Philly Miata

iTrader: (1)

At some point a while back I noticed my steering wheel was off center. Got an alignment, no fix. Replaced bad ball joints, no change. Just put on a new wheel because I thought it was off a tooth or something, still no fix, it's either off center to the left or right for the two teeth next to each other at the top center. What else could it be? Steering rack/steering column? Tie rods? It doesn't drift or anything, goes dead straight but just with the wheel like this.

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Adjust the tie rods. One turn on the left side, one turn (opposite way) on the right side. Repeat as needed.

Any decent alignment place should have done that for you. I'd take it back and make them fix it.

psyber_0ptix

iTrader: (4)

^^this

Philly Miata

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, I realized i should have googled first and posted later, I'm trying to decide if I should attempt it myself or have a shop do it. If the wheel is left, should I make the left tie rod short and right longer?

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Correct, assuming by left you mean driver's side.

wackbards

iTrader: (2)

I've done it in a gravel driveway with junk I had lying around. This is how I did it:
I used 4 Jack stands and some string. Run string parallel to the side of the vehicle as close as you can get it without riding anywhere. Center the string height at the wheel hubs for convenience. IIRC, the rear track is 9mm wider on each side of the rear, so make the rear wheel hub 9mm closer to the string than the front. I use a set of digital calipers. When you open the jaws on calipers, that rod extends out the butt. Use that rod to measure the distance from the string at the front lip and the rear lip of your wheel. The difference is your toe for that wheel. Since you are measuring at a location other than the outside edge of the tire, use toe angle rather than inches (measure diameter of wheel rim, & just use an online right triangle calculator). You will want to set up string on both sides so you can confirm that you have everything centered and the opposite wheel isn't just moving in opposition when you make adjustments. If you don't do a really good job centering and anchoring your wheel, this will be an iterative process. 17mm for the jam nut, 12mm for the tie rod.

There may be an easier way, but that's how I did it for basically free.

Much toe. Many wow.