I just had an alignment done on our 2010 XLS. After alignment the front is fine. The rear is a bit of a problem.

Here's a diagram of the rear suspension's components related to alignment -- in particular, numbers 1 and 2.



Number 1 is bolted to the vehicle's large rear crossmember and the trailing arm. The bolt that connects that arm to the trailing arm is a simple straight-through bolt. The "bolt" that connects the arm to the crossmember has an eccentric welded to the bottom of the head and the threaded portion of the bolt has a groove cut into it which accepts a large, eccentric washer which has a sort of tooth in it which slides in the groove, kepping the washer in one fixed rotational position. The part of the crossmember that accepts the eccentric bolt has a sort of raised "box" on each side that is the width of the two eccentrics. A horizontal slot is cut in the center of the box. By rotating the bolt head, the metal sleeve in the arm's bushing (and therefore the entire arm) can be moved inward or outward by maybe an inch or so. This pushes or pulls on the trailing arm, adjusting the amount of "toe" of each wheel.

The problem is a common one on Outlanders of our vehicle's age. The eccentric mechanism has completely "rust welded" into the arm bushing, making it most-likely impossible to remove that bolt/eccentric from the arm bushing. (I know because I spent hours trying.) While holding the bolt head in one rotary position, I managed to remove the nut, which was really stuck onto the threads. But because the bolt head w eccentric cannot be rotated (because doing that would ruin the "box" in which the eccentric rotates), the bolt must be first moved outward from the edges of the box, which is impossible because the bolt is rust-welded into the bushing sleeve. The bolt cannot be heated enough to help break the bond because heating will destroy the rubber of the bushing.

We cannot be without our vehicle for more than a few hours. Therefore, I have ordered two Moog replacement arms to have on hand when I once again tackle this job.

Once I have those arms in hand (which sounds a bit weird), I will first remove the arm's bolt that secures it to the trailing arm. This should be a straightforward job with an impact wrench. After this, I can rotate the arm while holding the bolt/eccentric in rotational position. This will apply rotational stress (an opposing force) between the bolt and the bushing's sleeve. It is possible that the bolt will then break away from the rust-grip that the sleeve has on it, but it is also possible, maybe likely, that it may remain stuck.

The good thing is that there is a significant space between the "jaws" of part of the crossmember that accepts the sleeve of the bushing and the metal that surrounds the rubber (the metal part of the bushing that is pressed into the arm). I believe that I can lock a pair of visegrips to the sleeve, right where it sits up against one half of the "jaws". Then I can attempt to turn the sleeve while I hold the bolt in rotational position with a socket wrench. This way I can apply a tremendous opposing rotational force between the sleeve and the bolt body. This may actually work. If it does, I will be able to remove that bolt and save the arm. I can then return all the new parts and will have spent almost nothing (except blood, sweat and tears, and time and effort).

If the above does not work, I will cut what I have to cut to remove the arm and replace the arms and whatever fasteners it takes to get the mechanism to work the way it should, so that I can get the rear toe adjusted properly.

Now to part number 2 and the rear camber, which is slightly off spec. In short, Mitsubishi sets rear wheel camber at the factory. The upper arm is not adjustable and, therefore, camber is not adjustable. What I want to know is just exactly WHY our vehicle's camber is just a bit off spec. They way I see it, assuming that Mitsubishi set the camber correctly at the factory, there are only two possibilites. 1. The bushing rubber has worn to the point that they no longer hold the securing bolts in the correct 3D position (relative to the rest of the vehicle) that they once did. 2. There was a stress placed on the arm/body of the vehicle which slightly moved the fixed position of the attachment point on the crossmember.

If the problem is number 1, I can fix the camber problem by replacing the upper arm or replacing the old arm's bushings.

If the problem is number 2, the only way I can proceed, other than getting the attachement point "pulled" into the correct position by a body shop, is to buy a camber-adjustable arm, which is much more expensive than a new non-adjustable arm.

I'd be very interested to hear from other owners who have gone through a similar experience with their vehicle's rear wheel alignment.

Thanks.

 

As I feared, I had to cut the lower arms out of the vehicle using a reciprocating saw with an expensive Diablo Amped carbide tipped blade. First I cut the arms in half. Then, on the cross-member end of the arm, I made two cuts through both the bushing sleeve and the bolt that were just inside the jaws of the cross-member bracket. Then that end of the arm and the threaded end of the bolt and its thick eccentric washer could be removed. But the bolt head and its welded-on eccentric washer were still held in position by a thin ring of the bushing's metal sleeve. I figured that all I had to do was lock a vise grip on the remaining sleeve, hold the bolt head in position with a 17mm wrench and turn the sleeve off with the vise grip. No way would that piece of sleeve rotate. I had to cut down a bit on the ring using the Diablo and only then would the ring turn off.

The trailing arm portion of the arm came off relatively easily and I was able to re-use the bolt.

I decided to bite the bullet and buy two adjustable camber arms. The one on the driver's side was difficult to install.


The larger-diameter thread (which is invisible because it is screwed all the way down into the steel body) is "right hand" ("righty tighty; lefty loosey"). The smaller thread (screwed into the center of the larger threaded "bolt") is "left hand" (righty loosey; lefty tighty).

The two threads are first tightened so as to be as close as possible to the large steel body. (The lock nut on the smaller thread is first moved as close as possible to the bushing end.) For intitial adjustment the two old mounting bolts are inserted through the holes in the OEM arm that has been removed, sticking up above the holes as much as possible. The adjustable-end bushing of the new adjustable arm is then lowered over one of the old bolts sticking up through the old arm. The the other end of the new arm is placed above the other bolt protruding above the OEM arm, but it will not fit down over it yet. The hex on the large thread is then "loosened" outward from the steel body. As this is done, because the smaller thread is "left hand", with the bushing being prevented from turning by the old bolt, the exposure of the thread ALSO increases. This procedure is continued until the hole in the other bushing slides down the other old bolt. Now the distance between the holes in the new arm almost perfectly matches that of the old arm and is secured in that position by first tightening the small bolt through the pinching area of the steel body, and then tightening the locking nut on the small thread down onto the hex of the large thread. The new arm is then installed in the vehicle, ready for alignment adjustment.

After installation, with both bushings always remaining in a fixed position on the vehicle, the distance between the two bushing holes can be finely adjusted by the alignment technicians by first loosening the lock-nut which locks the two threaded shafts into one rotational position, then loosening the pinch bolt which prevents the larger thread from turning. Then the technician rotates the larger threaded barrel using an open-end wrench on its hex. For more distance, it is turned counter-clockwise. For less distance, clock-wise. The result of this design is that very small rotation of the larger-diameter thread can very finely adjust camber. (Mitsubishi should have installed adjustable arms at the factory. They increased their profit a little bit by installing a non-adjustable arm and letting the owner decide whether or not to install adjustable arms at some point in the future.)

So now I have four new arms that will allow precise adjustment of toe and camber of the real wheels. Below is a photo showing the adjustable end of the upper arm that allows camber adjustment, and below it to its left is the adjustable end of the lower arm that allows toe adjustment.

 

Nice work solving this issue - I can commiserate, as I just went through this exact process after adding larger diameter wheels. I installed adjustable upper control arms (the same ones in your picture as far as I can tell), anticipating they would be needed to correct the camber with the larger wheels (true). I then went for an alignment and was told the rear toe alignment bolts were seized, and boy howdy were they ever! Same deal as you - a $20 diablo blade on the recip saw, cut through each side of the toe adjustment bolt and they came out pretty easily. Worth the $20 for the blade - shop labour quote was $460!!!). I installed new control links and toe alignment bolts/washers/nuts, but the eccentric locking cam stripped when I went for an alignment this afternoon! They must be a soft metal - the old locking cams aren't in great shape either.

I'm currently hunting for a solution...I'm worried new eccentric cams will strip right away next time I go for an alignment. This was an indie shop...maybe there's a trick that Mitsu techs know to prevent those cams from stripping? I saw on an evo thread that the NB Miata (1990-2005) plate works for their cars, so I may pick one of those up to try. They have 'teeth' on the bottom AND top of the bolt so should have more holding power.

 

I bought two new eccentric bolts and eccentric washers for our vehicle. I liberally applied silver anti-seize compound to the inside of the control bushing sleeves, the surface of the bolt inside the sleeve, the surface between the nut and the eccentric washer, the inner and outer surfaces of the "jaws" welded to the crossmember which hold the end of the control arm in position, as well as the threads on the bolt. After I did all of this, I only tightened the nut onto the bolt just a bit while always holding the bolt-head stationary with another wrench. I only tightened enough to prevent the two eccentrics from hopping out of the two raised ridges that hold them in position while they rotate during adjustment. I then tried adjusting toe myself by turning the bolt-head-end of the bolt, which of course also turned the eccentric washer underneath the nut. In short, the bolt turned quite easily, pushing out or pulling in the conttol arm and by so doing causing wheel toe to change. I then adjusted the eccentric's hole to where it was on the old arms, jacked the trailing arm until the vehicle just lifted a bit off the jack stand (putting the arm bushing into approximately normal ground position), and tightened the NUT to a bit less than specificed torque (because there was anti-seize on the threads); then did the same to the nut on the bolt securing the other end of the control arm to the trailing arm.. Job done. Lowered vehicle.

When an alighment shop adjusts toe on the rear wheels, they should of course first measure the "before alignment" toe to see if it is within spec. If it isn't, they would first take note of the "before" position of the hole in the eccentric. Then they should loosen only the nut on the end of the eccentric bolt while at the same time preventing the bolt head from turning AT ALL using an open-end or socket wrench. Then, after loosening the NUT, the tech would gently try to turn the bolt+eccentrics to adjust toe. After adjusting toe, the tech should again hold the bolt+eccentrics in rotational position, not allowing it to turn one bit, and while doing that, tighten the nut to specified torquie. Using this procedure, neither the eccentric welded to the bottom of the bolt head, nor the thick, loose eccentric-washer whose tooth slides in the groove machined into the threaeded portion of the bolt should experience any significant rotational torque. The only thing they expeience is the nut forcing itself against the washer, pulling the bolt-head+washer to the point where the bolt stretches a bit. In other words the loose washer's tooth should never twist out of the groove, and the eccentric washer welded to the bottom of the bolt head should NEVER twist off the head .............. because the bolt itself should never rotate while the nut is bing tightened.

I strongly suspect that when you took the vehicle in for an alignment the tech did NOT follow the procedure I just mentioned. The fault is not with the bolt and its eccentrics. It is with the technique of the person who did the alignment. Therefore, I would not take an Outlander to that place for an alignment. Take it to a place that is familiar with Outlanders.

Hope this helps. Good luck. Please post how everything turns out (pun intended).

BTW, after the final alignment was done, I coated the outer parts of the toe adjustment mechanism with marine grease and the inside (near the rubber of the bushing) with thick silicone grease. No water is going to penetrate the grease to wet the mechanism and seize everything up again. I also coated the adjustment-part of the upper arm with thick marine grease to protect all the threads. I'll check those areas whenever I swap winter for summer tires and vice versa, and re-coat, if necessary.