Steering wheel off center

[Joepiper151]

So i installed some downpipes on my 135 this weekend. The install went pretty good other than the knuckle smashing that happened with the o2 sensors. I have noticed that my steering wheel is no longer centered. its slightly off pointing to the right when im going straight. Is there some adjustment that i should have done before i bolted the steering rack back up??

Thanks,

[one30five]

things can get out of wack when the wheels are hanging and the wteering rack is off. Unless your wheels were perfectly still and not bumped or moved (and even then your prolly not going to be safe) i'm assuming you had it up on jacks or something. If so you changed the steering geometry by taking it apart, letting the wheels hang, and then putting back together.

go get an alignment and you should be fine

[Pig Farmer]

Originally Posted by Joepiper151

So i installed some downpipes on my 135 this weekend. The install went pretty good other than the knuckle smashing that happened with the o2 sensors. I have noticed that my steering wheel is no longer centered. its slightly off pointing to the right when im going straight. Is there some adjustment that i should have done before i bolted the steering rack back up??

Thanks,

You can try to re-center your steering rack, or adjust your tie rods. Since your steering wheel is pointing right, you need to get the wheels to point more to the right. The wheels will center themselves while driving and cause your steering wheel to turn to the left. Again, if you steering wheel is pointed right, adjust the rack or tie rods so that your wheels are point more to the right.

If you chose to adjust the tie rods, make equal changes on each side so your total toe is not changed. Start by marking the top of the steering wheel with a piece of tape. If your steering wheel is pointing right, this should be left of center. Now get under the car and make a mark on the tie rod with another piece of tape or a sharpie. Use a T-50 torx wrench (or a 16mm socket) to loosen the pinch bolt. The T-50 is preferable since the 16mm bolt face is very thin and can strip easily. Use a 13mm wrench to turn the tie rods paying special attention to the threads to make sure you are turning the tie rod in the intended direction. Again, you want to make sure both tie rods are adjusted the same amount so that both wheels are pointed more to the right/passenger side. A little adjustment goes a long way. One full turn (360 degrees) will result in a 10-15 degree change in the steering wheel angle. Write down how much you changed each side (e.g. full turn, 1/2 turn, 1/4 turn, etc.). Tighten the pinch bolts and go for a drive. Unless you're super lucky, the steering wheel will not be centered. Mark the new top of the steering wheel with tape. Now you know the distance that the steering wheel changed as a result of your first adjustment. Knowing this distance, and how much you rotated the tie rods, you can determine how much further to go, or how much to back off your initial adjustment.

[Joepiper151]

Awesome. Thanks for your help guys

[Freon]

Being even 0.5 degree off on toe can be pretty bad. I would not suggest messing with it. I would let a pro with precision measurement equipment handle it.

You can DIY alignment, but it's a very involved process to get acceptable precision in a home garage.

[GR1P]

Trying to DIY your tie-rod adjustment is asking for trouble

[Joepiper151]

Sounds good. I guess it's going to the shop