Steering wheel alignment after gear box change

[Biggredd2069]

I recently had my steering gear box rebuilt. The strong column came off easy but putting it back on was a challenge. Had to hammer it back on after. I had my car in a winter storage unit and had to do the repair fast. When i got it all hooked up the steering was way to left almost at 8 O'Clock. Instead of 12. It will be challenge to get that back off but my question is do i need to get that off and realign it better on that spline or will it be fine and i can just pull the steering wheel hub and straighten it out there? Also, the high pressure hose keeps leaking after this repair. Will any kind of thread sealer be ok or should i just look into a new hose and more money per usual?

 

[Big_John]

I recently had my steering gear box rebuilt. The strong column came off easy but putting it back on was a challenge. Had to hammer it back on after. I had my car in a winter storage unit and had to do the repair fast. When i got it all hooked up the steering was way to left almost at 8 O'Clock. Instead of 12. It will be challenge to get that back off but my question is do i need to get that off and realign it better on that spline or will it be fine and i can just pull the steering wheel hub and straighten it out there? Also, the high pressure hose keeps leaking after this repair. Will any kind of thread sealer be ok or should i just look into a new hose and more money per usual?

View attachment 655381

First question is how hard did you have to hammer to get it on?

Here's the deal... There's a master spline in the coupling and the shaft coming out of the box. There's also a master spline on the steering column and steering wheel. All this slips together without much drama. Maybe a little tap, but never hitting it hard.

So, this is twofold... One is if you managed to get it together without aligning the master spline. The other is because there's a master spline, taking it apart and turning it won't work.

The way to correct it is getting under the car and twisting the tie rods. Like a half turn clockwise on one side, followed by a half turn counterclockwise on the other tie rod. If you are careful and turn each the same, you won't affect the toe-in.

 

[Big_John]

Shamelessly stolen picture from the intrawebs showing the master spline on the box.