Last year my steering wheel was off center when driving in a straight line. Turned to the right at about 2:00 o'clock. I didn't hit anything - it just "happened" and I noticed it on the way home one afternoon last autumn. I had a four wheel alignment done in March of this year and that fixed it. Now it is back again less than 1,000 miles after the fact, again to the right. What causes this to happen, and what should I do? I assume I will need another alignment? I have all new suspension bushings (OEM) and shocks / struts (Koni's) - wassup? Help!
Hey Stew,
This is just a shot in the dark, but it might be possible that your steering shaft is loose. There are two universal joints in the shaft before it connects to the steering box. There are splines to ensure a secure fit, but maybe this is worn on yours? Or maybe you steering box has a worn gear?
Like I said, this is a shot in the dark, but this is where I would start looking if I had this problem.
Regards,
Johann
If the car tracks straight but the steering wheel is off, that indicates that either the steering shaft or wheel has rotated relative to the rack, or the rear wheel thrust angle has changed. Do you have the before and after measurements from the first allignment? That would tell you if the had to make changes to the rear allignment settings.
Have you checked the steering rack rubber bushings, they get old and then the wheel doesn't come back to the centered position. RSBarn has a good solution.
Phil
Thanks for the replies gents. I'll try to get a hold of Pete and get this sucker licked.
Drove the car today - steering wheel is perfectly straight. I am at a loss. I still plan to have this seen to right away. Thanks again for the replies. Huge help.