Just out of curiosity, has anyone experienced any trouble when aligning wheels without the locking pin?
I had an alignment made without it and it passed without any trouble at all.
i had my 4ws alignment done without the locking pin and then with it, and the guy from Demon Tweeks said he could align the wheels pretty well without it but with the pin it made it that little bit more accurate.
2.2 JDM DOHC SI-VTEC LSD TCS 4WS ABS BB1 MANUAL 1992
FOR PAUL
I was present at my alignment and the technician could align it with 0.01 degree accuracy, as per the alignment machine.. considering the total spec for 5th gen rear toe-in is 0.1 (or is it 0.15) that's above and beyond whats needed
Basically this pin is used to lock rear stearing rack in dead center position. This should normally be archived by the centering spring inside 4ws mechanism anyway. So it helps to make sure that after so many years of usage your steering rack is centered. Obviously it isn't must have to set tracking right.
I would compare this to timing belt. You can buy a locking tool, but even if you don't have one but you know what you are doing you still can complete the job.
Personally I have one of them and I'm using it when checking wheel alignment. If needed I can make copies
I'm not sure the pin centers the rack, more like holds it steady same as the spring tool used to fix the steering wheel on the front. Because of the springs and actuator on the rear, it's stiffer than the front and less likely to move when you are making adjustments, so less necessary.