Need to straighten your steering wheel? Numbers! (1 Viewer)

[e9999]

In case you need to straighten your steering wheel, here is a number than may help you avoid some trial and error:
I turned my relay rod 1/4 turn CCW as seen when looking from the DS toward the PS. The steering wheel in turn rotated something like 5 degrees CCW, maybe a tad more, but no more than 10 I think.
HTH.

 

[cruiserdan]

What was that?


Are we calling in forward artillery support?........

 

[e9999]

What was that?


Are we calling in forward artillery support?........

you been sniffin' too much Hoppes again?

 

[Snatch]

May as well make it a poll.

 

[NorCalDoug]

Mine's crooked.

I'll fix it some day.

I spent too much time under a cruiser today...got enough dirt in my eyes...
stupid shop glasses don't do a good job with dirt and dust...

Thanks for the tip though...

 

[Cruiser Jimmy]

e-
Thanks for the info. I recently put new tie rods on and will need a fine tune to get the steering wheel center. Right now it wants to drift 3-5º to the right while the rigs on level ground.

Good work.

 

[e9999]

e-
Thanks for the info. I recently put new tie rods on and will need a fine tune to get the steering wheel center. Right now it wants to drift 3-5º to the right while the rigs on level ground.

Good work.

you don't mean the truck drifting when driving, right? cuz this ain't about that...

 

[Trapper]

Thanks for the info. My steering wheel has been off by about 10 degrees CCW since I bought it. Maybe now I will get motivated to go fix it.

 

[Cruiser Jimmy]

you don't mean the truck drifting when driving, right? cuz this ain't about that...

e-,
Sorry, I had one too many Sam Adams last night.

Correction:

The steering wheel is off by about 3-5º to the right. The rigs does not drift.

 

[clarkrw3]

the real trick isn't how far to turn it, it's how to get it turning in the first place. tried everything...am about to take it to an alignment shop and let them bust their @$$@$.

 

[e9999]

the real trick isn't how far to turn it, it's how to get it turning in the first place. tried everything...am about to take it to an alignment shop and let them bust their @$$@$.

they won't bust their @@@@@, they'll bust your hardware...! did you try "serious" penetrating oils too?

 

[clarkrw3]

Yes....two types for a week each and heat and still nothing.

 

[e9999]

Yes....two types for a week each and heat and still nothing.

did you remove the arm to work on it on your bench? may be easier.
Did you try doing the 2 hammers banging thing?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Having done this on all of my cruisers, I would not spend any time looking for mathematical relationships. It is purely a trial and error thing, that once the drag link is loose on the threads, only takes 2-3 tries and 10 minutes to get right. If you want to factor polynomials or other perverted activities, I'm sure there is another forum out there for that.

Getting the drag link, or tie rod loose on the threads is an excellent topic though. I soak the thread area through the slit in the rod for 2-3 days prior to the effort with PB Blaster. Then a chain wrench is the most effective tool for getting it moving. A pipe wrench will work too. Then you can adjust. If you are ambitious, though, once it's loose on the threads, dismount the whole drag link, unscrew the TREs and smear a good coat of antiseize on the threads, and reassemble. Then next time, your adjustment job will be easy.

I have heard of people heating the TRE threads with a torch to make them eisier to turn, but I have never had to do that.

 

[e9999]

Having done this on all of my cruisers, I would not spend any time looking for mathematical relationships. It is purely a trial and error thing, that once the drag link is loose on the threads, only takes 2-3 tries and 10 minutes to get right. If you want to factor polynomials or other perverted activities, I'm sure there is another forum out there for that

snip

.

hmmm.... had a late Saturday night?

Not quite sure how one can do this well without a test drive after each change since everything is likely under stress when you rotate the rod, and it's hard to align perfectly the wheels even when up in the air. Not knowing the direction and the amount to turn, and having to test drive it each time, it would take me more than 10 mins. Then again, I'm no expert....

 

[Cruiserdrew]

You do have to test drive-but to the end of the street is enough. You'll know immediately if you got the wheel straight. Actually, was in bed last night by 10pm, and then factored a binomial just for kicks.

 

[e9999]

folks, at least in my case -33" MT/Rs-, I also have to test drive on a reasonably flat level road. Any crown in the road messes things up as far as checking steering wheel alignment. Watch out for that! With my neighborhood roads, I have to go to a freeway to check things out...

 

[Darwood]

You do have to test drive-but to the end of the street is enough. You'll know immediately if you got the wheel straight. Actually, was in bed last night by 10pm, and then factored a binomial just for kicks.

For some reason it takes me about a day or so of driving to see if my wheel is straight. There are so many factors in what will bias a wheel a certain direction, like the crowning of a road. I find that if I adjust the wheel straight for one road it will be the crooked on another. However I've almost gotten to the point that I know exactly how much to turn the drag link to get it centered after I determine how off center it is an to which direction.

Of course I have a suspicion that my steering box could be fubar.

 

[NorCalDoug]

why not take the crowning of any road out of the equation? I'm not sure about where everyone else lives, but I don't have any problems finding a nice quiet residential street with little or no traffic where I can drive down the middle of the road. Driving in the middle pretty much takes the crown out of the equation, doesn't it?

 

[michaelharrisco]

I'm not sure I'm following these post, but I think this is an issue I'm trying to solve.

My steering wheel on my 78 FJ is not centered when my wheels are facing perfectly straight. How do I get steering wheel straight? I assume it would require removing the steering wheel and aligning properly and then reattached, but I'm not sure what the proper steps are to complete this.

Any help or can links to other post be supplied?