Jeffrimerm

I saw a youtube video that shows how to remove the steering wheel. Does it come off and is able to turn it slightly and slide back on so it's straight? It's an IS250 with an ISF or Fsport steering wheel so previous owner must have been sloppy. Or does fit on and off at exactly the same point all the time so no adjusting?

Edit:
Found this on this forum in an old post for a GS. Is it correct?

"Most shops i've known about do not include centering the steering wheel in an "alignment" They usually just drive on and even if it's a little of, they go ahead and "align" the wheels but not the steering wheel. Sounds like your alignment is fine, and since it's tracking straight, it's not the pressures or the alignment. But you can adjust it, my gs was off(steering wheel) from the factory say 2-3 degs, so i adjusted the toe on both fronts and now it's exactly 12 oclock steering and straight on flat roads. You just have to unlock the tie-rod adjustments for toe, and then adjust the adjustment nut, then retighten the tie rods. Do this after centering the steering wheel and THEN jacking up the car. Basically equal amounts on both sides in the opposite direction of direction when you manual center the steering wheel while driving. It's nickpicking but i like to have the wheel exactly centered when the car is going straight."

scott1256c

I did a diy alignment to get rid of some toe. My first adjustment was in the wrong direction, so the car tracked fairly straight but the steering wheel was off. So I adjusted again, basically doing the above. Now the wheel is very straight and the car tracks straight as well. So, yes, it works.

Three notes.
1. The nut to lock the tie-rod end can be VERY tough to turn. You have to hold the tie-rod end still with one open end wrench and turn the nut with another open end wrench. PB-Blaster didn't seem to help much. I didn't have to resort to a torch, but it was close.
2. Make sure you turn those tie rods the same amount, or you will have to go for an alignment, or level your wheels, get some strings, and be prepared to spend a lot of time correcting toe.
3. Since those nuts are open ended, when it is time to tighten, you'll have to get an appropriate torque wrench, or "guess" with your open ended wrenches.

Jeffrimerm

Thanks,

I watched another youtube about changing the tie rod ends. It's been about 20 years since I messed with my 240z tie rod ends but pretty much still the same thing. Since my steering wheel is a few degrees clockwise then I should shorten the driver's side and lengthen the passenger side. If I knew how many degrees one rotation of the tie rod end was then I could just about nail it on the first try but it's all good.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Assuming the tie rods are fine, but just need an adjustment; I'd let an alignment shop do that. Once perfectly straight, you can then deal with re-clocking the steering wheel as needed...which is CAKE!

Jeffrimerm

So have a shop adjust the tie rods so the steering wheel is straight, then "re-clock" the steering wheel. I'm not sure what re-clocking is, but if a shop adjusts the tie rod ends making the steering wheel straight then why would I need re-clocking? I'm pretty mechanically inclined but not familiar with all the terms.

Edit:
Also just want to make sure. Do not move or let the shaft that connects to the tie rod end turn? It has 6 sides and looks like it will rotate but it's probably turned into something inside the rubber boot thing. My tie rod ends look totally different than what I saw on youtube videos. It looks like my tie rod is a metal piece and the rubber ball joint thingy is connected to something else.

mandyfig

I have a similar situation, the car is tracking correctly but the steering wheel is offset counterclockwise. Need to find out how to this safely without bringing to a shop.

Jeffrimerm

Everything I've read it means we need to adjust the TOE. I think that means adjusting the tie rod ends. One will get slightly shorter and the other slightly longer to turn the wheel to the correct direction while hold the streering wheel straight. Someone said to have it aligned then re-clock it but I think they got it backwards. Need to hold the steering wheel at the correct clock position while adjusting the tie rod ends. I tried to do it but I couldn't get the tie rod end out of the end of the tie rid. I need a small pulley I think

scott1256c

I think Gville350 meant that if your car needs an alignment, then do that first, THEN adjust the rod ends to centre the steering wheel. But he can chime in if he meant something different.

If you have already turned either of those tie rods (circled in blue in the below picture) and tried to unscrew them, you are too late and will need an alignment.



If you didn't turn the tie rod above, then you loosen the nut, circled below on BOTH sides of the car, while holding the tie rod in place, which I think you did.

Then you would turn both tie rods an equal amount and in the same direction, From the DRIVERS SIDE PERSPECTIVE, both would turn, for example, 1/2 turn clockwise. So you would start with the wrench on the tie rod with the handle at the bottom and turn 1/2 turn moving the handle towards the front of the car at the start. You would do the same thing on BOTH sides. This will lengthen one side and shorten the other. Which will either help centre your steering wheel (or make it worse, if you go the wrong direction). Then tighten the nuts and go drive the car around the block to see how close you are and repeat until you are happy. You do NOT remove the tie rod from the sleeve. If you have to go more than a full turn in either direction with the tie rods, I think I'd leave it to the professionals.
Only you know what you've done so far, but I'm thinking you should go get an alignment and tell them you want the steering wheel straight because it annoys you and make sure they are willing to do that for you. I can't imagine them refusing or charging an outrageous amount of money to do that.

BTW, damn that car looks clean!

Jeffrimerm

Thanks Scott,

I was able to loosen the nut fine but the I thought the next step is to also take off the nut holding the tie rod end on the outer end and slide the tie rod out the hole so that you can rotate. I wasn't able to do that. It was in to hard. Do I not need to do that?

I agree, probably way easier to just have them aligned and center the steering wheel at the same time. I'll probably end up doing that. If I was to try to get the outer end of the tie rod out would a pulley be better versus bounding on it?

My first pic on the left is the part I need to take out in order to rotate right?

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Don't start just adjusting your toe rods, that needs to be left up to the alignment shop to dial in your alignment. Once the alignment shop says you're good-to-go, and your steering wheel is still not perfectly centered. Use this video to help you remove the wheel and slightly adjust it to be at 12 o-clock.

scott1256c

Not in my experience, no, you don't have to take it out. You do have to use pliers to remove that clip on the rubber boot at the opposite end from where the nut is. Sorry, forget that part. I could practically turn mine by hand at that point once that nut was loose. If you can't turn yours at all, I can't help other that to tell you to take it for servicing. If you are bound and determined to separate that ball joint, you need a tie rod/ball joint separator. But don't.

Here it is straight from the manual

(a) Measure the thread lengths of the right and left rack
ends.
Standard:
Difference in thread length is 1.5 mm (0.059 in.) or less
(b) Remove the rack boot set clips.
(c) Loosen the tie rod end lock nuts.
(d) Adjust the rack ends if the difference in thread length between the right and left rack ends is not
within the specified range.
(1) Extend the shorter rack end if the measured toe-in deviates toward the outer-side.
(2) Shorten the longer rack end if the measured toe-in deviates toward the inner-side.
(e) Turn the right and left rack ends by an equal amount to adjust toe-in.
HINT:
Try to adjust toe-in to the center of the specified range.
(f) Make sure that the lengths of the right and left rack ends are the same.
(g) Torque the tie rod end lock nuts.
Torque:
56 N·m {571 kgf·cm, 41ft·lbf}


Nothing in there about having to separate the ball joint, so you shouldn't have to.

Jeffrimerm

I saw that video but couldn't tell from the video that it could be adjusted. That's awesome if I can. All the forums and posts I've read said the only solution is to adjust the tie rod ends and it won't mess up your alignment as long as you adjust both sides the same. Since one is rotating the end one just needs to make sure you turn the tie rod end the same amount of rotations and counter rotations. Have you used the technique in the video to adjust your steering wheel? If you have then I'll do it right away. My car drive perfectly straight so no need to align just yet.

Jeffrimerm

Thanks Gville and Scott

I was able to take of the steering wheel in minutes. I rotated the steering wheel counterclockwise one position. It's better but instead of being 2 cm off clockwise, it's now on 1 cm counterclockwise. I'm glad I did it but ultimately I'll need to adjust the tie rod ends maybe only 1 rotation.

Edit: I watched a video on aligning wheels and found out its the inner part of the tie rod that gets adjusted. Not sure if I'd mess with it but if I mark it and do the exact opposite adjustment from side to side then it should be fine.