Steering keeps going off center - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

JaeTea · 08-28-2010, 05:53 PM

My steering wheel was a little off center to the right. Went to a drift event and steering wheel was even MORE off center at the end of the day.

Went and had the car aligned and the steering wheel was centered (it was a few mm's off to the right). Went a drift event and now the steering wheel is off centered to the right again.

Not sure how the hell this keeps happening. The car drives straight but the steering wheel keeps ending up off center.

alesserfate · 08-28-2010, 06:14 PM

steering column spline bolt loose ? swap your rack recently ? if so maybe forgot to tighten that shit ? hit any curbs or run off on the track ? that will do it too. steering hub bolt loose ?

DJPimpFlex · 08-28-2010, 06:16 PM

Probably steering rack bushings letting the rack slide. Pretty common on S-Chassis cars.

JaeTea · 08-28-2010, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJPimpFlex

Probably steering rack bushings letting the rack slide. Pretty common on S-Chassis cars.

I swapped to new ES rack bushings and that's kinda when the problems started.

I had to remove the steering wheel off the hub then reattach it because it was so far off center. So then I had the rack centered, cause the turns from left to right weren't equal.

Then I had the rack centered again when I went for the second alignment.

alesserfate · 08-28-2010, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaeTea

Then I had the rack centered again when I went for the second alignment.

I would check the bolts on the steering column ujoint, maybe the shop stripped them or didn't tighten them to spec, who knows, people make mistakes, try and tighten them yourself, accessible from under the car.

GripTerror · 08-28-2010, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJPimpFlex

Probably steering rack bushings letting the rack slide. Pretty common on S-Chassis cars.

YEA!

Same thing happened to me and GUESS WHAT I have the yanack aluminum bushings! They wore out somehow I guess and now the rack moves ALOT urgh so gay and it cost like 80 bux... I got some polyurethane bushings on the way from es energy urgh gay...

I am in on the group buy for the manual steering rack on nicoclub, it'll be a solid bushingless design so no more of this bs!

sil80 monster · 08-28-2010, 07:48 PM

Sorry i couldn't be of any help but just noticed your signature! KILLTHENOISE!

Wabash9000 · 08-28-2010, 08:58 PM

yeah sounds like the rack is sliding in the bushings. I wonder if there would be a way to weld a plate on to the outside of the bushings on both sides to keep the rack from moving.

JaeTea · 08-29-2010, 04:52 AM

Wait..so this has nothing to do with the alignment going out of wack??

And is there any way to fix this issue cause its annoying as all hell.

PoorMans180SX · 08-29-2010, 09:15 AM

Just as a tip, the steering rack is one place you DON'T want to lubricate Polyurethane bushings. You want it to bind up. Make sure you spray the bushing slots with brake clean and wipe them down. Then check and see if you have any oil or other leaks onto the rack.

JaeTea · 08-29-2010, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

Just as a tip, the steering rack is one place you DON'T want to lubricate Polyurethane bushings. You want it to bind up. Make sure you spray the bushing slots with brake clean and wipe them down. Then check and see if you have any oil or other leaks onto the rack.

I actually have an small oil leak from my drain plug that I need to get rewelded at some point...and now with the skid plate I have installed the oil just collects under the steering rack instead of just dripping right to the ground.

Is there any way to recenter the rack or do I have to get another alignment?

az_240 · 08-29-2010, 11:42 AM

Also check to be sure you have the right ES bushings...

S14 racks are slightly smaller in diameter so they require a larger diameter bushing than the S13s.

If you are using a s14 rack with s13 bushings the rack will be loose.

JaeTea · 08-29-2010, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by az_240

Also check to be sure you have the right ES bushings...

Its an S13 rack with S13 bushings.

Got the car up on jacks..cleaned the steering rack. U bolts holding bushings are as tight as they will go.

!Zar! · 08-29-2010, 03:48 PM

The rack moving left/right isn't going to change your toe, so you shouldn't have to get another alignment.

As long as the rack is near center, and pointing straight, you should be golden.

But if your rack wasn't centered when you got your alignment, you might want to redo it.

JaeTea · 08-29-2010, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !Zar!

The rack moving left/right isn't going to change your toe, so you shouldn't have to get another alignment.

As long as the rack is near center, and pointing straight, you should be golden.

So how does one go about centering the rack?

JaeTea · 07-25-2015, 06:19 PM

I'm bumping this cause my stupid steering wheel did this again this weekend. Went off track, steering wheel out of alignment.

Car will drive straight when the steering is misaligned.

Could the splines on the rack be too worn down?

AHall · 10-06-2020, 09:34 AM

I had this same problem. The car would shift in such a way that the steering wheel would shift 10 degrees while turning. Then when I would hit a bump, turn back in the opposite direction or come to a stop it would shift back. I first replaced the steering rack and pinion purchased new rack bushings from Nissan. The problem was still there. I tightened the bushing brackets as tight as I could with breaking or stripping something and the problem easstill there. Then I noticed the bearing in the front strut mount on the passenger side was broken when I removed the cap and saw the strut retaining screw was off center. So I replaced the strut mount and struts on both sides. The problem was still there. Then I inspected the steering rack coupler tightened it and marked it so I could see if it was moving. It was not moving and the problem was still there. I then raised the car and grabbed the wheels at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and moved pushed and pulled and there was movement. I saw on a video somewhere this was a possible cause and an indicator of bad ball joints on the lower control arm. I replaced the control arms on both sides and the problem is gone. I hope this helps someone. It took me months and a lot of unnecessary repairs to find the cause.

08-28-2010, 05:53 PM	#1
JaeTea Zilvia Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: EC Posts: 967 Trader Rating: (3) Rides Gallery: JaeTea Feedback Score: 3 reviews	Steering keeps going off center My steering wheel was a little off center to the right. Went to a drift event and steering wheel was even MORE off center at the end of the day. Went and had the car aligned and the steering wheel was centered (it was a few mm's off to the right). Went a drift event and now the steering wheel is off centered to the right again. Not sure how the hell this keeps happening. The car drives straight but the steering wheel keeps ending up off center. __________________ KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!

08-28-2010, 06:14 PM	#2
alesserfate Zilvia Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ontario Posts: 180 Trader Rating: (2) Feedback Score: 2 reviews	steering column spline bolt loose ? swap your rack recently ? if so maybe forgot to tighten that shit ? hit any curbs or run off on the track ? that will do it too. steering hub bolt loose ? __________________

08-28-2010, 06:16 PM	#3
DJPimpFlex Post Whore! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Rohnert Park, CA Age: 38 Posts: 6,158 Trader Rating: (115) Rides Gallery: DJPimpFlex Feedback Score: 115 reviews	Probably steering rack bushings letting the rack slide. Pretty common on S-Chassis cars. __________________

08-29-2010, 04:52 AM	#9
JaeTea Zilvia Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: EC Posts: 967 Trader Rating: (3) Rides Gallery: JaeTea Feedback Score: 3 reviews	Wait..so this has nothing to do with the alignment going out of wack?? And is there any way to fix this issue cause its annoying as all hell. __________________ KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL! Last edited by JaeTea; 08-29-2010 at 09:07 AM..

08-29-2010, 09:15 AM	#10
PoorMans180SX Zilvia.net Advertiser Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Michigan Age: 36 Posts: 5,573 Trader Rating: (16) Rides Gallery: PoorMans180SX Feedback Score: 16 reviews	Just as a tip, the steering rack is one place you DON'T want to lubricate Polyurethane bushings. You want it to bind up. Make sure you spray the bushing slots with brake clean and wipe them down. Then check and see if you have any oil or other leaks onto the rack. __________________ Build: http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=643065 Friends don't let friends buy knock-offs.

08-28-2010, 07:48 PM	#7
sil80 monster BANNED Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: chino hills, ca Age: 35 Posts: 312 Trader Rating: (5) Feedback Score: 5 reviews	Sorry i couldn't be of any help but just noticed your signature! KILLTHENOISE!

08-28-2010, 08:58 PM	#8
Wabash9000 Zilvia Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Kansas Age: 35 Posts: 217 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	yeah sounds like the rack is sliding in the bushings. I wonder if there would be a way to weld a plate on to the outside of the bushings on both sides to keep the rack from moving.

08-29-2010, 11:42 AM	#12
az_240 Post Whore! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Phx Posts: 3,097 Trader Rating: (41) Feedback Score: 41 reviews	Also check to be sure you have the right ES bushings... S14 racks are slightly smaller in diameter so they require a larger diameter bushing than the S13s. If you are using a s14 rack with s13 bushings the rack will be loose.

08-29-2010, 03:48 PM	#14
!Zar! Post Whore! Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: North Korea Posts: 14,579 Trader Rating: (27) Feedback Score: 27 reviews	The rack moving left/right isn't going to change your toe, so you shouldn't have to get another alignment. As long as the rack is near center, and pointing straight, you should be golden. But if your rack wasn't centered when you got your alignment, you might want to redo it. __________________

07-25-2015, 06:19 PM	#16
JaeTea Zilvia Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: EC Posts: 967 Trader Rating: (3) Rides Gallery: JaeTea Feedback Score: 3 reviews	I'm bumping this cause my stupid steering wheel did this again this weekend. Went off track, steering wheel out of alignment. Car will drive straight when the steering is misaligned. Could the splines on the rack be too worn down? __________________ KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!

10-06-2020, 09:34 AM	#17
AHall Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Dallas Posts: 4 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I had this same problem. The car would shift in such a way that the steering wheel would shift 10 degrees while turning. Then when I would hit a bump, turn back in the opposite direction or come to a stop it would shift back. I first replaced the steering rack and pinion purchased new rack bushings from Nissan. The problem was still there. I tightened the bushing brackets as tight as I could with breaking or stripping something and the problem easstill there. Then I noticed the bearing in the front strut mount on the passenger side was broken when I removed the cap and saw the strut retaining screw was off center. So I replaced the strut mount and struts on both sides. The problem was still there. Then I inspected the steering rack coupler tightened it and marked it so I could see if it was moving. It was not moving and the problem was still there. I then raised the car and grabbed the wheels at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and moved pushed and pulled and there was movement. I saw on a video somewhere this was a possible cause and an indicator of bad ball joints on the lower control arm. I replaced the control arms on both sides and the problem is gone. I hope this helps someone. It took me months and a lot of unnecessary repairs to find the cause.