheels have an inward lean, but not nearly this bad. Thought the struts were bad or worn/cracked coils, so i replaced them with KYB quick struts - it helped a little bit but the lean is still there. .Im going to take mine to an alignment shop to see what they have to say about it. I highly recommend you to do the same, this is not normal by any means. Our OEM struts are known for the coil springs cracking, get up in there and take a close look at your springs, it may be difficult to see a crack by a quick check, so look them over well. If you find any cracks, replace with KYB quick struts and then send it to an alignment shop.

Yea both of my rear springs were broke and I did replace them with KYB. I took it to the local alignment shop and they said they couldn't align the rear without the camber adjustment kit but it's close according to their alignment computer the right side is in the green and the left side is just a little further out. No more than I drive it I'll probably leave it like it is, everything is tight and solid.

 

[Biggnate81]

I hadn't really looked at the paper they gave me but it looks like they're supposed to have some negative camber for factory specs. Everything is within the specs except for the left rear and it's only out by .4 degrees.

 

[TechGuru]

I hadn't really looked at the paper they gave me but it looks like they're supposed to have some negative camber for factory specs. Everything is within the specs except for the left rear and it's only out by .4 degrees.
View attachment 316588

Get your money back! That was clearly a toe only alignment. They did not touch the castor or the camber on the front or rear. Probably because they don't know how to adjust it! Take it to a Ford dealer for alignment.

I'm attaching a copy of the alignment instructions from the Ford service manual.

 

[FPGT24]

Most shops that do alignments only adjust the Toe for the price they advertise. Caster and camber is usually extra.