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Steering wheel unaligned...

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PhredzK512

1/2 ton status
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Location
Eastern Oregon
The steering wheel on my '87 CK5 isn't aligned,..as the bowtie emblem on the steering wheel is setting north & south rather then east & west. How do I get this corrected back to how it should set(east & west)? This blazer was accidently driven off into some riff-raff which resulted in the tranny being messed up and the right rear shock being busted off the top bolt,..so I imagine the rough ride swayed something in the front out of whack. I do feel the steering wheel wants to pull to the right,so I have to keep a good hold towards the left. Any feedback would be helpful...(maybe I just need to get a wheel alignment)? :confused:
 
Do not attempt to adjust the steering back straight, instead start looking for something else that's broken.

I'd check for broken front center pins. See if either side of the front axle has shifted forward or backward on the leaf springs.

Check for a bent frame. An impact that can tear a shock off could easily tweak the frame.

If all else fails, try having the alignment checked as this can at least find the corner with the problem. The alignment tech may also spot the problem.
 
Not only do you need to get an alignment, it needs to be checked fairly soon. Never mind tire wear, you could have something cracked that may fail.

The steering wheel is quite possibly something bent. Tie rod, something like that.
If so, then all that would do is mess up tires and make it hard to steer right.

But, if something hit hard enough to bend a tie rod, then it may have done damage that could cause you to lose steering.

For instance, a friend of mine's daughter just had one of the entire front wheel assembles come off her Toyota driving down I85 outside Atlanta.

Said it had been pulling a little and feeling "squirrelly" for a few days before...

Might not hurt to just slide under and take a look. If you see anything that looks wrong, take a good pic and post it.
Still needs to be checked out by an expert, but looking yourself won't hurt.

Unless you lay down in an ant bed, of course......

Steering and Brakes. I want them right. I'll worry about making it go later!!
 
If you busted a shock mount (common enough), it's also likely the steering box is loose on the frame and the frame is cracked (very common.)

Closely inspect the frame at the four bolts for the steering box and make sure they're tight. If cracked, get a weld-on brace (see below) and find somebody to weld your frame up.

Regardless, order yourself the ORD bolt-on brace 'cuz that'll help triangulate it and keep it from breaking in the future.

http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm

And, as said, inspect the steering system for wobbly bits that move when you pull on them with your hand (they shouldn't noticeably move) and/or bent tierod or draglink.

Get thee a Chilton's or Hayne's service manual if you don't know a tierod from a muffler bearing, as it's well worth the fifteen bucks even if you don't end up doing the work yourself. At least you'll know what the shop is talking about.

-- A
 
Yikes, my steering wheel is the same looking, north south, but this truck has 0 impacts showing on the carfax, but who knows.

Ill have to look into it.
 
as a mechanic and body shop worker DO NOT EVER TRUST carfax / others like it:haha:

and if your going to give them money send it to me first.

lots of stuff dont get reported and or a tiny shopping cart hit /fix = fender damage hit and thay dont list the actual damage .

thay can hurt your sale or even benifit the sale . just depends on the way it goes.
 
I'd take it to an alignment shop. You can look under and see if you see any other obvious damage. Loose or worn components will move when you pull on them. With the hit that did damage to the shock mount, it could have very well cracked the frame or damaged the gearbox or tie rod. If it was normal before the crash it did damage to something to move the wheel 45 degrees off center.
 
most alignment shops these days dont know what to look for on these old trucks. let alone act do alignments.

took a almost new toyota in to brand new shop with all new equipment. had them do alignment . thay didnt even set the caster/camber and had the toe out from spec . called them out on it and guy got pissed.

find a real shop that will work with you and even take you in the shop and show you every thing thay find.

and these trucks can be set in the driveway with buddy and tape measure for toe set and then 1 guy for steering wheel position set.

as said check for cracks in box area of frame. look to see if leaf spring is moved from center of axle ( = broken center pin ) bad/bent leaf spring shackles or bolts or blown frame bushings.
 
ack! Are there any other reasons why this would have happened other than scary ones? hehhe..

in my case im wanting to think that they took the wheel off and just put it back on wrong without caring.

Also, if something is cracked or broken that would cause this problem, would it be noticeable during operation? as in when im driving it.
 
At least on the older trucks, the steering wheel only fits in one position.

Cracked or broken, yes, you'd notice the shaking. Bent, might not notice, other than the dead giveaway that the steering wheel is off.

-- A
 
Brian_D said:
ack! Are there any other reasons why this would have happened other than scary ones? hehhe..

in my case im wanting to think that they took the wheel off and just put it back on wrong without caring.

Also, if something is cracked or broken that would cause this problem, would it be noticeable during operation? as in when im driving it.
Click to expand...

Some wheels have a wide spline that will not let them go the wrong way. Others do not.
No idea which yours is, others here should.

As far as noticing during driving, it depends on what is wrong, and how used to it you are.
If it has "always made that popping sound", then you are not going to notice anything unusual.

However, if it fails, then its usually very noticeable............:eek1:
 
Fordum said:
Some wheels have a wide spline that will not let them go the wrong way. Others do not.
No idea which yours is, others here should.

As far as noticing during driving, it depends on what is wrong, and how used to it you are.
If it has "always made that popping sound", then you are not going to notice anything unusual.

However, if it fails, then its usually very noticeable............:eek1:
Click to expand...

i just got the truck on sat and it drives pretty smooth, i would have noticed anything weird, especially after driving my 04 s10 which rides very smooth.

I still wanna get under there and look around tho, problem is i dont really know what im looking for or at when it comes to older 4x4 trucks.
 
Basically look for bent or broken frame and steering components. Grab andpull on the links and steering box and see if anything is loose. If it moved inside a tie rod or drag link end, it's wore out. Look for bent tie rod or ends. That'll throw off the steering wheel. If alignments off it will wear out the tires real quick. That's the basics anyway.
 
chulisohombre said:
Basically look for bent or broken frame and steering components. Grab andpull on the links and steering box and see if anything is loose. If it moved inside a tie rod or drag link end, it's wore out. Look for bent tie rod or ends. That'll throw off the steering wheel. If alignments off it will wear out the tires real quick. That's the basics anyway.
Click to expand...

man, is one of these options are indeed the problem, is this something thats going to make it or break it for the truck or can it be fixed? and if so you think it would be am arm and a leg?
 
You correct the steering wheel through the drag link.

I am not discounting the theory of broken/bent parts, however in a properly working steering system on one of these trucks (at least 4WD) the drag link is what sets the steering wheel position.

I do believe that with some effort you can put the steering shaft on the steering box incorrectly, but you should another problem like being able to turn much sharper one direction than the other if the steering shaft is improperly mated to the steering box.
 
Anything can be fixed. You just have to figure out what component got messed up in the crash. An alignment should be around 100 bucks. If its got a bad piece in the system they should tell you what it is ans cost. When you take it in I'd express the concerns you have and what happened and they should be able to tell where the steering went wrong and is off.
 
dyeager535 said:
You correct the steering wheel through the drag link.

I am not discounting the theory of broken/bent parts, however in a properly working steering system on one of these trucks (at least 4WD) the drag link is what sets the steering wheel position.

I do believe that with some effort you can put the steering shaft on the steering box incorrectly, but you should another problem like being able to turn much sharper one direction than the other if the steering shaft is improperly mated to the steering box.
Click to expand...

handles like a dream atm, checked everything out to my best knowledge today and it all seems straight and un broken, but i will most likely take it in to get checked out regardless in the near future.

Just for piece of mind.

I am thinking in my case that someone took the wheel off to try and fix something in the column and didn't bother putting it back on straight, another reason that i get that feeling is every mod someone had done to this truck was half assed so it doesn't seem far fetched that this person would give a crap if the wheel was straight, although it drove me batty.

I put a new grant wheel on it and straitened it up on Monday. :woot:
 
Looks to be he just didn't put it on strait then. Those previous owners can do some wacky shtuff. Lol. It's easy to check the toe in on the alignment yourself. Center the steering and pick a spot on the tires and measure from one side to the other across the front of the tire. Then mesure in the same spot at the rear of the tires. The front measurement should be 1/8 - 1/4 inch shorter distsnce to give you a good toe in and return to center after a turn. That will at least be a quick thing to check if you need an alignment or not.
 
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