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Old 02-26-2015, 12:09 PM   #1
dj92
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Centering steering wheel - how fine is it possible?

Hi there,
When I've had my Yaris repaired some time ago after a small accident, the steering rack had been replaced.
At first, I did not see that the steering wheel was some degrees off center, but now it is getting on my nerves.
Don't get me wrong, the steering itself works fine and does not seriously pull to a specific side (about 0,5m per 200m driven).
I just want the steering wheel to be as level as possible when I'm driving straight forward.

As they proved to be incompetent idiots ("Letting the lower engine bay cover hang down, not reattaching it? Yeah why not, not our circus, not our monkeys"), I don't want them to fix it but want to do it on my own.
(The stealership is about to lose my trust, too, but this is another story...)

I have already tried unscrewing the steering wheel, putting it out, rotating it by a tooth's angle and reattaching it, but then I have almost the same angular error in the other direction

Now I'm not sure whether I can get a higher correction precision on another place in the steering stuff.
Does anyone of you have an idea?
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Old 02-26-2015, 12:58 PM   #2
IllusionX
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That's slight, but I would have it aligned..
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Old 02-26-2015, 02:20 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dj92 View Post
Now I'm not sure whether I can get a higher correction precision on another place in the steering stuff.
Does anyone of you have an idea?
You can shorten the tie rod on one side and lengthen the tie rod on the other side an equal amount. This will give you infinitesimal adjustability.

BUT...

Before you do that, make sure the steering rack was installed correctly. It should be centered with the wheels pointed straight ahead. The tie rods should be equal length. With the wheels and rack centered, see where your steering wheel ends up. If it is off by a lot, remount the steering wheel as close to center. Then adjust the tie rods. Having unequal length tie rods is not optimum but if they are close, it shouldn't affect handling.
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Old 02-27-2015, 06:23 AM   #4
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Yes the centering of the steering wheel is a function of equally turning the left and right tie rods. Mosy any shop should be able to do this...although it might take a few shops...

My advice is one becomes used to anything over time. That is the wisest solution to almost any problem that is just a matter of nerves, assuming the alignment is close to normal!
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Old 02-27-2015, 02:01 PM   #5
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Best thing is to find a shop you can trust. In terms of steering wheels, everyone has a different idea of what is "level". In a Yaris with no cluster to line up with, it can be hard to put it where the customer likes. When doing the alignment, the tech puts the steering wheel to level, then adjusts the tie rods so that the tires are in the right spot. If you continue to have issues, you can ask to set the steering wheel position yourself, then they can adjust the tires to that. I've had to do that before for certain customers.
Cheers.
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