Off center steering wheel?

4936 Views 16 Replies 10 Participants Last post by accordian, Feb 23, 2002

YungC

Discussion Starter · Jan 4, 2002

Two questions:

What cause the steering wheel being off center?

Also is it easy to adjust?

Yung

1 - 5 of 17 Posts

Mine has the same problem, but under different circumstances:

1. '01 Ody went into Honda last week to get tranny replaced. Problem was low rumble at 1500RPM/50MPH that many of you complained about. Yes, it is now fixed.

2. Now, however, steering wheel is slightly off to the left. It steers ok with no pull so it's tracking ok.

3. Also, steering wheel is "out" on the right hand side. This means it is about .5" closer to the drivers body than the left side. Weird.

Honda said the tranny work may have caused this and will correct it. I'll let you know this Fri. what the result is.

Save

gfawkes

· #8 · Jan 9, 2002

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by TheNance:
We have had 2 transmission replacements on our '00 Ody, at 2 different dealerships. Both times, when we got the car back, the steering wheel was off center, to the right. My understanding is that it isn't exactly a problem with the wheel alignment. I think the mechanic said it has something to do with "adjusting the beam".

We've put about 4K on the current tranny. Seems quiet and smooth. Fingers crossed.</font>

Save

gfawkes

· #9 · Jan 9, 2002

DP: Yes, this was the only reason for replacement. The bottom line was my wife and I found it annoying, and when I mentioned it in passing to the Honda service rep, at the first tuneup, he took the lead, took it for a test drive, and began the problem diagnosis. I one point I was concerned that it seemed invasive but he said it was only a 1 day swap.

TheNance: Did they write anything on your service invoice on what "adjusting the beam" means or what caused it?

See less See more

Save

gfawkes

· #12 · Jan 18, 2002

...took the Ody back and they adjusted the "alignment" but unfortunately it's back off the right...back to Honda again

Save

gfawkes

· #16 · Feb 19, 2002

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by accordian:
I think the reason they can't seem to get the steering wheel straight is that they don't sit behind the wheel to center it, they lean in through the driver's window. If you haven't noticed, the steering wheel on the Ody isn't parallel to the dash. The right side is closer to the driver than the left. They are all this way, it's just the way the vehicle is designed. When you lean in through the window the center the wheel, it may look centered, but from the driver's perspective it is off to the right. To correct this on any car with rack and pinion steering, they simply lengthen the left tie rod and shorten the right by an equal amount. The steering wheel being crooked in and of itself will not affect alignment or tire wear. Something else would have to be off, like caster, camber, or total toe to do that. It's just a nuisance.</font>

I agree, I had the steering wheel off center after my tranny was replaced for the 1500RPM/50MPH rumble.

I thought it was me, but I too noticed that on my '01, the right side of the steering wheel is 0.5" closer to the driver's body than the left side. Honda dealer said that I was imagining things but I measured both sides to a reference point on the seat and this is indeed the case. Honda dealer says this is normal.

The Honda (Helm) service manual on page 17-27 has an exploded view of the steering column and there are lateral adjustments (absorbing plate guides) for changing this. I'm going to ask my dealer to have another look.

Save

1 - 5 of 17 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Off center steering wheel?

YungC

gfawkes

gfawkes

gfawkes

Attachments

gfawkes

gfawkes

Top Contributors this Month