steering wheel offcenter..possible tie rod problem?
Hi..a while back a co worker replaced the (drivers front) tierod in my friends jeep 99 grand cherokee...since then the steering wheel won't center..
when the front tires are straight the steering wheel is off centered to the left...about a 1/4 turn...
when I center the steering wheel..the jeep symbol on the steering wheel is now straight..the tires are turned slightly to the right.
I got under the car and measured/looked at the distance in the tie rod threads,,,the passenger's ( the one that didn't get replaced is like 9 threads from the stabilizer bar...the driver's ( the one that got replaced is more like 10 ish).
Could this be enough to throw off the steering wheel ....that same coworker insisted the car just needs realligned!.
is there a way to readjust the steering wheel by itself?...
is the tie rod distance the problem?....and if it is logically wouldn't screwing the tie rod (drivers) inward to match the thread count on the passenger's ti
erod only make the problem worse?? causing the car to pull more to the right.
The main reason I ask this question is that it is gonna be a pain in the butt to remove the tierod..physically screw it in and then find that I totally am off base with this solution..
it seems like the tierod needs to come out more.(( increase threads) to..push away from the steering bar in order to correct this problem
YES I realize that the car probably does need some form of alignment...BUT could it really cause the steering wheel to turn that much..???
I didn't have that steering wheel prob before he replaced tierod..
I've replaced a few tierods and never have a steering wheel be out of center like that..
can an alignment shop really correct a steering wheel problem like this?
does anyone know if the thread count difference between the two tierods could be the problem..or is this really a non issue..they are like i to 1/2 threads off..
should I removing the tierod..straightening the steering wheel and then just reattaching the rod..could it be that simple
After any front end work it is a good idea to get an alignment done.
