TR6 Where/How to straighten steering wheel [TR6]

[brent615]

My TR6 steering wheel is turned to the left. The alignment of the car is right on (hands off the wheel it runs straight). Its a 3 spoke steering wheel that should be at 3:00 6:00 and 9:00 but right now its more like 2:00 - 5:00 and 8:00.

Is it as simple as removing the steering wheel and loosening the 1 inch nut under the horn or should this be adjust somewhere else on the steering column?

On another and more important note - a TR buddy from Nashville is having heart surgery tomorrow, he is a great friend and has been integral in my getting my TR back up and running. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

 

[Guest]

Is this situation something that has always been this way or something that just recently happened? The steering wheel has multiple bolts holding it on and if it was put on wrong, this is correctable. If, however, this just happened, strong possibility that the pinch nut holding your steering column onto the steering box has slipped and may need to re-tightened. Can you actually pull on the wheel and get some back and forward play in it? If the pinch nut is loose, this is dangerous. Check down on the steering box. If it is loose, the splined shaft coming out of the steering box slides into a pinch nut on the steering column. This needs to be securely tightened.

 

[brent615]

its been that way since I bought it in Feb. the steering wheel stays set even when I pull out on it and turn. The nut under the horn is so tight i couldn't break it loose with a wrench. i will have to wait for mt wife to help steady the column so i can get some more torque without the wheels turning.

 

[Guest]

Your steering rack bushings may also be worn and will cause the steering wheel to be off center. Check to see if the u-bolts are good and tight also.

Keep in mind that by simply removing your steering wheel and putting it back on straight, your turn signal shut off will be in the wrong position.

 

[BOXoROCKS]

the answer is a simple..yes to your original question. Good luck to your friend,anyone willing to help a TR guy must be OK.

 

[SpannerMan]

the answer is a simple..yes to your original question. Good luck to your friend,anyone willing to help a TR guy must be OK.

I think you may need a s/wheel puller though. Usually you undo the big nut, and the wheel is press fit onto the splines. You can then reset the wheel at a different position- it only gives you a set of options rather than a continuous adjustment of course. The turn signal cancelling won't be affected - the little sticking out piece (technical term) is on the shaft, not the wheel. There may be another reason why the wheel isn't straight at this point, as others have pointed out.

 

[Guest]

My TR6 steering wheel is turned to the left. The alignment of the car is right on (hands off the wheel it runs straight). Its a 3 spoke steering wheel that should be at 3:00 6:00 and 9:00 but right now its more like 2:00 - 5:00 and 8:00

The proper way to do this is to go to a tire shop. Get a professional alignment. If they are good, they set your car up, turn the steering wheel to it's proper position, put a clamp on the wheel so it can't move. Then they align your front end and your steering wheel is corrected to the right position when finished.

The turn signal cancelling won't be affected - the little sticking out piece (technical term) is on the shaft, not the wheel.

I always thought that my steering shaft turned as I turn my steering wheel, but I might be wrong.

 

[Andrew Mace]

The BIG qualifier in all this is whether or not any major bits have ever been replaced. By that, I mean has the rack been changed, or tie rod ends replaced (perhaps not that carefully), or has the column ever been separated from the rack for any other reason?

As just one example, I put new tie rod ends on a friend's Spitfire a few years back. In removing the old but not original ones, I found that one side was screwed on only about 7 threads worth, while the other side was close to 20 threads. Alignment itself was ok, but I was much more confident "equaling out" the number of threads on each side. And since this car had once also had a significant front-end crash requiring some frame straightening, and had had tie rod ends replaced, etc., the steering wheel no longer was angled properly.

R&R is really pretty easy on these, and the splines on that end of the column are fine enough to get pretty close. But YES, chances are the turn signal switch canceling cam will be off, and ISTR it only snaps firmly into place on the column in one place (or maybe two, each 180 degrees from the other), so a real perfectionist might need to ensure proper front end alignment and then separate and reattach the column to restore the "correct" position of that turn signal cam.

 

[YankeeTR]

The proper way to center a steering wheel is to adjust the tie rods. Center the wheel and then loosen the tie rod ends until you even out the front wheels. Then set your toe-in to the proper spec and you're done.

If you are not comfortable with doing this yourself have an alignment shop do it. It should be under $40.00.