[DML] Re: Steering wheel aligment

["Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxx>]

Tom Watkins #5732 Wrote:

> With advise from Joe at DMC services I successfully replaced my steering
> column bushing! ...now the steering wheel
> is a tad off center when traveling perfectly straight.
> I think I can loosen up the lower joint and take out the pin on the
> upper and slid it down and then move the wheel to the proper position.
> The intermediate bar wouldn't slide down due some minor (repeat minor)
> surface rust. but if this procedure will work I'll attempt to make it
> slide down with a little TLC.

Refer to the manual H:05:01. You should be able to slide the sections of the
joint far enough up or down to get the intermediate shaft off of the rack
or the steering column without removing either the steering column or the
rack from the car. It may take a lot of penetrating oil on the spline shaft
first. I have done it. Once you get it apart a little anti-sieze compound on
the splines will make this easier for the next guy.

A "sleazier" way to fix your problem is to re-align the tie rod ends, but
you'd be in danger of having the car be able to turn tighter in one
direction than in the other since the straight-ahead postion would no longer
be in the center of the rack. Probably not a good idea.

> The other question is.....If you remove the center steering wheel pad
> there is a large nut holding the wheel onto the column. Can this be
> loosened up and reposition the steering wheel this way?? I don't
> think, so but it's worth asking.

This is a very difficult procedure. There are puller holes in the steering
wheel but they are so small that they are guaranteed to strip out before you
get the wheel off the car. They are also an impossible-to-find metric
size/length. The wheel is loc-tited to the column, so its very hard to
remove without hammering on the column or heating it, which causes other
problems. I'd try to get the lower end apart.

dave