Do Wheels Have to Be Realigned When Struts Are Replaced?
Most of the time, but not always. It depends on the application. When a
MacPherson strut is replaced on a vehicle where the strut is an integral part of
the suspension and it has provisions for camber and/or caster adjustments, the
original wheel alignment settings are lost when the strut is removed.
Even if the position of camber bolts and/or upper camber/caster plate is
carefully marked prior to removal, variations in manufacturing tolerances
between the original strut and its replacement will probably alter suspension
geometry enough to require realigning the wheels.
On vehicles with "wishbone" strut suspensions, the strut doesn't play a role in
wheel alignment. So on these vehicles, realignment of the wheels after replacing
the strut is not necessary.
On vehicles with rebuildable struts, it is not necessary to realign the wheels
if only the strut cartridge is being changed. But it is necessary to mark the
original positions of the upper strut plate and/or lower camber prior to
unbolting anything to preserve the original alignment settings.
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