Suspension, Steering and Alignment
How suspension, steering, tires and wheel alignment work and how they are inspected, diagnosed and repaired, followed through an apprentice's spring at Ridgeline Auto Service in Denver: springs, dampers and ride height, front and rear suspension designs, electronic and air suspension, steering linkages and racks, hydraulic and electric power steering, tire construction, ratings and wear patterns, wheel balancing and vibration diagnosis, alignment angles, a complete four-wheel alignment, and a capstone diagnosis of a pull and a vibration.
AUTO-210 12 lessons · 4 h 36 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon
Offered by HSM University · Automotive Service
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Explain what a suspension and steering system must do, distinguish sprung and unsprung mass, and perform a dry-park check and a lifted steering and suspension inspection safely
- Calculate spring rate, wheel rate and ride frequency, inspect springs and dampers, and measure ride height against specification
- Describe MacPherson strut, short-and-long-arm and multilink front suspensions, check ball joints and bushings for wear, and service stabilizer bars and links
- Describe solid-axle, twist beam and multilink rear suspensions, check axle loads against their ratings, and calculate the thrust angle from rear toe
- Explain adaptive dampers, ride height sensors and air suspension, use service mode safely, find air leaks and perform ride height calibrations
- Describe steering columns, rack-and-pinion and recirculating-ball gears and linkages, calculate steering ratio and Ackermann angles, and replace tie rod ends
- Diagnose hydraulic, electro-hydraulic and electric power steering, including pressure and flow tests, supply voltage checks and steering angle sensor resets
- Decode tire sizes, load indexes, speed ratings, date codes and winter markings, choose correct replacements and plus sizes, and read tire wear patterns
- Fit and torque wheels correctly, balance tire and wheel assemblies, measure runout and road force, and diagnose vibrations by frequency and order
- Define camber, caster, toe, steering axis inclination, included angle, scrub radius, setback and thrust angle, and predict their effects on wear and pull
- Perform a four-wheel alignment in the correct order, from pre-alignment inspection and compensation to adjustment, calibration and road test
- Diagnose a pull and a vibration from interview and road test through tire swap, runout, alignment readings, repair, verification and customer report
Course content
12 lessons · 4 h 36 min total · final exam
- 1 What suspension and steering do 24 min · quiz
- 2 Springs, dampers and ride height 23 min · quiz
- 3 Front suspension designs 23 min · quiz
- 4 Rear suspension designs 21 min · quiz
- 5 Electronic and air suspension 23 min · quiz
- 6 Steering linkages and rack-and-pinion gears 22 min · quiz
- 7 Hydraulic and electric power steering 23 min · quiz
- 8 Tires: construction, ratings and wear patterns 23 min · quiz
- 9 Wheels, balancing and vibration diagnosis 23 min · quiz
- 10 Wheel alignment angles 22 min · quiz
- 11 Performing a four-wheel alignment 24 min · quiz
- 12 Capstone: diagnosing a pull and a vibration 25 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
How suspension, steering, tires and wheel alignment work and how they are inspected, diagnosed and repaired, followed through an apprentice's spring at Ridgeline Auto Service in Denver: springs, dampers and ride height, front and rear suspension designs, electronic and air suspension, steering linkages and racks, hydraulic and electric power steering, tire construction, ratings and wear patterns, wheel balancing and vibration diagnosis, alignment angles, a complete four-wheel alignment, and a capstone diagnosis of a pull and a vibration.