Question for everyone?....I just went to have my steering column tightened in order to pass inspection, (ah!!!, how I miss Ohio and No inspections ((In MD. now)). Anyway the shop I took it to did the job and snugged up the column but now my steering wheel sits at almost eleven o' clock while driving straight. Before I had this work done the wheel was right on at 12 while driving straight. My frontend was rebuilt last spring and I had an alignment done at the time from a reliable shop back home. The car was not pulling in any direction while driving before or after the work to the column was done but my steering wheel is off now. I take the car back to the shop after the work and the guy in MD that tightened the wheel says he has been doing work on GM columns for years, seems pretty knowledgable, and shows me that there is only one way the steering wheel can be mounted in order for the horn to work. (Horn worked before the work?) He showed me how the notch underneath the horn cap lined up with the steering wheel and everything was right and I just needed an alignment. Said you could only mount the stock steering wheel one way in order for everything to work properly and tried to show me that he had it right. Of course he broke the plate that clips the horn cap to the wheel off the cap while taking it off to do the work on the column. (I later repaired with some J.B.Weld) Anyway do I really need an alignment to get my steering wheel back to 12'o clock or did this guy just reinstall the wheel wrong after working on the column? Why was my wheel right on before the work?? Any suggestions?

BTW I did pass inspections after the work and my car is an '88 IROC with stock steering wheel.

Thanks,
Chad

 

There is only one way to put a stock wheel back on in my experience. When I changed my stock wheel to a Grant one, I found that I had to line up a score in the steering shaft with a small notch on the wheel.
I'm guessing there was some play in the steering box or column itself that was repaired or tightened. Did you notice any side-to-side play in your steering wheel before the work was done?

 

It does sound like they put the wheel back on a few teeth off..(no biggy)
Either pull it off with a puller, and reinstall or have them do it.
Were talking 5 minutes tops with a puller.

'AT4 T/A at work' I never saw a keyed tooth for installing with these GM's, However I've only done my '81 Z, & '82 TA.

It's a 36 spline shaft, so it doesn't take that much to get it where you want.

Ron

 

I only know what I got on my car. I was FORCED to put the wheel back on with that groove lining up with that notch. I tried to move it a couple degrees left or right and it was impossible to put it on even with a puller. That notch dug into the steering shaft. I suppose all cars can't be like mine, and maybe what ronterry is telling you may be true on your car.

 

Centering the steering wheel is the last step of a properly done alignment. It involves turning the tie-rod adjusters the SAME direction until the wheel is centered.

Bring it to a reputable front-end shop and ask them to center it for you... will only take a few minutes and if you are REALLY nice, they might just do it for free!

Good luck and hth,

 

That's kind of my dilemma. Everything was fine before I had the column tightened. I thought the guy just put the wheel on a few teeth off but when I took it back he said there was only one way the steering wheel can go on for GM cars. The alignment was never touched when the cloumn was tightened so why would that have to be adjusted again in order to get the wheel straight. It seems the only variable that has changed is the position of the wheel and if it only goes on one way how could that have changed? I have no problem taking the car to get another alignment, I just want to make sure that is the root of my problem and is tightening the column able to throw the alignment off? There was some side-to-side and up-to-down play in the tilt steering wheel and if you pulled hard enough on the wheel you could push it down to the bottom most position w/o even touching the tilt lever. That is why I failed inspection the first time but that is all gone now and it's just my wheel that is off. Do I just need an alignment to fix the problem or is the wheel on wrong?

Thanks again for the replies.

 

I think he just put Your wheel on crooked.

Im having a hard time visualizing the setup, even tho I have had it off serval times.

But I Don't thinkwhat he said about the horn is true.

Don't quote me 100% on that, but I seem to remember the horn working regardless of position of reinstallation.

Tightening the wheel should have nothing to do with the Alignment.

Go get a Wheel pulled from a autoparts store and fiddle with it yourself, its a good tool to have around anyhow.

 

I had a crooked steering wheel after i got new tires...turns out i had a broken idler arm. new idler arm and an alignment fixed it, not sure if that might be why for u cause it may be something else

 

you can't put the wheel on "a few splines off". my guess is the front end guy never set the wheel when he set the toe. i have a "speciasl tool" called a stearing wheel jack just for the, back when i did alignments for a living i used a big coffee can to hold it in place.

 

The splines on my '81 & '82 are uniform all the way around.
Even the Summit quick release I put on a while ago, is uniform, no key...

If sounds like there might be a differences in model year? I guess.
I can see why there would be a key on air bag wheels, but other than that - why?


Ron

 

well it's been a while since i was into one but if i recall correctly locating the little plastic plate and pin for the horn contact can only go back one way, at around 11:00 position. i believe the wheel can engage the splines any way you want. another thing is i might be thinking of something other than a gm or a f body. the older i get the less i can remember, only so much room in my head so the old stuff has to go to make room for the new.

 

Maybe it was "wrong" before & this guy put it on "right". Either way you can fix it one of two ways, pull the wheel & center it or adjust the both the tie rods to correct.

 

my steering wheel was way off for a while

killed my brand new Z rated tires within a year

i brought it to my friend (he works at firestone) and he adjusted my tie-rods for me for free

the toe was terribly off

 

you guys are missing the point that there was no alignment done. the only thing done was tighteneing of the steering column.the steering wheel can go on in any position you want it to. when he took it off, he didn't mark where he had it. then when he put it on, he put it on a few teeth off. now, tow things can be done. either remove the steering wheel and put it on in the right place. or, if you haven't had an alginment in awhile anyway, go have one done. then the steering wheel will be positioned in the right place.

 

Thank you !!!

 

you're welcome!!!

 

When I took the car back to shop, the guy that worked on the column stated what ede said and even showed me where the horn activator was on the wheel (at about 11:00). According to him this was the only way it could go on and work properly. He tried to show me how the activator had to line up wheel and section beneath the wheel before the column in order to work. Of course it also worked before? He also showed me how he had to line up the marking notch on the wheel with the notch on the column. Of course I couldn't see if these two notches were lined up with the wheel installed but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I'll probably just take the car for an alignment. I'm new to the area though, and haven't discovered any good shops to work on the car as of yet, so I just wanted to make sure I needed an alignment before I took that step. The guy that rebuilt my front end back home last spring was always very good with the car. He's been in the business for 30+ years, did custom work on his own vette, and brackett raced on weekends, so I trusted him and was always very satisfied with his work. I just wanted to make sure this new shop knew what they were doing and I really needed another alignment. Things still don't seem to add up, but if it is an alignment I need then I guess I'll have to get another one

 

then why was it straight before and not after?

 

That plastic horn piece goes where the wheel goes, how ever you put it on. There's a circular contact on the bottom of it. It allows an electrical contact while turning the wheel. The part of that piece that sticks up into the wheel is part of the turn signal canceler.
If the wheel is off, it doesn't care that your turning left or right with the wheel straight up, It just clicks the turn signal off at a set degrees - left or right from straight up.


Ron

 

if I remember right the horn ring plat is under the sterring wheel lock plate....the steering wheel will only line up with the horn ring one way, but if memory serves you can index the horn ring and lock plate at any position you want so you can mount the steering wheel straight.

i just looked at the diagram vader posted here https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=139778

see items 5-7 in the diagram, looks like my memory hasnt failed