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My First Trail Flat and Now My Steering Wheel Is Crooked?

2K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  Riccochet 
#1 ·
Today I earned my first trail injury - a flat tire on a bunny trail. A tear in the sidewall from a rock. We got it changed, but I noticed my steering wheel is now a bit off. Instead of straight being 3'oclock-ish, it is closer to 4 o'clock-ish. I was worried maybe they didnt get it on straight or tightened right, so I played the girl card and took it to Walmart on the way home (Discount Tire isnt open Sunday). They did it for free lol - told me the tire was out of balance by 2 ounces (I did not notice any vibration or anything?), fixed it - but my steering wheel is still lopsided. It wasnt crooked like that until they changed the tire on the trail. There is no noticeable noise or vibration or anything - just the steering wheel is crooked.

Does this sound like the tire? Or that my alignment may be off? Something else? Since it immediately coincided with mounting the spare, it is my first suspect.

Be gentle - my mechanical knowledge is very limited.
 
#2 ·
Unless the rim is not mounted flat against the rotor, the wheel could not cause this problem.

Maybe when you hit the rock it jarred the steering hard enough to cause the problem, although that shouldn't be possible.

Your steering wheel just needs to be slightly recentered. If it get's too far off center you will get a flashing lights show on your dash.
 
#4 ·
Well if you don't have any lights on dash going off your good in that aspect.you could put a piece of tape on top of steering wheel dead center then loosen the two bolts on drag link adjuster, turn either way to recenter steering wheel. Once re centered tighten bolts..
 
#6 ·
+1

My first guess would be it was jacked up on the tie rod.

Or the spare is new and the tire on the other side is very worn but being a '14 I doubt it.
 
#7 ·
They jacked on the Rubi rails well behind the tire so not near the tie rod. Other than being dirty, neither tie rod or drag link look bent or dinged, unless I just cant see it.

The guys on the local Jeep club also suggest I just need to recenter the wheel by adjusting the bolts on the drag link - that sometimes when wheeling over rocks these tend to loosen up or get out of whack.

I have around 3500 on the Jeep so none of the tires are really worn.
 
#8 ·
playing in the rocks.... with those stock OEM tires... LOL.
been there..... done that...
start looking at Range E tires... and airing down to 10-12psi..

I would inspect the front suspension.. drag link first like others have noted.
 
#9 · (Edited)
View attachment 1523170

Something on that trail, has tweaked a tie rod. Look under it, and see if one of your tie rods looks like it took a impact, or appears to be bent.
Steering wheels don't come out of alignment, on there own. They are aligned with a threaded turn buckle, on the drag link, off of the pit-man arm.
Take a look at the picture!

So the first thing that needs to be done, (if you don't see any damage), is to check your toe in, and re-adjust it if needed.
Then next, loosen the nuts on the turn buckle, and center your steering wheel.
Now, you should be good to go.........:thumb:
 
#11 ·
Something on that trail, has tweaked a tie rod. Look under it, and see if one of your tie rods looks like it took a impact, or appears to be bent. Steering wheels don't come out of alignment, on there own. They are aligned with a threaded turn buckle, on the drag link, off of the pit-man arm. Take a look at the picture! So the first thing that needs to be done, (if you don't see any damage), is to check your toe in, and re-adjust it if needed. Then next, loosen the nuts on the turn buckle, and center your steering wheel. Now, you should be good to go.........:thumb:
This ^^^
 
#12 ·
The tie rod did not appear to be bent unless it was something so slight I couldnt see. That also appears to be an easy adjustment. My biggest concern before I go dissecting pieces of my Jeep is lets say I actually can get the bolts off (lol!) and do the adjusting. How can I tell how tight to put them back on-like the one article says 45 foot pounds. What exactly is that???? I could potentially create a much bigger problem and collapse my whole suspension.
 
#13 ·
Ft lbs is a unit of torque. There are wenches that can be set to this.
The easiest way to adjust steering (drag link) is with two people.
Drop by your jeep shop and they can do it in minutes at the same time a quick inspection of the suspension.
 
#14 ·
Or your drag link could be bent. If they jacked it up correctly and just changed the tire, that has no correlation to the steering being off. Tire pressure no. You don't have to take anything off to fix your wheel if the tie rod or drag link are bent. Don't take your tie rod ends off, just loosen the adjustment bolt. There are adjustment sleeves on both so you can set your toe and wheel by turning them. The toe sleeve is by the drivers wheel, and you can adjust toe easily with a tape measure and some basic measurements. The only plausible theories are a bent tie rod, drag link, or possibly the drag link turnbuckle moved (doubtful).
 
#15 ·
Just curious what trail you were on when this happened?

And if you need help I'd be glad to lend a hand. I'm out in Surprise not to far from the base. I'm still learning about automotive type mechanics but I'm a retired Aircraft Weapons troop and I've got all the tools we'd need.
 
#18 ·
Just wanted to say thanks for the offer sir! We were on Bulldog Canyon. It wasnt even a big rock that took out the tire lol, just one that was sharp enough on the side that I got at the wrong angle. We are trying to put together a run probably November to Box Canyon for WF folks - see if you can make it (the post is down in the AZ State forum here). Always great to meet local Jeepers.
 
#16 ·
What did you find to be the problem?
 
#17 ·
Actually took it in to the dealer today since I wanted an oil change too.

Those who guessed twerked/bent/mangled tie rod were....incorrect. Those who guessed Drag Link win the gold star. Drag link just needed retightened/torqued or whatever its called. They didnt even charge me.

The flat tire warranty tho - a Jeep dealer did not have a standard Jeep tire in stock lol. That was a big wtf. He will call Monday to get one. I need a spare by Saturday since it is the Airpark Jeep Jamboree run. If I get desperate I will see if I can borrow one somewhere or just pickup a cheapie on Craigslist. Sport tires are ridiculously cheap - I could run one as a spare to at least get off trail. Of course a different tire than the Rubicon, but it would get me to pavement to where roadside assistance could drag me from. I plan on getting my 35s soon anyhow.
 
#19 ·
Try discount tire for a used spare. I got one in Tucson to get me home after my first puncture. It wasn't the exact same size but very close. $45. A week later I punctured my second tire playing in rocks. Good luck.
 
#23 ·
Play in the rocks long enough and you'll bend something. That something turns in to an upgrade. That upgrade makes other weak links shine like the sun. Those weak links turn in to upgrades. Before you know it you'll have a completely upgraded suspension and steering system and an empty pocket. :)
 
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