I picked up a 2001 civic few months ago with 180k miles and finally got around to replacing the struts and then the passenger wheel bearing. Then quickly got new tires (yesterday) and alignment today. After i replaced the struts the alignment was off and also croked steering wheel which i think is normal.

So today at the alignment shop they ran into problems. They couldnt toe out the passenger side far enough (both tie rods were maxed out at this point, tightened all the way) so they gave me the option of having a straight wheel or good alignment so now i still have a offset steering wheel. The alignment guy said hes never seen anything like it and spent a lot of time trying to figure it out. He noticed and showed me that the underbody/unibody had a hole on each side (mid-car) ripped downward. It looked like someone put a bolt in it and it got ripped out. He told me that this is probably from a body shop anchoring the frame to tweak it back to shape from being in a crash.

Every fender lines up perfect, everypart of the front end looks like it hasnt been touched in years. When i was installing the shocks i even noticed how every bolt looked untouched and since today ive looked harder and everything is straight to the eye. So how could my car start off with good alignment and now he cant align my car. It seems like it must be from me messing up the install of the shocks or wheel bearing. He checked out the shocks and everything and said they were installed right. What could be the problem.


Theres 3 bolts on the top of the strut, so if one was put on wrong it seems like the tire would be really far off and it wasnt that off after i put them on

 

Well, it's impossible to mount the upper strut perch improperly, because the spacing is different between the bolts. So kiss that theory goodbye.

If the car had a different steering wheel at any time, then the steering wheel could be mounted incorrectly on the hub. There's markings on the splines for the main steering shaft. Taking off the airbag isn't all that hard (Torx bolts), and you can figure out if the steering wheel isn't mounted properly.

 

Is it a torx #25 i need? Also is it smart/possible to disable the airbag first or unplug battery?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 7thgenslug &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is it a torx #25 i need? Also is it smart/possible to disable the airbag first or unplug battery?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Definitely pull the battery cables off for at least 5-10 minutes prior.

As for the Torx size, I think they're size #30... but I could be wrong. It's been quite some time since I've had the standard steering wheel. There's a DIY for swapping steering wheels in this forum, so you might get that info. there. Check the FAQ's for that one.

 

ya I agree with matt you could of put your front shock on wrong and that could mess with it. But it's prolly faster to rip off the steering wheel first and check. Plus if it was in a crash like you said and the airbag is intaked then I would guess they changed out the steering wheel.

 

ballinboosi,, i could of put front shocks on wrong? are you correct in saying i couldnt of put them on wrong toyotamatt?

 

Ive looked over the shocks and the only thing i can think of is the top boot that fits between top of strut and underside of inside fenderwells. Could that mis-align things? Im talking about the rubber boot that sits on top of the strut

 

The way you've worded it is entirely confusing. What part are you talking about?

 

Part 10/11 rest on top of 2-7-9 and seems like it doesnt sit perfectly level(sits at an angle, one side higher than the other), it has an angle somewhat and what im wondering is if that part got turned it might not place the strut at the same angle it should be and mess with the alignment. What im trying to say is that i believe part 10/11 might only have one position thats correct and there was one side i didnt mark and wasnt sure if it was in the right position when re-installed. Is it possible for that part to be installed wrong/sideways

 

Well, the bolt spacing on part 10/11 only alloys for one proper way to mount. So, they're not installed incorrectly, if they're installed at all. Then, the whole assembly is supposed to be angled. That's how the strut tower on the body is molded, so there's nothing wrong there.

Maybe take some pictures, and see if that doesn't help explain your problem.

 

Yeah i am understanding that there angled for a reason but im curious if its possible to install them with part 10/11 at the wrong angle? Not asking if it works that way, but if its possible that i could of physically mounted it angled incorectly. Is the bolt pattern on top of that part symetrical, meaning i could take it off, twist it, then fit it back in causing that part to be slanting/angled improperly?

 

wanna post a pic of the holes?

 

was the steering wheel off center before the new struts?