Steering wheel off center after box replacement

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coffeedart67

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I replaced my power steering box with a steer and gear box, now the steering wheel is off by about 45 degrees. How do I rectify this. No other parts were replaced.
Thanks
Aaron
 
Anytime the gear box is moved by being unbolted (or even if the frame bolts are loose) will throw the steering wheel position and the toe off.
Time for a wheel alignment. Steering wheel position can change also if the coupler housing is forced onto a new position relative to the splines on the input shaft
 
Seems weird, because I was under the impression that there was only one way the column adapter could go on the worm gear shaft on these, though I don't know anything about how Steer and Gear and what shafts they use. Typically there is a raised portion of the worm gear in the center where the pitch is a little tighter, you would think that would still need to be in the center, so maybe Steer&Gear worm shafts don't have the master tooth and allow you to put the pot connector on in any position.

Quick question,.... when your tires are centered and straight ahead, are you sure you are in the center of your gearbox travel. In other words, start with the tires pointing straight forward and turn the wheel to full lock in both directions and see if the amount of turns is the same. I'm thinking that maybe Steer & Gear shafts don't have the master key and can be put on anywhere and they didn't have it centered when you installed it.

If there is no master tooth on the splined worm gear shaft, you can just pop the coupler off, center the wheel, and put it back on. I would still find center of the gear box travel though and make sure your tires are straight forward when the gearbox is centered. Obviously when the gearbox is at center position and steering wheel is centered, your tires should be pointing straight forward. If not, you will have to adjust each tie rod adjuster equally to bring them back to center, then off to alignment shop for final adjustment. I don't know any other way to center up the steering wheel on these cars.

Hope that helps
 
My memory doesn't serve as it once did but I do recall some pitman arms and shafts were splined to go on 1 of 4 different positions. Was that a Chrysler thing? Danged if I know. Worked on so much different chit over the years.
I would start by finding the center of the gear box.
 
Was the box centered before installation? (lock to lock)
 
RedFish said:
My memory doesn't serve as it once did but I do recall some pitman arms and shafts were splined to go on 1 of 4 different positions.
Click to expand...

I believe the sector shaft coming out of the bottom of the steering box, that the pitman arm goes onto, is keyed every 90 degrees, but it's kind of impossible to put the pitman arm in any but the correct position because it will hit. Of course, if the box isn't centered it could easily be off by 45 degrees as the OP mentioned.
 
Box centered, pulled pitman arm, reinstalled it, slid coupler off and back on, still the same, so I guess alignment is next. Should it be ok to drive 30 miles to alignment shop. Here's a picture of my car. Thanks for the help.

IMG_20170719_205958861.jpg
 
Had this happen just very recently with a Firm Feel replacement. My wheel was centered before, and when I got the new one, it was off by quite a bit. Called and talked to Firm Feel about it, and they said that the master key slot wasn't always in the same orientation, year to year, model to model, and suggested the only fix was to grind a tooth off of the shaft and then reinstall it. My wheels were pretty centered on the tie-rod ends side to side, and the gear box is in the center too, number of turns to left and right to center about the same. I'm not sure how somebody could think that you're toe could be affected. Unless you loosen your tie-rods, I'm not sure how your toe could be off.
 
I doubt it needs an alignment. Did you loosen the upper control arm adjusters? Did you loosen your tie-rod adjusters? If not, that geometry has not changed. I doubt you can adjust the tie-rods enough to center the wheel, as there is only so much threads on a tie-rod end. You'd end up with one side buried, and the other probably hanging on by a few threads, not what I'd like to depend on. Not to mention the fact, that power steering gearboxes have a "center" to them and you want your wheels to be pointing straight forward, and have your gearbox centered. Only way to accomplish that, is to grind out one of the splines on the worm shaft and then reclock the wheel and pound in the roll pin again. Otherwise, just grin and bear it.
 
You can remove the steering wheel and file away the master spline at top of column shaft. This is a heck of a lot easier than filing away the master spline at gear box. In another threads there were posts about some models that didn't have a master spline at the wheel end. I never ran across one of those. Anyway... Once this master spline is gone, any steering wheel will fit on in any position.
I once worked with a front end alignment guy who would do this from time to time. His reason being, its a lot easier than dealing with a lot of crusty old threads at tie rod ends and adjust sleeves. "So long as the toe in setting is good, center the wheel at the wheel and let'er go."
 
Have been thinking for a few years about going aftermarket steering wheel. Do the steering wheel adapters for aftermarket wheels have the master splines? Going to contact steer and gear, then alignment.
 
coffeedart67 said:
Have been thinking for a few years about going aftermarket steering wheel. Do the steering wheel adapters for aftermarket wheels have the master splines? Going to contact steer and gear, then alignment.
Click to expand...
It takes only a minute or 3 to file away the master spline on the shaft. So it doesn't really matter if your aftermarket part does or doesn't.
I put this aftermarket wheel in my 67. The hard part was finding the 1 inch spacer adapting to momo pattern ( was several years ago ). I filed away the master spline to shift the wheel just a tad... like 2 clicks. Had the big *** OEM wheel always been off that much and I had never noticed? Who knows.

DeMonDIN 02.JPG
 
They were able to center steering wheel with alignment. Let cruise season begin! I will no longer be the butt of jokes for backing into a parking space crooked and 8 foot away from the next car. My old box only had power steering in one direction.
 
But was the steering box truly in the center of it's turn-to-turn? Or did they just shorten one side's tie-rods and lengthen the other side to center the wheel? How many threads are there on the driver's side tie-rod compared to the passenger's side? Depending on the answer, the alignment shop may have just put lipstick on a pig and called it good.
 
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