How to Handle Steering Misalignment After Replacing the Steering Gear?
3 Answers
Car steering wheels are designed with approximately 5% free play, and minor deviations within this range are normal. If the misalignment is significant, perform a four-wheel alignment and gradually adjust the steering. Adjustment Method 1: Adjust at the tie rods on both sides of the steering gear—tighten one side while loosening the other. This will help straighten the steering wheel. Adjustment Method 2: If the steering wheel is off by one spline tooth, you can remove the steering wheel and rotate it by one tooth. After a four-wheel alignment, the steering wheel angle deviation will be minimal. Adjusting the tie rods will not significantly affect the steering angle.
Ugh, I ran into this exact issue last time I had my steering gear replaced! Driving with a crooked steering wheel felt so awkward, and the tires were screeching from uneven wear. I rushed back to the repair shop to have the mechanic redo the wheel alignment—turns out the tie rods on both sides weren’t adjusted evenly. It’s like wearing a size 39 shoe on the left foot and a size 42 on the right—no wonder it was crooked! The mechanic spent half an hour fiddling with the alignment machine to recalibrate the steering wheel position and center sensor before fixing it. My advice: test-drive immediately after a steering gear replacement, and if you spot any issues, get it fixed on the spot. Don’t end up like me, making an extra trip and wasting money.
I just had my steering gear replaced at a roadside shop, and now the steering wheel is off by 15 degrees to the left. Scared, I rushed straight to the dealership. The technician checked the steering shaft connection and found that the repair shop had forced the installation without aligning the steering wheel to the zero position. When they reinstalled the steering gear, they first secured the steering wheel with a clamp and adjusted the threaded sleeve on the tie rod. They even showed me the alignment data sheet: the front wheel toe deviation was 0.8°! After three hours of adjustments, everything was finally back to normal. This incident taught me the importance of professional equipment—roadside shops really can't be trusted.
