steering wheel problem

[sjbsuperman1425]

hey guys, im in class right now so it'll be quick lol

I took out my whole steering column when prepping my car for my swap and what not, never drove it before that...but now, when i drive, the steering wheel is not straight. its off centered..like the wheels are straight, but the wheel is turned about 30degrees to the left..is it just the alignment, or the way i put the column back in? Thanks Guys

Zak

[johnnyballs180]

i think it's just the way you put it back in. i don't remember how it looks on a 240, but i think you should look for this:



loosen the bolt on the lower joint and wiggle out the steering column, rotate your steering wheel to where you want it, and slide the steering column back into the lower joint.

i think that'll help.

[sjbsuperman1425]

hey Johnny,

thanks for the answer. i think it might be that as well, but the steering wheel is straight, except when i drive it, then it turns a bit but the car goes straight..(btw, i DONT have power steering)

do you still think this could be the way i put it back together? Thanks.

[johnnyballs180]

well, i think if you had an alignment problem, the car would pull one way or the other. it's possible that it's a little off but the car steers straight, but i doubt that's it. in my hachi, i had to keep adjusting the steering column. i'd set it to where i thought was right, test drove it, parked and set it again and again. eventually i got it perfect. even if it's one spline off, it'll mess up the direction steering wheel is pointing.

it's hard for me to gauge if the wheels are straight while the car is parked. even though it might look like it, they may be a bit off.

g/l

[sjbsuperman1425]

alright thanks man. i'll have to look at it more when i get my car out on the road..i think i know whats going on now. i think i unbolted the part from the steering rack itself, so i need to take that off and adjust it that way. Thanks again Johnny!
Modified by sjbsuperman1425 at 5:36 PM 2/17/2009

[FRnIsmO]

how'd it go?

[95se]

Its probably a combination of both. Get it aligned and make sure the steering wheel turns the same amount in both directions lock to lock. If it doesn't then the steering knuckle and steering rack will need to be reconnected in the proper position. The only time I had an issue with the steering wheel not being right was when they disconnected the knuckle from the rack when they were replacing the oil pan seal. After that the wheel wouldn't turn the same amt clockwise vs counterclockwise. If the wheel goes to off center when driving its usually an alignment issue. But since its been disconnected both will have to checked. Its hard to get it perfect. Almost everytime I've had an aligment its never been right the first time. Usually I have to take it back at least twice till things are right. I just had my tigh rod ends done and they said the alignment was checked but the steering wheel goes to the right of center when letting go of the steering wheel.