centering the steering wheel

[txj2go]

I finished my RK trackbar installation and the steering wheel was off a little bit. I matched the new trackbar with the OEM trackbar and I thought I had them equal in length but the new one was off a tiny bit, and a small amount equals a lot at the steering wheel. Today I did some trial and error to center the wheel. My wheel was about 30 degrees off. It took about 1 1/4 turns of the adjuster on the drag link to center the wheel. Someone in the future might need this information.

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[sherpaJL]

 

[Nate88cool]

1st step is to adjust the track bar so the axle is center at ride height. Simple tape measure will to the trick measuring from the frame on each side to the same spot on the tires or use a straight edge on the rotors.
2nd is to adjust the drag link to center the steering wheel, have someone in the vehicle and turn the adjuster until the wheel is centered. Take it for a drive (always some play in all the steering components) to make sure it's where you want it. Sometimes a Minor tweak of the drag link is necessary after driving. Then should be good to go.

 

[Reinen]

Or you can just search You Tube for really helpful information like everyone else.

 

[Old Jeeper]

I finished my RK trackbar installation and the steering wheel was off a little bit. I matched the new trackbar with the OEM trackbar and I thought I had them equal in length but the new one was off a tiny bit, and a small amount equals a lot at the steering wheel. Today I did some trial and error to center the wheel. My wheel was about 30 degrees off. It took about 1 1/4 turns of the adjuster on the drag link to center the wheel. Someone in the future might need this information.

In most cases its rare that you will remove the pitman arm...but if you do, you note it by making a mark on the pitman arm and it location on the steering box spindle. The Steering wheel must be centered on the pitman arm. Times you might need to remove the pitman arm is if you replace it with one that has a different angle than the OEM.

In some of my builds, I cut off the steering box and rotate it and I do this to get parallelism with the ground plane and axle. Doing this decreases your chance of DW...the front suspension is a cluster of various linkages all at different angles you end up with different torque thrusts.

 

[txj2go]

I do this to get parallelism with the ground plane and axle. Doing this decreases your chance of DW...the front suspension is a cluster of various linkages all at different angles you end up with different torque thrusts.

I agree, it would be better to get the drag link and track bar to be horizontal at normal ride height.

I added Rubicon springs to my JLU Sport and got 1.5" lift in the front. That angles the track bar and drag link each a little bit more. I was figuring out which direction to adjust the drag link to center the wheel but the kicker is that the track bar seems to have more affect so it moves the axle the other way and I actually had to adjust the drag link the opposite direction. IIRC I added about 1/2 turn to the drag link at that time to center the wheel and never got it perfectly centered. I drove the Jeep a bit today and my wheel isn't perfectly centered now either, it might need another 1/8 or 1/4 turn however the numbers I posted at first will give someone a starting point if they need to make adjustments.

 

[Old Jeeper]

I agree, it would be better to get the drag link and track bar to be horizontal at normal ride height.

I added Rubicon springs to my JLU Sport and got 1.5" lift in the front. That angles the track bar and drag link each a little bit more. I was figuring out which direction to adjust the drag link to center the wheel but the kicker is that the track bar seems to have more affect so it moves the axle the other way and I actually had to adjust the drag link the opposite direction. IIRC I added about 1/2 turn to the drag link at that time to center the wheel and never got it perfectly centered. I drove the Jeep a bit today and my wheel isn't perfectly centered now either, it might need another 1/8 or 1/4 turn however the numbers I posted at first will give someone a starting point if they need to make adjustments.

There ya go brother...making small adjustments to fine tune rather than big wrench and nothing goes right.

Here are a couple of pics and I had to cut off the steering box and rotate it to get things parallel. I did a high steer to get my suspension up above the axle... All this yielded straight-as-an-arrow driving and no DW...

Getting the front suspension RIGHT turns your Jeep into a trail beater...

 

[txj2go]

1st step is to adjust the track bar so the axle is center at ride height.

Some trackbars are not so adjustable once installed, I suppose this would apply to any track bar with a heim joint and no adjustment sleeve. You don't want to have to remove the bar, break loose the jam nut, crank half a turn into the joint, reassemble, ...
If the axle was centered at the factory (and I have no idea if it was or wasn't), then it will be pretty much the same now. I adjusted new track bar to equal old track bar to the best of my ability with normal measuring instruments. It's probably as accurate as you could do with a tape measure going off of random reference points.

Or you can just search You Tube for really helpful information like everyone else.

I was doing this by myself and trying to get a method where I could quickly zero in on the center point. My point in posting this information is to help someone else doing the same thing. If someone changes their suspension, their wheel is off by X amount, they can extrapolate to determine how far to turn the adjuster on the first attempt then fine tune it from there. I didn't have a good starting point so I made 3 adjustments, test driving after the first 2. I thought I was really close after the second test drive so I made another small adjustment and left it at that. After driving awhile under various conditions I'll see if it needs another small adjustment. If I'm on the freeway with some crosswind the wheel likely isn't going to be centered anyway.

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