Camber on the big truck

Sculptor · October 15, 2023

2013 VNL 730…. I’ve recently noticed some significant tire wear on the steers. They are about 2 years old. Yes I agree I should have looked a long time ago. The wear is even not cupped, along the outer edge of the tires. I’ve been running at 95 psi to smooth out the ride. Yesterday I bumped it up to 105 psi. Tires are rated 110 psi cold.
My question is where to look for correction? Is it true that a dealer will just farm the job of alignment out to a specialty shop? I had 2 alignments done in NC, one through the dealership and one through the spring shop the dealer sends it to. Since then I put the new steers on but never got it aligned.
Is alignment just the toe-in/toe-out adjustment? Or does it include the camber adjustment?

We are on the road still but will settle in the RGV by the first of November. Then I will start looking for a place.

Darryl&Rita · October 15, 2023

Kingpins. Biggest wear item that gets the least attention. Outside wear is typically a result of toe settings, and one side has to do with the steering linkage of the set back axle on a Volvo. Add in worn/undergreased kingpins, and you get wear. Grease may keep you going until fall, but the miles will accumulate, as will the wear to the tire. Given enough miles, it'll carry over to the other side.

Wrknrvr · October 15, 2023

Possible tie rod ends are out of spec. That could be checked by measuring the front of the tire spacing, compared to the rear of the tire. I think that needs done when the vehicle is stopped and was going forward when stopped. Also with tires not having stress between them, feel if there is any loose play at the ends.

If the passenger side tire is jacked up. You could test for play in the tie rod ends by wiggling the tire back and forth. While the tire is up in the air you could try wiggling the tire in and out at the top. Or prying on the bottom of the tire. That could show a wheel bearing. Or as Darryl said, king pins being a problem.

If you think a tie rod end is bad , a few pumps of grease in one at a time, could prove your thinking’.

Just some more thoughts?

Sculptor · October 15, 2023

Thanks guys. I have greased the front end but infrequently. Only put 40k on it since I bought it.

rickeieio · October 16, 2023

By "outside edges", do you mean extreme outer edge, or both the inner and outer edge of each tire?

If you mean both inside and outside edges, then you're on the right track with tire pressures. Weigh the front axle and consult the tire chart for your particular tire.

Sculptor · October 16, 2023

I tried to answer last night and it didn’t post so I’ll try again.
Thanks Rick, I meant one outside edge on each tire, away from the engine. The edges toward the engine were much less worn. But since the center seemed even less, that’s when I decided to up the pressure. Today I might even bump it up to full pressure 110 cold. We are in Miami near the Keys and it’s pretty hot here. 😁

I will look at an old weight sheet I have and do as you suggest. What tire chart? In the resource? Say hi to S.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Sculptor

Deezl Smoke · October 16, 2023

32 minutes ago, Sculptor said:

I tried to answer last night and it didn’t post so I’ll try again.
Thanks Rick, I meant one outside edge on each tire, away from the engine. The edges toward the engine were much less worn. But since the center seemed even less, that’s when I decided to up the pressure. Today I might even bump it up to full pressure 110 cold. We are in Miami near the Keys and it’s pretty hot here. 😁

I will look at an old weight sheet I have and do as you suggest. What tire chart? In the resource? Say hi to S.

You wont see any difference in 10psi or even 20 ninety percent of the time.I'd like to say running 95psi is fine, but that would not be a good thing to say online as it may be taken as advice, which it is not. I do however use your same thought process on that topic and have had no issues for many, many years and miles.

Darryl&Rita have great advice above. Toe. Some shops, and I don't know anything about the shop your truck has been to, may put too much toe "IN" to compensate for another axle alignment issue to keep the truck driving straight. But worn, or damaged tie rod ends can allow this too.

I've also learned that road conditions can cause uneven wear if you spend a lot of time on roads that have grooves worn in from studded car tires at standard car or automobile width. Though much of the time this sort of wear can be confirmed by wear patterns on the drive tires.

For the wear to be so noticeable in such short time, if it's an alignment issue I'd bet you can measure the toe yourself with a tape measure. With 40" truck tires, you should'nt be too awful much over about 1/2 to 3/4". But consult official specs to confirm or deny that.

In the mean time if you enjoy youtube university for repair instruction and ideas, here's a youtube link to a channel called "Bendin with Bendon". This guy does some awesome work on semi chassis and axles, including a lot of alignments.

rickeieio · October 16, 2023

I've been pretty successful finding inflation charts on tire mfg. web sites. If that doesn't work, a generic inflation chart for the tire size will get you close. But like Deezl says, a few pounds won't make that much difference.

BUT, since the wear is mostly on the outside/outside, it's likely one, or more, of the wear points suggested above.

Sculptor · October 16, 2023

New development, I looked nearby and called a mobile mechanic. He is very well reviewed on Google. He is waiting for his new house to close. He is living in the same park we are staying at, and saw us pull into the park yesterday. I saw his service truck leave this morning before first light. He will stop by our site late afternoon today.
At least I can get a good diagnosis or even an on-site repair. He said kingpins are not likely. Probably a wheel bearing. We shall see.

Sculptor · October 16, 2023

1 hour ago, Deezl Smoke said:

You wont see any difference in 10psi or even 20 ninety percent of the time.I'd like to say running 95psi is fine, but that would not be a good thing to say online as it may be taken as advice, which it is not. I do however use your same thought process on that topic and have had no issues for many, many years and miles.

Darryl&Rita have great advice above. Toe. Some shops, and I don't know anything about the shop your truck has been to, may put too much toe "IN" to compensate for another axle alignment issue to keep the truck driving straight. But worn, or damaged tie rod ends can allow this too.

I've also learned that road conditions can cause uneven wear if you spend a lot of time on roads that have grooves worn in from studded car tires at standard car or automobile width. Though much of the time this sort of wear can be confirmed by wear patterns on the drive tires.

For the wear to be so noticeable in such short time, if it's an alignment issue I'd bet you can measure the toe yourself with a tape measure. With 40" truck tires, you should'nt be too awful much over about 1/2 to 3/4". But consult official specs to confirm or deny that.

In the mean time if you enjoy youtube university for repair instruction and ideas, here's a youtube link to a channel called "Bendin with Bendon". This guy does some awesome work on semi chassis and axles, including a lot of alignments.

Thanks Deezle, I checked out 2 of his videos. Made me a little tool envious, if I can say that here. 🥸

Sculptor · October 17, 2023

So Trey Marshall of Marshall Diesel Repair stopped by for a quick assessment of the Volvo front end. He said the linkages all look good. The kingpins seemed “dry” and so he greased some different fittings for me. He agreed the wear seemed more from running under-pressure. There was no way to jack up the front end to check for looseness anywhere. Ride height was even side to side. the one item Trey noticed was there is a shim on the spring bracket (?) on the left front, but not on the right front. He said to have that checked out. I’m told that’s a common correction for alignment.

We both agreed this campground will not allow any significant work to be done here.

By the way, I chose this cg because of its proximity to family in Cutler Ridge. I discussed my rig on 2 or 3 different occasions and was assured we could fit the site.

They have no long sites here. They are extremely nitpicking about parking on our site, to point of demanding I remove the stepladder from our RV ladder to move the truck 6” further off the pavement. I was off the pavement when I was forced to move. Don’t consider Southern Comfort resort when you travel.

Danfreda1 · October 17, 2023

We have the same wear on our steers had 2 different alignments and the second one had to bend the axle to get it back in spec. It was the passenger side front. Made a big difference on the way it steered on the highway. Always had a pull to the right even on left curves. On the last short trip we didn’t load the car just had the trailer on the truck and the outside edges of the tread looked scuffed more than when we have the car loaded on the truck. When we leave next Tuesday with car loaded I will be sure to look at the tires again. And nothing should be worn out on the truck yet. 44600 miles

Sculptor · October 18, 2023

10 hours ago, Danfreda1 said:

We have the same wear on our steers had 2 different alignments and the second one had to bend the axle to get it back in spec. It was the passenger side front. Made a big difference on the way it steered on the highway. Always had a pull to the right even on left curves. On the last short trip we didn’t load the car just had the trailer on the truck and the outside edges of the tread looked scuffed more than when we have the car loaded on the truck. When we leave next Tuesday with car loaded I will be sure to look at the tires again. And nothing should be worn out on the truck yet. 44600 miles

Thanks Dan, I haven’t noticed pulling (except when braking, another small problem with the front cams sticking) but have always thought it wanders pretty quick if I take my eyes off the road even for a second or two. Some roads are worse than others.