Steering Wheel centering [Archive] - Diesel Place : Chevrolet and GMC Diesel Truck Forums

: Steering Wheel centering


Ozburb
02-08-2010, 04:31 AM
I have a 99 suburban 4WD that is right hand drive. I had to replace the pitman arm due to wear. However, the new pitman arm is keyed a lot differently to the original. I suspect that the pitman arm keys are different for left hand drive from right hand drive. Anyway, I filed down the keyed splines on the new pitman arm, and fitted to the steering box.
Unfortunately, the steering wheel is now almost upside down when driving straight and the pitman arm is parallel with the chassis rails.
Is there a way of fixing without repositioning the piman arm?

Kennedy
02-08-2010, 11:05 AM
These can be tricky especially if you have air bags. The SIR coil cannot be turned much farther than if it is centered.

You can adjust the tie rods to accomplish what you are trying to do, but I'd rather see you correct this in the steering shaft provided the pitman arm and idler arms are centered nicely.

Ozburb
02-09-2010, 08:26 AM
Thanks Kennedy. I understand it may be possible to reposition the steering shaft on the input splines to the steering box? It looks like I might need to unbolt the steering box to allow enough movement to do this?
Just out of interest, where are the steering endstops? Are they in the steering box? Or a feature within the steering column?
Thanks.

Ozburb
03-04-2010, 02:44 AM
It turns out that there are end stops in the steering box. Which means that if I repositioned the steering shaft on the input splines, or adjusted the tie rods, I would have a small turning circle in one direction and a huge one in the other. ie, the pitman arm NEEDS to be in the middle.
I bit the bullet, took the pitman arm off again and moved it around by two spines, re-assembled, had it wheel alligned and now everything is good.
Thanks.