Cant do an alignment on my 95 Suburban

[7footone]

Hey, i took my suburban in to get an alignment, and they said they couldnt do it because of worn out parts. What do i need to have replaced to have it aligned.they were less than forthcoming when it came to the parts needed to get this done. do i need to replace the upper and lower ball joints, and do i need to replace the inner and outer tie rod ends, or just some of it?

[Jimmiee]

Just one of those parts worn out is enough cause not to align the front end.

[tattooed4life]

I would take it to another shop and get a second opinion. Tell them you want to see what needs to be replaced while the trucks on the lift. Don't jump right into the first qoute you get.

[2COR517]

I agree you need to go to another shop. But in the meantime, this might help you get an idea what is going on.

To check the ball joints: Jack up under the a-arm, leave about an inch of space under the tire. Get a big lever/pry bar and try to move the tire up and down while watching the lower ball joint. Any movements means it's gone. You can also check the upper at the same time. Just try to move the top of the tire in and out while watching the upper. Once again, any movement and its gone. You can also check the wheel bearings with the tire up. Grap the top and bottom and try to move it. It's nice to have a helper watch for movement in the hub. Do both sides.

To check the steering linkage: Jack up one front tire, leave the other on the ground. Get a strong helper and have them grab the tire at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. Have them shake, pull, push while you look around. Idler arms are infamous, as well as Pitman arms. One joint on the pitman, two on the idler, two inner tie rods, two outer tie rods.

The steering box itself could be bad also. That wouldn't make an alignment impossible, but you would still have driveability problems.

At the very least, you can go into the next shop with a better sense of what probably needs to be done.

[thrasher]

Not only upper/lower ball joints, inner & outer tie rods AND all the control arm bushings. The more parst replaced, the tighter the front end will be.