Steering wheel and alignment

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  • joonsup
    Mod Crazy
    • Mar 2009
    • 776

    #1

    Steering wheel and alignment

    Another possible alignment issue but I wanted to run it by you guys first to get some thoughts.

    One of my e30s had stock springs but a couple coils were cut in the front (previous owner). I decided to put the original front springs back on and make it a daily driver/commuter. I also remember the previous owner mentioning that the outer tie rod needed to be replaced so I ordered an aftermarket outer tie rod from autohaus.

    So the other night my friend and I worked on the passenger side and due to the time and us taking forever to get the control arm loose, we only did one side. I also replaced the tie rod on that side. Before I took off the old one, I taped the thread so I knew how far to screw in the new tie rod.

    On the driver side we had loosened the control arm and tie rod, but b/c of the time we just put it back together. I'm not sure if this would affect anything, but I pushed the tie rod in and out in order to make it fit back into the "hub".

    When I left, I noticed that the steering wheel was positioned at the 2'o clock position instead of 12 o clock. I already knew that the car would veer to the left since the driver side was still riding on the cut coil whereas the passenger side was back at stock height.

    I've replaced the outer tie rod on my e30 before and never had this steering wheel positioning issue. Do you think it could have been caused by pushing the the tie rod in and out? I do remember the steering wheel spinning while my friend was putting back the passenger side together. Any suggesions would help.
  • jlevie
    R3V OG
    • Nov 2006
    • 13530

    #2
    It takes very little error in tie rod length to produce that error in the steering wheel position, which is why the wheel isn't centered. Once you have all the front suspension work complete, have the front end aligned and the steering wheel centered.
    The car makes it possible, but the driver makes it happen.
    Jim Levie, Huntsville, AL

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    • joonsup
      Mod Crazy
      • Mar 2009
      • 776

      #3
      Originally posted by jlevie
      It takes very little error in tie rod length to produce that error in the steering wheel position, which is why the wheel isn't centered. Once you have all the front suspension work complete, have the front end aligned and the steering wheel centered.

      So what you are saying is that the cause of the wheel being off center is work done to the tie rod and nothing else? Once the other side is completed I will take it in for alignment. Thanks

      Comment

      • jlevie
        R3V OG
        • Nov 2006
        • 13530

        #4
        Yep.
        The car makes it possible, but the driver makes it happen.
        Jim Levie, Huntsville, AL

        Comment

        • Wh33lhop
          R3V OG
          • Feb 2009
          • 11705

          #5
          You can center the steering wheel on the rack yourself, just align it so that you have equal amounts of travel left and right (you may not get it perfect due to the degree of error caused by the splines on the steering shaft). Then, take it to an alignment shop.
          paint sucks

          Comment

          • joonsup
            Mod Crazy
            • Mar 2009
            • 776

            #6
            ok ill mess around with it this week when my friend works on the other side of the suspension. Thanks!

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