Outer Limits 4x4 Board

After doing a little 4x4ing this weekend i have somehow bumped (twisted, bent, not sure??) something which has sent my steering wheel alignment out significantly. 105 Series cruiser (Solid Axle)

The front end didnt take any significant hits (it has taken much worse in the past!!) but would have had a bit of a workout.

The steering is fine, there is no binding, the car feels exactly the same to drive only now when driving dead straight the wheel is turned approximately 45 degrees (yes, that much) to the left.

Having a look under the front end nothing appears bent, or loose. jacked up both wheels and gave them a check, no movement.

All i can imagine, is that the steering shaft must have twisted...any ideas??

Mike

the shaft coming out of your steering box twists quite easily. Sometimes can be seen in the splines visible ust above the pitman arm, should be straight, sometimes can be seen to be slanted.

otherwise a bent draglink would do the same thing.

mike_nofx wrote:After doing a little 4x4ing this weekend i have somehow bumped (twisted, bent, not sure??) something which has sent my steering wheel alignment out significantly. 105 Series cruiser (Solid Axle)

The front end didnt take any significant hits (it has taken much worse in the past!!) but would have had a bit of a workout.

The steering is fine, there is no binding, the car feels exactly the same to drive only now when driving dead straight the wheel is turned approximately 45 degrees (yes, that much) to the left.

Having a look under the front end nothing appears bent, or loose. jacked up both wheels and gave them a check, no movement.

All i can imagine, is that the steering shaft must have twisted...any ideas??

Mike

IIRC,
twisted spline on the steering box shaft??
I'm no eggspert tho

JWB wrote:

mike_nofx wrote:After doing a little 4x4ing this weekend i have somehow bumped (twisted, bent, not sure??) something which has sent my steering wheel alignment out significantly. 105 Series cruiser (Solid Axle)

The front end didnt take any significant hits (it has taken much worse in the past!!) but would have had a bit of a workout.

The steering is fine, there is no binding, the car feels exactly the same to drive only now when driving dead straight the wheel is turned approximately 45 degrees (yes, that much) to the left.

Having a look under the front end nothing appears bent, or loose. jacked up both wheels and gave them a check, no movement.

All i can imagine, is that the steering shaft must have twisted...any ideas??

Mike

IIRC,
twisted spline on the steering box shaft??
I'm no eggspert tho

there was a post resently along the same lines although on an 80 series i think.

the general concenses was as you say, twistes sector shaft in the steering box.

I would bet on twisted sector shaft in the steering box also
I twisted one in my 80series, replaced the steering box and twisted it again less than 12hrs later

x3 on the twisted steering box shaft... high steer is a good idea if they are lifted up... I never twisted mine after i did the high steer..... and i twisted 3 previously.....

hmm this could be whats wrong with mine. thanks fellas

crankycruiser wrote:x3 on the twisted steering box shaft... high steer is a good idea if they are lifted up... I never twisted mine after i did the high steer..... and i twisted 3 previously.....

Is there a commercially available, ADR compliant high steer?

So is it safe to drive for now?

I will check out the mentioned areas!

Thanks

I had exactly the same thing in my 80 series 3 weeks ago. Steering wheel turned 1/4 turn to the left. Bent tierod ( steering rod that runs along the back of the diff )

Just checked everything out, and it all looks straight...

Steering rods, (along rear of diff, and the one connecting to steering box) both appear straight, as do all the rod ends (stub axles?). I tried to run a straight edge across the rods and the looked straight to me.

Shafts in and out of the steering box look good, no twisted splines.

Any other ideas? Should i just take it into a wheel alignment specialist... will they pick up whats wrong?

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo29 ... 090093.jpg
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo29 ... 090094.jpg
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo29 ... 090095.jpg

I had the same thing a few months ago in my 105 and posted aswell after a big front end hit. Had it checked out and it just turned out to be a wheel alignment.

twocs wrote:I had the same thing a few months ago in my 105 and posted aswell after a big front end hit. Had it checked out and it just turned out to be a wheel alignment.

what was done to fix it? there is no adjustment for wheel alignment on a live axle (apart from toe in) if your wheel alignment has changed, something is bent or worn out



Mike, your first and second pic looks suspiciously like there is a slight twist in the sector shaft, the paint looks flakey at the splines, when I twisted the first one, all the paint flaked off due to the stress and twisting of the shaft underneath.
A small twist in the sector shaft will cause the steering wheel to move a long way.

get your self a pitman arm puller, pull the pitman arm off and check the splines, a puller might cost you $50 bucks. Cheaper then having a mechanic diagnose it incorrectly

hmm I agree. It could be a funny angle of the pics but the cross/sector shaft appears to have a slight twist in the splines.

+dj_hansen+ wrote:

crankycruiser wrote:x3 on the twisted steering box shaft... high steer is a good idea if they are lifted up... I never twisted mine after i did the high steer..... and i twisted 3 previously.....

Is there a commercially available, ADR compliant high steer?

MIne came with an engineers cert, so id guess as long as u can get it engineered then it should be all good..

The same things been happening to my 80 series for years. A wheel alignment fixes it.

Luxo wrote:hmm I agree. It could be a funny angle of the pics but the cross/sector shaft appears to have a slight twist in the splines.

x3, definitely looks out of line in the photo although photos can be deceptive.

Emo wrote:The same things been happening to my 80 series for years. A wheel alignment fixes it.

No! A wheel alignment hides it. If you have a twisted sector shaft, you will have a reduced steering lock in one direction, increased steering lock in the other. repeated twisting will eventually lead to a failure.
When will it fail? in the bush, on the freeway, or passing a group of school kids?