Contents: Wheel alignment ↓ Wheel alignment ↓ Angle of longitudinal inclination of…↓ Wheel turning angle ↓
Adjustment of the front wheel alignment angles is performed on a loaded vehicle. Before starting adjustments, make sure that there is no play in the steering rod ends and in the lever joints. An optical measuring device is used for measurement, although a mechanical device is quite sufficient. The measurement methods on different equipment differ from each other, so only general instructions for taking measurements are given below.
Wheel alignment
The front wheel alignment is adjusted only by the right steering rod, even if an adjustable rod is installed on the left side. During the measurement, according to the instructions, the wheel should be free. The front wheel alignment should be (0±0.1) mm. When the alignment is adjusted, it is necessary to set the steering wheel spoke to a horizontal position. The need to set the steering wheel position occurs because only the length of one steering rod is adjusted. Remove the pad from the steering wheel, remove the steering wheel and set it to a horizontal position. Tighten the steering wheel mounting nut to a torque of 50 Nm. Tighten the nut of the ball end pin of the rod to the same torque. If the rubber boot gets twisted when screwing in the rod, release the wire clamp, adjust the boot and fix the clamp again.
Wheel alignment
In older Golf II/Jetta II models, it was possible to adjust the camber of the wheels. This was done using the upper bolt that secured the steering knuckle to the spring strut. This bolt with an eccentric allowed the camber angle to be changed by 2°. If the measured value of the wheel angle is not within the range of -50'...+10' or the difference in the angles of the left and right sides exceeds 30', adjustments must be made. Loosen the lower bolt that secures the steering knuckle to the spring strut. Loosen the eccentric bolt nut (figure 390). Turn the eccentric bolt until the correct camber angle is achieved.
Tighten both nuts to 80 Nm and check the angle again.
After adjusting the wheel alignment, the wheel alignment should be checked and, if necessary, adjusted.
In later production cars (with 1.3 l engines) the wheel camber is not adjustable for design reasons. However, if a change in the camber angle is detected that is not caused by the suspension condition, the bolt must be replaced with another one that is 1 mm thinner (catalog number 100766.01). First, replace the upper bolt of the steering knuckle. If this does not give the expected result, the lower bolt must also be replaced. This method can correct the wheel camber by 1°. The wheel camber angle should always be in the range of -60'...0°, and the difference between the left and right sides should not exceed 30'.
Angle of longitudinal inclination of kingpin
The value of the longitudinal inclination angle of the kingpin of the steering knuckle should be 1°30'±30'. The angle is not subject to adjustment. The difference between the right and left sides should not exceed 1°.
Wheel turning angle
The wheel turning angle is not adjustable. The maximum outer wheel turning angle is 39°, the inner one is 33.3°. If they differ from the required value, this means that the front suspension elements are deformed.
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