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6 steps to straighten a steering wheel

Published 02-02-2021 Maverik

6 steps to straighten a steering wheel

Having good control over your vehicle is important because it helps you to keep your wheels aligned. This also ensures safety when driving on road. But sometimes your car moves in the wrong direction even after turning the steering wheel. Well, this happens because of a misaligned or off-centered steering wheel.

If you are facing such an issue with your car, you should better fix your steering wheel. Every vehicle, small or big should have a stable steering wheel. Having a shaky steering wheel not only makes driving difficult but also make things risky. If you are wondering how to straighten a steering wheel, you are in the right place. In this post, we will share the steps that will help you fix the problem.

6 Steps To Straighten a Steering Wheel

If you are finding it difficult to keep your car between the lines, you have a misaligned steering wheel. The good news is you don’t need a mechanic to fix it. You can do it all by yourself by just following the steps given below.

Step 1: Prep your vehicle

Before you start with the repair make sure you park your car in a safe place. Lift your car using jack stands, so that you can get underneath it.

Step 2: Loosen the tie rod nuts inside

For this, you need to slide under your car and find the tie rod nuts. Make sure you wear protective gear to keep yourself from grime. Take a wrench and loosen the nuts present on both sides of the car.

You should start on the passenger side. Loosen the nuts, so that you can move them with your hand. Repeat the same thing on the other side of your vehicle.

Step 3: Straighten the steering wheel

Now it’s time to straighten the steering wheel. To do this, you need to get inside your car and turn the steering wheel until it is centered. While doing this make sure you don’t touch the wheels. You need to make the required adjustments to the tie rods so that the steering wheel is centered.

Step 4: Check the alignment of wheels

Next, you need to check the alignment of the wheels. Take a piece of string which should be of the same length as your car. Tie both the ends to a heavy object and make it run parallel to the center of your wheels. Now take a ruler or measuring tape and measure the rear and front side of the rim to check whether there is a difference in the distance to the string. This will let you know whether the wheels and the string are parallel or not. You need to do the same thing on the front wheels as well. If you notice any difference, you need to adjust the tie rods again.

Step 5: Adjusting the tie rod

Loosen the nuts of the tie rod and turn it about half a turn. Measure both sides to check whether you are getting the same result on both sides.

Step 6: Tighten the lock nut

Once you are done tighten the lock nut and make sure that your wheels are not moving. Now that you have done straightening your steering wheel, it’s time for you to take your vehicle on a test drive. While driving your car pay close attention to all the details. Make sure you are driving on a flat and straight road.

Straightening the steering wheel of a vehicle is an easy thing to do. If you know the right steps, you can do it on your own. But for those who are not confident, they should take their car to a mechanic.

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