How to straighten steering wheel on 405

Unless you have the necessary gear to measure front wheel tracking, you don't. Take it to a garage or tyre fitter that you trust and get them to have a good look at it and find out why this state of affairs has arisen. On the way there stick a bit of masking tape on the wheel near the top at the straight ahead position and then mark the actual straight ahead on it with pencil or similar so that you know where straight ahead is after you have manouvered it into the track setting bay.

See above.

Have you just bought this car?

Ron Robinson

You could do this yourself, but National Tyres do it with equipment that it would take a monkey to get it wrong. Only costs £22. Free check as well.

Regards G

Trouble is, they do often employ monkeys. I had a "free" check and was told it had to be adjusted, so I had to pay. I was asked to take it back a month later. It was then checked by another person, and found to be way out. He put it back to where it was originally. My daughter had her tracking done 6 months ago, and has just had to have 2 new tyres fitted, they were both bald on the inside edge. I trust myself, it doesn't matter how good or high tech the equipment is, it's all down to the human interface in the end. I bought a 106 with front tyres completely knackered on the inside edges, steel threads showing. I reset the tracking, and the new tyres have hardly worn since, after 20k. It is actually very simple as long as you know the principle involved, the figures required, and are very careful. Brian.

I think the tracking is actually OK - tyre wear is even steering feels fine and is doesn't weave on bumps, side wind or the motorway. So I was just going to add X number of turns to one side of the rack and take it away from the other to straighten the wheel without changing the tracking. I'd prefer to learn how to do this sort of stuff myself and it's not only cheaper but quicker and easier as well i can do it in 1/2 - 1 hour at home after work which is a lot easier than taking it to a garage for me.

Ian

How far out is the wheel. Remember that it fits onto splines on the end of the steering column, you might just need to take it off, and replace it one spline round. If it is only half a spline out, then yes, alter each track rod by exactly the same amount, max one turn, and try it.

Both track rods should be as near as dammit the same length - it would be worth checking this before deciding to adjust these or move the steering wheel. Be very careful removing the wheel, they come off awfully suddenly when they do come, so don't have your face in the way....

Ron Robinson

The trick is to undo the nut, then put it back on with a couple of threads, so that the wheel has room to come off the splines, but doesn't clonk you in the teeth. Of course, this occurred to me *after* I first tried it...

I think its only ten degrees out or so, so I wont get is straight moving the wheel on the splines. I was wondering how you adjust the rod ends? Perhaps it'll be clearer when I'm sat there with the wheel off.

There are two parts to the track rod system. The end which has the ball joint, and the rod which comes out of the steering rack. one screws inside the other, and there is a locking nut to prevent it moving. On the rod which comes out of the rack, you will see flats on it so that you can get a spanner on it. First of all release the lock nut, then screw the rod into,or out of the track rod end, remembering the number of turns, or par turns you make. The rod will turn inside the gaitor on the end of the rack. Tighten the lock nut when finished. Adjust both sides exactly the same amount, as said before, one in, one out. The whole thing might well be very tight to start with. Threads get corroded. Bit of WD40 sprayed on before you start will help. Brian.

Thanks Brian, I worked it out yesterday! Just the hex fixings on the bar which were difficult to see made it difficult to see how to turn it.

Yup the threads on the nut (and one bar) were tight - in one case requiring the spanner to be jacked! (lots of WD40 applied and left)

Surprisingly it only needed 1 turn each end to straighten - I would have thought it needed a lot more. The steering wheel was 10-20 deg out.

Cheers Ian