I got the car back from the shop today and my original post was a bit inaccurate.
The rack is actually aligned ok, it's just that the wheel and steering shaft weren't clocked (?) To the right position when I attached it to the rack. With the wheels straight ahead, the 12 o'clock position on the steering wheel points 90 degrees to the right or about 1/2 turn.
Could I do the reverse and leave the wheels and rack in the straight position and disconnect the steering shaft from the u joint? The U joint appears to be connected to the steering shaft and to the rack on either end by a pinch bolt.
I'm wondering if I could just separate the top one, pry it off, turn the wheel to the right position, then reattach the u joint to the shaft instead of taking the u joint off the rack end (which I was only able to do when I lowered it). I read in a different forum that a moderator advised a Toyota owner to do something similar (separate a steering u joint by popping it off at either end to test its flexibility) and was wondering how dangerous it would be to try this on mine. My only hesitation is that I'll mess up the steering shaft in the process.
Is this a possibility or a really bad idea?
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 AT 7:16 PM
