Center the steering wheel, How? Options

[NARP74]

The car had an alignment just before I bought it but the steering wheel is a bit off center. What is the best way to move that back without messing anything else up?

[TheCabinetmaker]

I was a Chrysler factory trained alignment specialist in the '70s.

If the alignment place had done their job you wouldn't have this problem. Centering the steering wheel is part of an alignment. If they didn't do it they're just being lazy. It needs to be done. You can do it yourself. like was said before, turn it a little at a time. you make one side longer the other side shorter by the same amount You're moving both Wheels the same direction as you want the steering wheel to go. When we did an alignment, we would leave the tie rod clamps loose enough that we could turn them barely by hand. Then we find a nice level road and keep adjusting until the steering wheel stays where you want it.

[Superhawk996]

If the alignment place had done their job you wouldn't have this problem. Centering the 914 steering wheel is part of an alignment.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Getting harder and harder to find competent alignment shops

Make them do the job properly! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

In your case it sounds like alignment was done by prior owner before you bought it and you have no recourse to the original alignment job.

Do not start shifting steering wheel or u-joint splines to try to compensate for (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) workmanship (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

I think there are something like 40 splines on the steering wheel. That is 9 degrees per spline. Your just going to end up off center in the other direction by shifting splines.

I’m going to post a link to a TSB from Toyota - not that you can follow it and have it work exactly the same for a 914 - but so you can get an overview of what it takes to finesse it to perfection as a DIY as suggested by @cairo94507 by tweaking the tie rods.

I’m a perfectionist about steering wheel centering and I am rarely satisfied with what the alignment techs accept (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) and try to send out the door. Usually I force them to redo it on the spot. If I end up with an exceptionally incompetent tech - There really is little you can do other than DIY or waste a ton of time trying to get it done properly!

https://attachments.priuschat.com/attachmen...-ST003-01_1.pdf

Note: the Toyota TSB directions to turn tie rods are affected by whether the steering system is a leading or trailing tie rod set up. See the note within the Toyota TSB that says this works opposite on some Toyota products. Do not assume the Toyota direction to turn the tie rods applies to a 914.

@NARP74

Note: I just checked - 2002 Toyota Prius is a trailing tie rod set up same as the 914. I’m not going to try to figure out if the 914 and Prius tie rods are threaded in the same directions and whether they have the same thread pitch. I’d bet they probably are same direction and very close on thread pitch. So as a starting point - you could follow their direction recommendations and probably be moving in the right direction 1st try.