Crooked steering wheel on EK, not wheel alignment problem. Ideas?

[Ry_]

Was just wondering- my steering wheel on my EK is crooked to the left and I can't figure out or even successfully google what's needed to fix it. I've taken it in to Bob Jane's and Ozzytyres (BNE), and they've said that the wheels are straight.

The car pulls slightly to the left, but not so majorly that it's dangerous (a mechanic friend told me). There is also no uneven tyre wear.

What can be done or what could be checked/replaced to straighten things up? Or would anyone be able to help out by looking over my ride or perhaps pointing me in the direction of someone familiar with EK's who can diagnose the problem?

I'm in Kelvin Grove, Brisbane.

Thanks!

[Riviera]

yea man had same problem in my accord after i went up a kurb

this is what mine was for a crooked left hand down steering wheel

R/F LCA bent
may have bent strut + stub assembly strut rod

thats what bob jane wrote down for me, i needed 2 new tyres wheel allignment
and toe adjustment lol...

[eg5civic]

i had the same problem and i don't know about it being a lca but my car just needed and wheel alignment as i was running a few deg of toe out on one side and close to nothing on the other

Mine was only slight, like if you let the wheel go you'd slowly start to drift across your lane

[02gzm]

yea man had same problem in my accord after i went up a kurb

this is what mine was for a crooked left hand down steering wheel

R/F LCA bent
may have bent strut + stub assembly strut rod

thats what bob jane wrote down for me, i needed 2 new tyres wheel allignment
and toe adjustment lol...

x2

I had someone back into my front right guard a while ago and they bent one of the arms on the wheel hub and put the camber out slightly so it would pull to the right a bit. Took it to pedders (i think) to get a 21 point safety check and they were able to tell me exactly what was wrong. Probably better to go to a tyre and suspension specialist over somewhere like ozzy tyres to diagnose the problem because they would never even think to check matching angles on components.

I got a camber kit to rectify the problem (and to fix my tyre wear) but you could just get a replacement part if something is damaged to save costs.

[Paul1985]

You need a toe adjustment and the guys that do the wheel alignment need to set the steering wheel to the centre.

Have you have a wheel alignment at any stage?
If so, when it was aligned it may have been aligned with the steering wheel just off centre.

[Frankie]

x2

I had someone back into my front right guard a while ago and they bent one of the arms on the wheel hub and put the camber out slightly so it would pull to the right a bit. Took it to pedders (i think) to get a 21 point safety check and they were able to tell me exactly what was wrong. Probably better to go to a tyre and suspension specialist over somewhere like ozzy tyres to diagnose the problem because they would never even think to check matching angles on components.

I got a camber kit to rectify the problem (and to fix my tyre wear) but you could just get a replacement part if something is damaged to save costs.

ay 02gzm
how much did pedders charge you to do this 21 point check on the car

[02gzm]

Just checked their site (http://www.pedders.com.au/products/49). It's a 28 point check and costs $14

[JohnL]

If nothing is bent, and the alignment (toe, camber, caster , KPI, 'thrust angle' etc) is correct with the steering wheel at the straight ahead with the front wheels also at the straight ahead, yet it pulls and the steering wheel is off centre, then it's very likely to be a tyre issue, especially if the tyres are unevenly worn. Try swapping the front tyres side to side and see what happens...

The other possibility is that the toe hasn't been set with the steering wheel at the exact straight ahead position.

[OMG.JAI xD]

if it annoyed you so much, i could do an "on the floor" alignment.
wheels wont be in spec but it wouldnt be much out anyway its basically re positioning both wheels to travel straight according to the steering wheel. though the steering wheel will be straight.
but since youre in brissy. thats a bit tough lol.
btw its not using machine.
its a "skill" ive gotten from whinging european customers that say the steering is pulling. =]

[baeshin]

are ur tyres rotational.. maybe u got em on the wrong way

[Frankie]

Just checked their site (http://www.pedders.com.au/products/49). It's a 28 point check and costs $14

pedders dont adjust camber kits unless it is their product

[Ry_]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

o2gzm, thanks- I think the Pedder's option seems like the best option for me at this point. Hopefully they can identify the problem. Would you happen to know how much replacement LCA's (assuming one was bent) cost? And how much was, and what kind was your camber kit?

eg5civic: I was hoping mine would be straightforward like that, but I'm bit frustrated because Bob Jane and Ozzy both looked at it, and ended up just doing the wheel alignment.

Riviera: Did you manage to get it fixed and how much did it cost you?

Paul1985: Yep.. had a couple of wheel alignments which ended up costing me money for what didn't fix the problem I went in to fix.

baeshin: Yeah the tyres are fine. The problem just appeared one day.

OMG.Jai: lol. Thanks.

JohnL: Pretty sure it's not the tyres. Had a check and they all look good. The toe adjustment seemed like a possibility, but Bob Jane's and Ozzy said they checked it.

[Paul1985]

I doubt you have a bent LCA. They are very strong, have you had any major incidents where you went up/into a gutter or anything like that??

Tyre shops are usually really dodgy throughout most of my experiences with them.. now that i'm an apprentice motor mech and i change tyres and do alot of wheel alignments in my job i sorta know what im after when i go into a tyre joint.

There machines may not be accurate/calibrated to start with... Then the person working on it usually just wants to get the car out... In his mind... "who cares if the wheel is not set perfectly centre, near enough.."

I've even heard of some places loosening the tie rod ends, twisting them by hand to get a perfect reading, hitting print on the computer, then tighten the ends... This does not set your toe accurately..

A friend got a front end alignment done one time, they put it on the alignment machine and it took them no longer than 5 mins. Now thats either record time or a job done incorrectly.

[Frankie]

ay paul which tyre shop did u experience this at

[Sir_vtec]

get a spanner and stick it between the wheel & wheel arches and measure the gaps. Check both sides, if one side is off then its definitely a lca thats bent.

I learnt that from mine.

[Limbo]

you do know that most roads are not 100% flat. It slopes to the left so that water washes to the gutter. I'm assuming this cos you've said that they have checked the alingment. When they check the alingment most places check under the car, and anything like a bent arm is pretty obvious, and i'm sure they would have told you

If its only a slight pull, i'd say nothing to worry about, so long as when you hold the steering wheel the car goes straight.

[e240]

If the car runs straight, and have the same turns on each side lock to lock,

why don't you just unbolt the steering wheel and put it back straight and bolt it back.
its only one nut.

[Limbo]

YEP :thumbsup: forgot about that bit


If the car runs straight, and have the same turns on each side lock to lock,

why don't you just unbolt the steering wheel and put it back straight and bolt it back.
its only one nut.

[Riviera]

Riviera: Did you manage to get it fixed and how much did it cost you?




nope lol, just got it adjusted and 2 new tyres, drove fine no uneven wear, just a crooked steering wheel
then wrote the car off 4 weeks ago so its not a probelm anymore lol...:thumbdwn:

[02gzm]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

o2gzm, thanks- I think the Pedder's option seems like the best option for me at this point. Hopefully they can identify the problem. Would you happen to know how much replacement LCA's (assuming one was bent) cost? And how much was, and what kind was your camber kit?


You could grab a new set of LCA's from the for sale section here or the traders. Price varies but it isnt too much.

The camber kit was a skunk2 kit i supplied myself. I kinda knew the guys that worked there so they used it for me

[Ry_]

Paul1985: Haven't had any major incidents. Might have done a minor scrape on the curb when parking, but I don't think that would have done it.

Sir_vtec: I did check that and it seems alright. How much did yours cost to fix? Was it just replacing the LCA's? Was wondering actually- hypothetically, if one of the shocks had blown could that do it? It's probably not it though, cos the height all round seems right. But just a thought..

e240: I thought about that, but I'm not sure that'd be the right fix. Like I'm wondering what caused it in the first place. If I turn the wheel really hard til it locks, is it possible to get it off centre? Eitherway, it does drift a bit to the side when not holding the wheel. Slightly.

Limbo: Yes, quite aware of that. That's what Bob Jane's and Ozzy's told me, but I know something's definitely off because driving on completely even ground, it's not centre. And it wasn't that way when I first got the car.

Riviera: lol. Writing the car off would be some kind of solution haha. But no.. I like my car too much and don't think I could do that.

02gzm: I like the fact the LCA's don't cost too much. How's that camber kit going for you? Do many people use them for just daily driving? I'm not keen on the uneven tyre wear..

[JohnL]

why don't you just unbolt the steering wheel and put it back straight and bolt it back.

Because that's just wrong...

In any case, if the wheel is only slightly off centre, then there isn't enough subtlelty of adjustment to be had by rotating the wheel one spline on the column. One spline = quite a big change in steering wheel angle, and you may well end up with the wheel off centre the other way, or just not quite enough (or you could be lucky...).

If the steering wheel just can't be centred correctly (i.e. by making sure all tyres are equal in every way, that all geometries are equal side to side, and setting toe with the wheel at the exact straight ahead), then you can cheat by shortening one tie rod and lengthening the other by an equal amount. Do this by marking the tie rods with texta and carefully rotating each one equally but oppositely.

This won't change the toe setting if you're careful, only centre the steering wheel by offsetting the rack slightly. A bit of trial and error will get you there. Of course this will do nothing to address any 'pull'.

[JohnL]

If I turn the wheel really hard til it locks, is it possible to get it off centre?


I'd seriously doubt it.


Eitherway, it does drift a bit to the side when not holding the wheel. Slightly.

Then something is not equal side to side. It's one or more of: tyres, caster, camber, thrust angle, KPI (if KPI is different side to side yet camber is equal then one of the 'uprights' is bent).

You could possibly have a worn bush that allows a change in something when on the move, yet when stationary that something (whatever it might be) could be different, so an angle on the aligner might possibly be different on the move (??).

[Paul1985]

It is no big deal if its off centre but the toe adjustment was aligned perfectly.

If it drives straight and has no pull.. personally i wouldnt bother with it until i needed another wheel alignment... either that or id go back where i had it aligned and have them fix it up.

When adjusting the front toe you have to lock the steering wheel in the centre position then do the adjustments, if you accidently lock the steering wheel off-centre then you will have an aligned car with the steering wheel off-centre. If you dont lock the wheel it is near impossible to get the toe readings correct and the wheel will definately be out, i dont think they would have not locked the wheel though... anything is possible though

[JohnL]

It is no big deal if its off centre but the toe adjustment was aligned perfectly.

Objectively it's not a problem, but subjectively it drives me nuts...


When adjusting the front toe you have to lock the steering wheel in the centre position then do the adjustments, if you accidently lock the steering wheel off-centre then you will have an aligned car with the steering wheel off-centre. If you dont lock the wheel it is near impossible to get the toe readings correct and the wheel will definately be out, i dont think they would have not locked the wheel though... anything is possible though

Even if the alignment is set with the steering wheel exactly at the straight ahead position, if the tyres are not identical, or some element in the suspension geometry is not equal side to side (usually some non or not easily adjustable angle), then there can be a pull to one side and this will cause the driver to steer away from the pull and thus the steering wheel will be off centre.

[i_own_you]

well i had a similar problem.

ONly finding out that the steering column was loose (nut was about to come off)

[Ry_]

well i had a similar problem.

ONly finding out that the steering column was loose (nut was about to come off)

Eek. I wonder whether that's the issue- didn't even consider that could be it. Is it something I can check on my own or should it go into a shop? What did you do?