Steering Wheel Adjustment

December 4, 2006

Does anyone know how easy/difficult it would be to have the steering wheel adjusted by about 1 or 2 degrees. When driving straight the steering wheel is at not quite level and i'd like to adjust it. Obviously it's probably not a job for me considering what's inside the wheel these days (air bags etc). Just wondered if anyone has had this done (or done it themselves) and how long it took etc...

Gareth

RAV4 T180 '06 plate.

December 4, 2006

Does anyone know how easy/difficult it would be to have the steering wheel adjusted by about 1 or 2 degrees. When driving straight the steering wheel is at not quite level and i'd like to adjust it. Obviously it's probably not a job for me considering what's inside the wheel these days (air bags etc). Just wondered if anyone has had this done (or done it themselves) and how long it took etc...
Gareth
RAV4 T180 '06 plate.

It should have been set when it left the factory but these kind of inaccuracies usually occur if the tracking has been adjusted. It is proper practice to make adjustments equally on both track rods (i.e. the required adjustment should be divided by 2) but these "quick fit" type centres invariably do just one side. The effect is to turn the steering slightly off to one side and you have to correct it by turning the wheel a couple of degrees. If it is severe enough it has a secondary effect of putting the indicator cancel lug off set and they do not cancel evenly. Either way it can be very annoying!

Remember the airbag is explosive!

Disconnect the Battery and go for a brew. This allows the ignition capacitor for the airbag to dissipate it's charge. It should be at least 90 seconds but I leave them several minutes.

Then undo the two torx screws that hold the steering pad from either side of the wheel.

Carefully pull the pad outwards and disconnect the airbag wires.

Place the pad well away from anything and handle it carefully.

Undo the nut in the centre of the wheel but do not remove it fully. Leaving it on a few threads will prevent you from smacking yourself in the mouth when it comes off. Be sure to put a dab of tipex between the wheel and the spline so that you can see where it came from. For belt and braces put the wheel at the angle it would be at when you are travelling in a straight line (i.e. in the offset position) so that you can remove it and re-install it in the straight ahead.

There is a special tool for extracting the wheel but I've always managed without.

Place your knees under the wheel and exert an upward force and bump the wheel from underneath and on the opposite side with the palms of your hands. It will be tight but usually flies off after several attempts (hence the nut left partly on).

Refit and try. Make sure that reconnecting the Battery is the very last thing you do.

You could get the same effect by adjusting the track rods back where they should be. determin which way they neeed to be shortened/lengthened to correct the offset and make shure you turn them exactly by equal amounts or you will upset the tracking.

Good luck!

Regards