steering wheel alignment

[shocar]

93 atx, the steering wheel is off center about 10 degrees, it has been that way since I purchased the car. I have not done any work on this yet. Is there away to adjust it? It a bit annoying drive on a straight away and the wheel off center. I have had the wheel off but there is no adjustment from what I can see at that location. Is there an adjustment in below on the rack. Could this be a subframe issue? If anyone has any ideas, let me know

 

[SHOtimer]

It needs an alignment. And your tires are probably worn really far off because of the alignment being off. I would also venture to say that all of your suspension components are probably original which will make it difficult to keep it in alignment, or even get it there to begin with.

Doug

 

[shocar]

I was planning on replacing all the suspension bushing and subframe bushing as this sho is make more suspension noise then my other 2. Just put new tires on it so I guess I better get on it. I did not notice any unusual wear on the tires I took off of it but it might be because we only drive this one around town . Thank for your help

 

[SoonerLS]

If the alignment is off, the abnormal wear won't take long to appear, especially if you do any driving on concrete surfaces. If the car is tracking straight and there's no abnormal wear on the tires (eg, extra wear on the edges of the tires), it's likely that the doofus who did the last alignment didn't bother to get the steering wheel straight before he made his adjustments.

You could pull the steering wheel and turn it the ten degrees, but the best thing to do would be to take it and have an alignment done.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

Simple failure to properly align the steering wheel during the prior alignment can cause this, and without any ill-effect to actual suspension alignment. In such cases the car can be driven without abnormal tire wear as a result of the steering wheel position. So just because the steering wheel is not properly oriented, does not mean the car is out of alignment - it just means the technician was sloppy in accomplishing the alignment.

What usually occurs, is that the tech forgets to properly position and/or lock the steering wheel before he starts, and thus any position error in the steering wheel will still be present after the suspension has been correctly aligned. Most garages and alignment shops actually check for this during the post-alignment road-check, but I have had to take a car back in more than one occasion, for this very reason.

 

[pjtoledo]

Don't forget to check the back of the car. Anything wrong in the rear can cause the car to track sideways.

 

[papies]

Looking for answers as well: my steering wheel is half off, when I set the tie rod ends the same distance to each other, when I bought the car this is the way the steering wheel was set. What's the fix set the wheel.

 

[pjtoledo]

Looking for answers as well: my steering wheel is half off, when I set the tie rod ends the same distance to each other, when I bought the car this is the way the steering wheel was set. What's the fix set the wheel.

wow, didn't know we still had threads this old.

anyway, find the center of the rack first and see if the steering wheel lines up to that.
turn the wheels fully left to right, or right to left, count the turns and find the center.
the steering wheel should be close to correct, if not just make it so.
disconnecting the tie rods at the knuckles MAY give better results, it would eliminate restrictions from ball joints, CVs etc.
I like to put something under the tires to keep from grinding them on pavement.
a couple of pieces of thick plastic with grease in between works fine.
with the steering wheel centered, adjust the tie rods one at a time until that wheel points straight ahead.
then set the toe.
repeat as necessary, bounce the car and roll it a few feet so it can settle as you fine tune the process.
test drive to see if its good enough to get to the shop for a real alignment.
this does not alter caster or camber, thats what the real alignment does.

and remember, if the rear is out of alignment it will cause the car to track crooked and a perfect front alignment will still need the wheel to be turned to go straight down the road.


Perry

 

[papies]

wow, didn't know we still had threads this old.

anyway, find the center of the rack first and see if the steering wheel lines up to that.
turn the wheels fully left to right, or right to left, count the turns and find the center.
the steering wheel should be close to correct, if not just make it so.
disconnecting the tie rods at the knuckles MAY give better results, it would eliminate restrictions from ball joints, CVs etc.
I like to put something under the tires to keep from grinding them on pavement.
a couple of pieces of thick plastic with grease in between works fine.
with the steering wheel centered, adjust the tie rods one at a time until that wheel points straight ahead.
then set the toe.
repeat as necessary, bounce the car and roll it a few feet so it can settle as you fine tune the process.
test drive to see if its good enough to get to the shop for a real alignment.
this does not alter caster or camber, thats what the real alignment does.

and remember, if the rear is out of alignment it will cause the car to track crooked and a perfect front alignment will still need the wheel to be turned to go straight down the road.


Perry

wow, didn't know we still had threads this old.

When I locate the center, that's when I find the wheel totally upside down, if I center the wheel the rack threads in deep on one tie rod end, and shallow on the other, roughly a turn and 3/4 one direction and about 3/4 the other way.

 

[papies]

Don't forget to check the back of the car. Anything wrong in the rear can cause the car to track sideways.

I don't think so, have had couple people follow me to check speed my speedometer is off due to 4:10 gears and 17'' wheels, if I center the rack with tie rod ends off, the steering wheel should center,, that is eliminating every thing but the rack and the steering wheel.

 

[pjtoledo]

I don't think so, have had couple people follow me to check speed my speedometer is off due to 4:10 gears and 17'' wheels, if I center the rack with tie rod ends off, the steering wheel should center,, that is eliminating every thing but the rack and the steering wheel.

4:10 gears?
I presume you are working on a Mustang, not a Taurus?
the basics of centering the wheel are the same either way.

 

[Devin]

Old SHO thread is resurrected as a zombie Mustang thread, that's good stuff. From the avatar it looks like a late 80s early 90s Mustang.

 

[papies]

It's a 90 GT, sorry thought everybody knew, ha ha guess that's what happens when we assume, when I center the rack the flat spot in the splines is at 11:00 the steering wheel is upside down, if I adjust the tie rod ends to centre the wheel up right it turns to far to the right and to little to the left

 

[TimboSHO]

It's a 90 GT, sorry thought everybody knew, ha ha guess that's what happens when we assume, when I center the rack the flat spot in the splines is at 11:00 the steering wheel is upside down, if I adjust the tie rod ends to centre the wheel up right it turns to far to the right and to little to the left

Does the steering wheel fit onto the column any other way?

 

[papies]

I don't know never had it out, is it possible to reset the rack

 

[TimboSHO]

No. If the rack skipped a tooth, there is no way to get it back, and it should be replaced. Unless you changed the steering shaft or something, that's the only explanation besides the steering wheel not being in the right place. Was everything straight before you replaced tie rod ends?

 

[papies]

That's how it was when I bought the car, I put polyurethane bushings in the a frames, cushions under the springs, sway bar connectors, and ball joints under it, that's how I found the problem

 

[TimboSHO]

I would see if you can pull the steering wheel off and turn it. If it's upside down, there is a serious problem somewhere (unless someone just put the steering wheel on incorrectly). I have mostly seen this on customer's cars when the intermediate steering shaft was installed incorrectly, or they installed the incorrect one. Also, there can be problems if it has been smashed and the frame is twisted, but usually it's not that far off. If it's not any of those, the rack must have skipped a tooth (or teeth).... and that probably means it was hit right in the wheel at one point to make that happen.

 

[papies]

I can tell the car was hit pretty hard in the front, I think the left side took most of the Inpact, the frame looks straight, the a frame looks ok also, the bushings were easy to press out and install, the radiator support has been straigtened, right inner fender metal is cracked, it's a pretty good chance one wheel took a good impact, good call, I will check parts house and look at a rack to find out where te flat spot clocks on it and see if mine is the same, will post what I finde

 

[papies]

I also have a 1980 coupe, went out and looked at the position of the steering coupling was at and the position was all most half round off, I ordered one from O'Reilly's wife picked it up today, removed my old one compared the two, mine is about half a round off, it looks like it took a lick on the wheel and the rack jumped a tooth or two, I would like to thank you, I would have never figured that one out