steering wheel calibration

[evillecutter]

i few months back i gently slid into something and yada yada now my steering wheel is slightly kicked to the left - the car is aligned and runs straight when you let go of the wheel , but i didnt know if there was a way to adjust the wheel to straight again - couldnt find any previous threads about it

[tom4bren]

IIRC they adjust that by messing with the tie rod ends ... so it should be done by an alignment shop.

I rekin you could pull the steering wheel and adjust it that way but it's an awful lot of work due to the airbag. I've heard that doing that can mess up your turn signals turning off automatically after a turn.

Others may have a better answer for you though.

It wasn't clear from your post - did you get an alignment after the accident or are you just assuming that the alignment is correct since it's tracking straight?

[JoFotoz]

I think a proper alignment should center the steering wheel..

...at least thats been my experience.

jo

[tom4bren]

Yup. Alignment shop is supposed to take care of that.

[VX KAT]

Would it be OK to adjust the steering wheel a few splines until it's centered? Might have to move it back some time in future if alignment changes it.
If so, here's how: It's really not hard to do Tom, even I did it. :goof:
Here's my wiki on it:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=23497&highlight=steering+wheel+wiki

[evillecutter]

wasnt really a huge accident just slid on some ice and bumped a curb a few months back - took it to get it aligned at the place i got my tires and they said it was perfectly in spec and they could not align it more - they did not charge me but said to do the steering wheel it would cost and i thought i could save some money and do it myself - ive had different cars aligned in the past (none awd) and they have never straightened my steering wheel just aligned the car - i really dont want to mess with the airbag but i will if i have to - or i could just leave it alone its probably off by just about a half to 3/4 of an inch from center - thought someone might know an easy way - thanks for input

[Buffy]

You may want to check your pitman arm. After my first race with my VX I noticed the steering wheel was no longer centered. Checked all the obvious suspects and found everything to be fine. Eventually I just reclocked my steering wheel and moved on. Well.... when I did my SAS I noticed the splines coming out of the steering box had started to twist and was real close to breaking completely off. Quite a scary discovery. Just may want to check that.

[WormGod]

I had a bit of a "run in" some years ago with my VX which caused the driver's side front wheel to bend and blow the tire out. Further investigation showed some mechanical damage with the suspension as well. After all was fixed, we found that aligning was being a bit of a hardship and the steering wheel was "off". Even more searching revealed the steering box to have taken a bit of a nudge with the impact of the "run in". New steering box and good to go.

Problem is, when it comes to steering and alignment, you have to sing that old song.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e54m6XOpRgU

[evillecutter]

i dont think i hit hard enough to do any serious damage - if i did i dont see how anyone goes to moab and comes back with the steering wheel anywhere close to center - either way how much of the splines should i see on the pitman arm (if any)? i can see about 1/2" can i try to tighten that nut further without screwing up the steering any more? its not a big deal not i dont want to make it worse

[evillecutter]

noticed the other day that i think i might have a bent tie rod end and i think that is what's doing it - somehow 2 different alignment places either didnt see it or didnt bother to check the rest of the steering system so im not sure what to think - one is def bent compared to the other - is this something i can do myself or do i need a special tool or something - seems pretty straight foreward - i put on 4 new cv boots myself the other day so im not totally stupid mechanically...

[JoFotoz]

Tie rods are easy compared to CV boots...
....so you'll be fine.

I'd suggest looking at the HD tie rods from Matt at Indy 4X4..
...they are pretty much bullet proof :thumbup:

Jo

[evillecutter]

will do thank you :thumbup:

[evillecutter]

hey jo i see they have 2 different tie rod ends there - am i mistaken or are the heavy duty (hd) ends $10.00 cheaper?

https://www.independent4x.com/Isuzu-HD-Steering-Replacement-Rod-End_p_29.html ($55.00 and they look greasable)

https://www.independent4x.com/Isuzu-Stock-Replacement-Tie-Rod-End_p_38.html ($65.00)

[bartmanS4]

These are the ones Jo is talking about:
https://www.independent4x.com/Isuzu-IFS-Heavy-Duty-Steering_p_27.html

In your links the HD ones (pg29) are male threads and the standard Isuzu ones (pg38) are female stock replacements. If you want HD you'll have to get the whole package which includes four HD ends and two HD links.

[JoFotoz]

These ones...


hey jo i see they have 2 different tie rod ends there - am i mistaken or are the heavy duty (hd) ends $10.00 cheaper?



https://www.independent4x.com/Isuzu-IFS-Heavy-Duty-Steering_p_27.html

Jo

[JoFotoz]

LOL Scott... your fingers are faster than mine!

:clap:

jo

[evillecutter]

yeah i dont need the entire rods just one end but thanks guys - they do look beefy - maybe someday - i guess ill stick with stock for now since i just need one and i dont want to spend that much or take the other side apart if i dont have to right now

[JoFotoz]

Yea...they are a bit pricey :eek:

However, if you do any off road at all I'd recommend them 100%.

One of the annual issues at Moab is broken/bent Tie rods...
...and not just on hard core stuff.

jo

[evillecutter]

Yea...they are a bit pricey :eek:

However, if you do any off road at all I'd recommend them 100%.

One of the annual issues at Moab is broken/bent Tie rods...
...and not just on hard core stuff.

jo

yeah no joke i bent mine sliding on a small patch of ice and bumped a curb dropping my daughter off at school - stupid custodians were supposed to salt the drive but they did not - wasnt going fast at all