New F Shocks steering wheel off centered.

[mitsumi]

Hi need some help.

Morethan 8 long year, i finally changed my F Shocks with a KYB Excel G and a Mount with bearing.

After a almost whole day of compressing the springs because i dont have all the tool so i gotta buy some for my DIY and of course read and watch on how to change shocks, congrats to me as i learned something new

Anyways, so after all the shocks has been installed and i did a drive test, i noticed that my steeting is off centered for like i can drive straight while the steering is at like 1 o'clock position.

And if drive with a straight steering wheel, the car goes to the left.

What should be done?

[Eggman]

Hi need some help.

Morethan 8 long year, i finally changed my F Shocks with a KYB Excel G and a Mount with bearing.

After a almost whole day of compressing the springs because i dont have all the tool so i gotta buy some for my DIY and of course read and watch on how to change shocks, congrats to me as i learned something new

Anyways, so after all the shocks has been installed and i did a drive test, i noticed that my steeting is off centered for like i can drive straight while the steering is at like 1 o'clock position.

And if drive with a straight steering wheel, the car goes to the left.

What should be done?

You need to have the wheels aligned. Take your car to a good alignment shop and they'll straighten things out for you.

[MightyMirageMpg]

Eggmans ultimately correct about the alignment

If you don't want to pay for one it's likely the big bottom two bolts need to be loosened and moved around. The tiny bit of slop between the knuckle and strut bottom is enough to mess everything up.

If you don't push the top of the steering knuckle towards the center of the car when you tighten the lower strut bolts, you'll have camber issues. I've made this same mistake in the past no big deal easy to correct. Personally would not pay for an alignment until you tried it yourself, or still have bad tire wear after.

Park the car on level ground.
Make sure the ride height left to right is the same.
Look at the wheels and see how they appear camber wise

When you take the wheel off, take note of how the knuckle is lining up with the strut. It should look pretty square

[Eggman]

Good points. Eyeball alignments can bring things close, but cannot match a machine alignment.

I recommend a proper alignment at a shop with good equipment because an alignment is usually cheaper than tires. If the vehicle's wheels are not properly aligned, it will lead to faster tire wear among other problems such as squirrely handling.

[foama]

When the front schocks are changed, the two bottom bolts are removed and put back in. There is a bit of play in that assy, and that will make camber be off.
You shoud have a shop correct camber first, then and only then, correct toe-in. Some shops will just adjust toe without correcting camber, and the result will not and can not be satisfactory.

We have two how-to's on that topic if you want to do it yourself!

https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...eck-and-adjust

https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...ure-and-adjust

[mitsumi]

Eggmans ultimately correct about the alignment

If you don't want to pay for one it's likely the big bottom two bolts need to be loosened and moved around. The tiny bit of slop between the knuckle and strut bottom is enough to mess everything up.

If you don't push the top of the steering knuckle towards the center of the car when you tighten the lower strut bolts, you'll have camber issues. I've made this same mistake in the past no big deal easy to correct. Personally would not pay for an alignment until you tried it yourself, or still have bad tire wear after.

Park the car on level ground.
Make sure the ride height left to right is the same.
Look at the wheels and see how they appear camber wise

When you take the wheel off, take note of how the knuckle is lining up with the strut. It should look pretty square

oh ok, i just remember when i was installing back the shocks from the driver side i pushed it up before locking the two 17mm nuts. but from the passender side i just bolted the nuts and didnt try to push up the wheel part.

BTW, does the front springs has a bottom and top orientation just like the rear springs? because i think i put the other spring in reverse because i saw a markings on the springs a orange dot.

[mitsumi]

@MightyMirageMpg i just did the adjustment and its the same but slightly better now... but still off centered.
I might just look for a shop for the alignement Thanks

[mitsumi]

@Eggman
does the front spring has top and bottom? or none? i think i did reversed the other spring of the struts. because there was a painted marking on the springs the left spring has the markings on the bottom and the right has it on the top so i was thinking if i incorrect put the springs if there's a top and bottom orientation.

[Eggman]

@Eggman
does the front spring has top and bottom? or none? i think i did reversed the other spring of the struts. because there was a painted marking on the springs the left spring has the markings on the bottom and the right has it on the top so i was thinking if i incorrect put the springs if there's a top and bottom orientation.

I don't know if the front strut springs are directional. I've never had to work on mine. They always worked and never gave any problems. Did yours fail?

I could be wrong but it is my understanding that color codes identify the spring rate. When you visit your alignment shop ask their technician to look over your work.

By the way, what are F Shocks? Is that a brand?

This is the fun part of do-it-yourself vehicle maintenance - you get to learn how these things are put together and how they work.

[MightyMirageMpg]

Yes the springs are directional. Look close at the pictures in the 2nd post and you'll see one end is open and the other flush https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...ng-install-DIY