MAHLE RTI Laser 4 User Manual

®
Laser 4
®
Laser 4 Plus
OPERATION MANUAL
Four Wheel Alignment
RTI Technologies, Inc.
York, PA 17402
800-468-2321 (Ext. 259)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Four Wheel Alignment, Basics...................3
Pre-Alignment Checks .........................4
Four Wheel Alignment Procedures
Install Wheel Clamps .....................5
Compensating Wheel Runout ...............5
Camber Reading .........................7
Caster Reading ..........................9
Steering Axis Inclination (SAI) Reading.....11
Instrumentation Set-up ...................13
Front Wheel Toe Reading ................14
Front Wheel Alignment to Vehicle Centerline 16
Thrust Angle Alignment..................17
Total Vehicle Four Wheel Alignment .......18
Calibration Procedure.........................19
Battery Replacement ..........................22
CONGRATULATIONS: You have purchased one of the finest Four-wheel Alignment Systems available at
any price. Fill out and return the Warranty Card within 90 days to activate the warranty and
free lifetime technical support.
Laser 4 & Laser 4 Plus - Instrumentation Only
Factory Technical Support
( 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern )
800-468-2321
(Consult the shop manual concerning methods for making alignment adjustments.)
Page 1
The Laser 4 Plus is a four-wheel alignment system t h a t uses three Class II laser products. These lasers have a maximum output power of 5.0 milliwatts. The laser tubes meet all government safety standards, although common sense dictates that one should not stare directly into the beam. Laser precision is unaffected by light, temperature, and the concentrated light beam is clearly visible anywhere. The following precautions have been taken to insure the safety of the system (See Fig. 1):
1) Serial Number label is located on underside of casting on power supply cover. Each serial number is recorded for future identification.
2) LED light comes on as soon as power is activated to laser beam.
3) Slide cover must be slid toward casting to uncover laser beam (LH Toe Gauge only).
4) Caution decals are located on the unit.
5) Flip-open protective cap protects laser unit when not in use.
CAUTION: Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than those specified herein
may result in hazardous radiation exposure.
Page 2
FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Rear wheels must track and foll ow the front wheels in a parallel direction with all four wheel adjusted to the common centerline of the vehicle. (See Fig. 2)
1)Front wheel alignment and
front wheel toe on car manufacturer’s specifications.
2)Rear wheel alignment and rear wheel toe on car manufacturer’s specifications.
3)Front wheels track to rear wheel thrust lines and to centerline of vehicle.
4)Steering wheel centered in straight ahead position.
BASIC STEPS TO DO FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENTS
Step 1 Adjust front wheel camber and caster to car manufacturer’s
settings. (See Fig. 3)
Step 2 Center steering wheel. Adjust front wheel toe to
manufacturer’s setting. (See Fig.4)
Step 3 Adjust f ront wheels to rear wheel in relation to rear axle
position. (See Fig. 5)
Step 4 Adjust rear wheel camber and toe to car manufacturer’s
setting.
Page 3
PRE-ALIGNMENT CHECKS
To mai ntain a true alignme nt job; ensure maximum tire mileage a nd steering safety , it is important to p erfor m certain pre-alignment checks before doing wheel alignment adjustments. They are:
1. Inflate tires to proper inflation pressures.
2. Check car spring height.
3. Check shock absorbers and struts.
4. Inspect steering/suspension parts for wear or looseness. Replace parts which are worn beyond manufacturer’s accepted tolerances.
5. Check calibrations of the Laser 4 wheel alignment equipment. See Calibration Procedure section of this manual.
FRONT WHEEL SETBACK
Front wheel setback is a condition in which one front wheel has been driven or pushed back, out of alignment, from the opposite wheel. It is caused by one wheel of the vehicle striking a curb or pothole in the road forcing that wheel back from the other (See Fig. A).
To measure front wheel setback with the Laser 4 wheel alignment system, adjust front wheel toe; center steering wheel, and note the location of the Laser beam on the wheel setback scale (See Fig. B) of the passenger side laser toe gauge. Make sure that the Laser toe gauges are centered on the wheel clamps. The scale reads eith er right or left wheel setback. The front wheel suspension should be adjusted if the setback is greater than 1/4 inch. Excessive front wheel setback will cause a change in caster.
The Laser 4 alignment system automatically compensates for front wheel setback because of the use of the tapered, precisely ground magnets. When toe is adjuste d to zero, the tube of the optical toe gauges become parallel to each other. Front wheel toe reading is unaffected by front wheel setback.
Page 4
INSTALL WHEEL CLAMPS
Install Wheel Clamps on each wheel. (See Fig. 6) Adjust the four bars in each clamp for t he best fit to the wheel rim. Two sets of notches on one end or a threaded pin on the other end provide for inside or outside mounting to the wheel rim. Use d ouble-sided foam tape at contact points on decorative or soft metal rims. Make sure that th e Wheel Clamps are securely attached.
Select th e configuration which gives the most secure fit with the least amount of pressure on the wheel rim.
COMPENSATING WHEEL RUNOUT (Laser 4 Plus)
Wheel Clamps must be adjusted to compensate for wheel runout. This adjustment is made using the three Runout Adjusting Knobs.
1) Raise wheel and tire from turning gauge or rear wheel slip plate. Turn wheel so the large wheel clamping knob is at the top (12 o’clock position).
2) Mount the Electronic Gauge on the Wheel Clamp as shown (See Fig.7). Center the magnet on the Wheel Runout Compensating Adapter. Turn the Electronic Gauge so it is level.
3) Set the selector to CASTER and press the rocker switch to ON. Press the Zero Button. (See Fig. 8)
4) Rotate the wheel so the wheel clamp adjusting knob is at the 2 o’clock position. Turn the El ectronic gauge so it is once ag ain level. Note the value on the Digital Readout Screen. Ignore the + or - which appears before the numbers.
Repeat at the 4, 6, 8, and 10 o’clock positions. Re­level the Electronic gauge at each position.
5) Turn the wheel to the position where the largest numeric reading was observed. Turn the Runout Adjusting Knobs to decrease this reading by one -half. Press the Zero Button and repeat step 4, checking for the largest numeric reading at each of the six positions.
6) The wheel clamp is properly adjusted when the Electronic Gauge reads within 0.1 at all six positions.
Page 5
COMPENSATING WHEEL RUNOUT (Laser 4)
Wheel Clamps must be adjusted to compensate for wheel runout. This adjustment is made using the three Wheel Runout Adjusting Knobs.
1) Raise wheel and tire from turning gauge or rear wheel slip plate. Turn wheel so the large wheel clam ping knob is at the top (12 o’clock position).
2) Mount t he Spirit Level Gauge on the Wheel Clamp. (See Figure 9) Center the magnet on the Wheel Runout Compensating Adapter. Turn the Spirit L evel Gauge so it is level.
3) Zero the Caster Spirit Level using the adjusting knob on the bottom of the unit.
4) Rotate the wheel so the wheel clamp adjusting knob is at the 2 o’clock position. Turn the Spirit Level Gauge so it is once again level. Note the amount of movement of the bubble away from zero.
Repeat at the 4, 6, 8, and 10 o’clock positions. Re­level the Spirit Level Gauge at each position.
5) Turn the wheel to the position where the largest movement of the bubble was observed. Turn the Runout Adjusting Knobs to decrease this reading by one-half. Zero the Caster Spirit Level and repeat step 4, checking for the largest movement of the bubble away from zero at each of the six positions.
6) The wheel clamp is properly adjusted when the bubble does not move away from zero at all six positions.
Page 6
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