Steering wheel angle is off

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nutbar78
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Steering wheel angle is off

Postby nutbar78 » Sun Dec 01, 2013 6:41 pm

I just noticed this within the last week or so.

The alignment is fine, she does not wander around the road at all, but the steering wheel is slightly turned to the left. I am driving the truck in a straight line and the wheel is slightly to the left. If I try and orient the steering wheel back to "straight ahead" then I am now headed to the right.

What do you guys think this is about?


skinny2
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Postby skinny2 » Sun Dec 01, 2013 8:10 pm

Whoever did the alignment last didn't center the steering wheel.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Sun Dec 01, 2013 8:18 pm

If it's been like that since the last wheel alignment, I would agree that someone didn't centralize the steering wheel properly during the wheel alignment. If the steering wheel was centered and all of the sudden it's not, then the wheel alignment must have got take out of alignment and you get one done. Depending on how it's out of alignment, it is possible for the vehicle to drive straight down the road, if the alignment is out equally on both sides.

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nutbar78
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Postby nutbar78 » Sun Dec 01, 2013 8:25 pm

smj999smj wrote:If it's been like that since the last wheel alignment, I would agree that someone didn't centralize the steering wheel properly during the wheel alignment. If the steering wheel was centered and all of the sudden it's not, then the wheel alignment must have got take out of alignment and you get one done. Depending on how it's out of alignment, it is possible for the vehicle to drive straight down the road, if the alignment is out equally on both sides.
I think what you're saying the alignment of both front wheels must be out equally. She tracks pretty straight down the road and the steering wheel is responsive as normal. Do you think I can put it off for a month of so until after the holidays to have the alignment done?

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Sun Dec 01, 2013 11:08 pm

If it is out of alignment, then it will cause uneven wear on the tires. How much wear will depend on how much you drive, what conditions you drive in, and how much the steering is out of alignment. Only you can answer how long you can put it off. A good alignment tech will also check the front end for worn or bent parts before performing the alignment.


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