Hi:After replacing my front sub frame and hooking up the link from the steering column, I notice that the top of the steering wheel is pointing to the 10:00 position. Could someone tell me how to remove the steering wheel so I can reposition it to the 12:00 position. I know the air bag has to be removed also. Thanks, Ken

 

Are the wheels straight and is your steering rack centered? Don't go centering the steering wheel only to find it sideways after you actually get the car rolling straight. You may also find it would ride centered when going in a line but find a difference in turning lock to lock.

If you didn't mess with the steering wheel and only messed with the link, shouldn't you be looking at getting that lined back up properly?
Not trying to be smart, im not sure how it connects and what would allow for the steering to change position if only adjusted at the link. I also don't know if you replaced the whole suspension or just the cradle. Let us know if the steering rack is centered and the wheels are as well and then we could decide the wheel just needs to be adjusted.

having a pre-airbag car I could only give generic directions to disconnect the battery, wait 15 minutes and pull the airbag fuse, then remove the airbag by probably access screws from behind or removing the steering surround and then removing screes from behind that hold the bag in the place. Lift the bag out and set it down and proceed to remove the wheel. You will have to take care of the clock spring and probably need a puller.

I just didn't want you to go to the trouble only to find it wasn't the solution.

 

The wheel should be set straight ahead based on the rack centering, and the input shaft position and then the alignment set so the car drives straight. Trying to center the wheel to drive straight with the wrong alignment messes with the steering geometry.

If you need to remove the wheel so it centers correctly on the rack input shaft requires the use of a D type wrench on the bottom of the wheel that allows you to remove the screw's that hold the site bag in. This takes about 20 turns to move it out far enough to open the safety cover over the screw's for the airbag.

The airbag is passive, no electronics here. Once the 4 screw's holding the airbag assembly on are removed, a 7/8 nut holds the wheel on.

 

How the hell does that work? Is like a ball/object measured to require X amount of force to move and hit a primer to ignite the explosion?

 

Not sure if the later airbags are different than mine.........but here's a video


XJS Fitting Videos : Myrtle Productions, fine wood car interiors and luxury steering wheels


look for removing the steering wheel and the tools video where he shows the "special" tool. Its a bolt with a hole drilled into it and flattened on one side to make a 'D' for disarming the airbag.

 

kenr,

I also agree that if the car was original and set up correctly before change, it's more likely to be the way you've setup the trackrod ends (almost 100% in my view, this is the issue).

Go and get the tracking done properly which is obviously necessary if you've changed the subframe anyway.

As mentioned, the airbag has no electronics. There are 3 bolts holding the airbag in. The arming pin has only 12 turns to gently connect. The specialist socket can easily be manufactured. You just get a small socket (6mm or 8mm, can't remember exactly?) and pack one side with a bit of wood or araldite etc to create a 1/2 moon shape. Read the workshop manual section properly. DO NOT start trying to remove the wheel if you haven't completely read the section and understood the mechanism and dismantling procedure.

BUT, you almost definitely don't need to take the wheel off. It's the tracking that is your problem IMHO.

Good luck

Paul

 

Thank you all for your insight to my steering wheel problem, I will look into this further before making any changes. The sub frame that I installed was complete with rack and pinion, upper and lower control arms, coil springs, ball joints etc. I did notice that the sub frame seems to be slightly off center to the drivers side (usa) by about 3/4 of an inch. I have driven the car and it tracks straight, does not pull left or right, drives very well.

 

Pretty much that is how it is. If the wheel collapses, a pin hits the explosive and the gas charge goes off. These have more delay in them than the electric I imagine as it needs to take some physical deformation.

The arming pin, when unscrewed, protects the chanrge from the discharge pin.

 

Note that the steering rack is mounted on a set of pushes that allow a fair amount of L/R movement, unless they have been replaced. AN then there are som shims also placed to pre load the bushes.

These all can go to move the effective steering 'center' off.
I think the rack has a natural center, which I expect is or should be center of the turn to turn rotation of the wheel.

 

If the rack is centered and the stering wheel is off-set could the stering coloumn uj be moved on its splines to center the steering wheel? I do not have an XJS but I had this issue when I droped the subframe on my XJR to replace the V-mounts. It took a few attempts to get the wheel streight again as the cutout in the shaft fixes the aproximate postition but there is still several degrees variation depending on how you put it back on the splines. XJS may be similar?

 

If the sub frame is off set and you don't notice any pulling you are still going to get tire wear from it dog tracking and possibly a difference in SAI