jaycetan

i have a crooked steering wheel. not just a lil bit but its very noticable. i know my alignment is bad but it doesnt seem like thats it. could it be the fact that the steering wheel was just put on incorrectly?

litterbox

What do you mean put on improperly? You have a new steering wheel? When was it put on?

Get an alignment, that will fix the problem for sure.

litterbox

AOL me at eh2andy, I've got some parts that you need.

MugenHonda

I doubt it, probably car was in a wreck, mine is the same, i took off the wheel, and then tried to get it as straight as I could, then I went to get an alignment

jaycetan

bump before bed

Kyles ej1

just get the car straight and take off the steering wheel and then put it back on so its straight.

Kendall

Get it aligned, and while it's on the alignment rack, get the technician to adjust the tie rods so that the wheel becomes straight.

litterbox

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kendall &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Get it aligned, and while it's on the alignment rack, get the technician to adjust the tie rods so that the wheel becomes straight.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Do they adjust the inner or outer tie rods to straighten the steering wheel?

Kendall

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by litterbox &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Do they adjust the inner or outer tie rods to straighten the steering wheel?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Outer, it's how the front toe is set. Turn the steering wheel all to way to one side, and you should be able to see the adjustment nuts.

litterbox

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kendall &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Outer, it's how the front toe is set. Turn the steering wheel all to way to one side, and you should be able to see the adjustment nuts.</TD></TR></TABLE>Yes, I knew that they adjust the front toe through the outer tie rods, but what I didn't know was that a crooked steering wheel was caused by way out of spec toe.

EKB18BPR3

i work for a dealer as a mechanic and i do alignments, if u get ur alignment done somewhere, they will fix it. they will adjust ur toe, camber, caster. at the same time they adjust ur steering wheel and center it and adjust the wheels to go with it.

EKB18BPR3

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93ejay1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just get the car straight and take off the steering wheel and then put it back on so its straight.</TD></TR></TABLE>

dont listen to this

AutoXer

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 98B00STED &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i work for a dealer as a mechanic and i do alignments, if u get ur alignment done somewhere, they will fix it. they will adjust ur toe, camber, caster. at the same time they adjust ur steering wheel and center it and adjust the wheels to go with it. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Camber and caster are not adjustable on civics from the factory. You can get a camber kit if for some reason you want a special camber setup, but even then you can't adjust caster. The only reason that would be out of spec would be if something is bent.

You can read up on alignments here:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...n.jsp

RedDC5

I thought camber, caster and toe were what they adjusted during an alignment. It doesnt make sense that u cant adjust them, they eventually come out of whack as you drive, wheter it be daily driving or aggressive. I know they sell camber kits, but I thought they were for oversized rims.

AutoXer

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4door_ridin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I thought camber, caster and toe were what they adjusted during an alignment. It doesnt make sense that u cant adjust them, they eventually come out of whack as you drive, wheter it be daily driving or aggressive. I know they sell camber kits, but I thought they were for oversized rims.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Most cars do not come with adjustments for caster or camber. There's no real reason for it, because for 99% of the cars out there, it's just not needed. The only time they will 'come out of whack' is if you bend something.

One of the ways that you change camber is by lowering, and even then, camber does not need to be adjusted in most cases. You will have more camber, but this shouldn't affect tire wear if the toe is set correctly. Wheel sizes do not have an effect on camber if they are sized properly (maintaining outer diameter by plus sizing).

All of this is explained in greater detail at the link I provided.

jaycetan

so how can i make sure they do a good job? how much should it cost? one place told me 200 for all 4. toe camber and caster. some ppl have told me the camber cant be adjusted. what are my other options? is it neccessary?

Kyles ej1

for a 4 wheel alingment it should be around 100 at the most. camber and caster cant be adjusted unless u have a kit.

litterbox

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jayce’shatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so how can i make sure they do a good job? how much should it cost? one place told me 200 for all 4. toe camber and caster. some ppl have told me the camber cant be adjusted. what are my other options? is it neccessary?</TD></TR></TABLE>Goddam. Ok, like EX_Autoxer said, caster cannot be adjusted on our cars. Camber can be adjusted ONLY if you have a camber kit, and even then, they'll only do it if you ask them too. TOE is all that can be adjusted on our cars.

I know that Sears charges $59.99 for an alignment (that'll include straightening your steering wheel as well) and they have a good alignment rack. BUT, it's all about the technician you get. If you sit in the waiting room the whole time and then they bring you the before and after spec sheet, you have NO idea if those numbers are accurate. Go back there, and watch him do it.