Just changed the tie rods, I wasn't for sure I could do it but I did... The car drove fine, but the steering wheel was way off center... Well I tried to fixed that by adjusting the tie rods, however the steering is terrible now, and I can't seem to get the car back in alignment... I barely turn and it feels as if I am jerking the steering wheel all over the place. Any help would be appreciated... Thanks
Honda Civic, steering is erratic, feels like the car is gonna flip, Help?
Your best bet is a professional alignment, but I'm guessing you don't really have the money for that. Changing the tie rods always throws the alignment way off and the tires will wear out very quickly if it is not set right.
That is how you do it yourself. It takes patience but it is possible to set the toe (which is controlled by the tie rods) yourself. Put a strip of duct tape from sidewall to sidewall across the front tires and drive a mile or so on fairly straight road, enough to show a wear pattern on the tape. If the outside edges are wearing, adjust the tie rods (equally on both sides) to bring the front of the tires apart. If the wear is on the inside adjust the other way. The side that is exposed to the incoming pavement gets the wear. When the wear is even, adjust the tie rods one side in, the other side out, equally to center the wheel. Check the wear and repeat the two steps if necessary.
Honda Civic, steering is erratic, feels like the car is gonna flip, Help?
Take it for an alignment.. you cant get it right by guessing..
And the risk of being really obvious... why don't you have the car aligned properly by someone who knows what they are doing and has the right equipment? That is ALL you need, a proper alignment. Proper wheel re-alignment is MANDATORY after replacing Tie Rod ends. If you don't do it, and I mean today you could certainly end up killing yourself but I also guarantee you will be buying a new set of tires in the next couple of weeks when you burn them through to the cords.
Take the car in and have it aligned TODAY! You CAN NOT DO IT YOUSELF. The total range of toe adjustment on this car to keep it in factory spec is 0.08 degrees. My guess is you are off 2.0 to 3.0 degrees on EACH SIDE and there is no way you will get it back with the naked eye. The alignment is much cheaper than a new set of tires or the new car you will need when you wrap it around a tree.
To do the alignment right you need to take the car to a repair shop that has an alignment rack.
The car is unsafe ( it can skid or rollover) without properly done alignment.
Like everyone said...you need to get it aligned. But make sure you (or whoever aligns it) also checks out the lower ball joints, as these are also known to go bad...as you can't properly align it if it has other worn front end components (ie.upper/lower ball joints and inner tie rods).
your going to have to take it to a alignment shop to get it straightened out.
