New gear box, now my steering wheel isn't straight lol

[arsinist01]

Anyways, title says it all. My steering wheel is off kilter now that I have replaced the steering gear box (power steering). Don't really want to take the whole thing apart again so I can realign it via the steering shaft. So I was wondering if I could just take off the steering wheel, reposition it and bolt it back down?

 

[FatJack]

I think you straighten it with the tie rod ends.

 

[1948 santa]

Steering wheel has master spline,but if you take a triangular file and file a notch in the master spline you can get the steering wheel aligned that way.Have done it that way many times.

 

[arsinist01]

So I guess I can't just take off the steering wheel and put it how I want it and bolt it back on?

 

[MoparMitch]

If you file out the master spline and just move the wheel, you may then have a condition where the sector shaft and pinion inside the gearbox will not be on center. Which could lead to more play in the steering when going straight ahead. Ideally , you just adjust the tie rods, as stated, to get the wheel straight , but its not easy to do at home unless you have tools to check the toe in. Best to take it for an alignment.
.

 

[arsinist01]

Gotcha thanks

 

[furyus]

I don't think you messed up the alignment just by changing the box. mark the steering wheel when the wheels are straight. Doesn't matter what position the steering wheel is. Turn it one way and count the turns. Go back to center and count the turns the other way. If you find that they are the same, the correct fix is to pull the column off the splines when the wheels are straight. I drive back and forth a couple times to let the wheels settle,then put the column back on. always works for me.

 

[arsinist01]

To be honest I was worried if we were messing with the alignment when we did it. We were moving the steering rack around quite a bit to try and make more room to fit the dang gear up into the hole we got it out of lol. Ended up taking the starter out to get the gear back in.

 

[arsinist01]

Ok checked out the steering some more today, figured I would post the update (haven't had it in for an alignment yet).

I turned the steering wheel each way til wheel lock on the front tires. I got 1 3/4 turns to the right from center to wheel lock, and about 1 7/8 turns to the left from center to wheel lock. I looked at the steering shaft again and have a bit of concern/curiosity about that. The roll pin was straight up and down when the wheels were centered when we removed the old gear box. Now the roll pin is flat going right to left when the wheels are centered rather than up and down. And the steering wheel is about a 1/4 turn off of the way it should be, turn it back that 1/4 turn and the roll pin is up and down again, but the wheels aren't perfectly straight anymore. The reason I explained all this about the steering shaft is I don't think that the steering wheel is far enough off that I can just detach the steering shaft and move it then reconnect with a new roll pin and get the wheel back to it's normal position. So I don't think removing the steering console or readjusting the steering shaft is the answer here.

I also changed the pitman arm while I was replacing the steering gear, figured it was a good idea while I had it all apart. Could that be part of the reason that the steering wheel is off, and that the turns from center to wheel lock are a bit off? If the pitman arm didn't get put in, in exactly the same position as the old one was when it came out?

Also assuming the pitman arm is not the answer, would an alignment be able to fix the problems that I am having? If that's a no go, could I adjust the steering wheel and wheel turn back to where it is supposed to be by adjusting the steering gear itself (I have no idea how to do this lol)?

Thanks for any and all help guys. This is one of those things that is going to frustrate me until I get it figured out lol.