alignment issues

so when i went from a 3" lift to a ora 4.5" lift it put my steering wheel out with the old panard rod wich i had to cut off when i fitted the ora rod and ajusted the axle back into line so did the steering wheel line back up

With a longer panhard rod to push the axle back central, the axle is simply lower down, then the distance from the steering box to the hub knuckle joint is longer, so the drag link has to be longer to keep the wheels straight. You could well be right, the difference may be very small at the wheel, but there must still be some.

However, the steering wheel is fitted with the 'box central, and should not be disturbed, any adjustment should be at the drag link, to keep the 'box central between the lockstops in the straight ahead position. (I believe the lockstops are in the 'box on a jimny, not at the hubs like on a Landrover)

In The Olden Days we used to peg a steering rack straight ahead through a plug hole when fitting to get the wheel and column central, not sure if that has died out since then (the indicator cancel peg used to be part of the column, so you couldn't move the wheel anyway)

thanks! looks like im gonna have it sorted out by my local alignment shop. that must be why my steering turns are unequal.

i moted a jimny this morning and the lock stopped on that when the bolts hit like a landrover my jimny did this a while ago and mine was because of the cv breaking up and jamming in the hub

paumd wrote: thanks! looks like im gonna have it sorted out by my local alignment shop. that must be why my steering turns are unequal.

This will cost you. (A fortune if the threads are seized.)

If you look at the drag link, it is a tube threaded at each end (opposite hand threads BTW) the two ball joints screw into the ends with a locknut on to pinch them against the tube.

All you have to do is:
Remember where the steering wheel points when you go straight ahead
Set wheels straight ahead referring to above
Leave the key in the ignition
Wirebrush/penetrating oil the threaded parts of the ball joints.(do this yesterday, so it has a chance to work)
Undo the two lock nuts (figure out which way by looking at the threads as the rod could be either way round)
Rotate the tube until the steering wheel is straight. (there will be spanner flats on the tube)
Lock the nuts up.

If the threads are seized, either live with it, or remove the whole rod, and attack the joints one at a time in a vice. Be careful about heating them with a blowlamp, as the ball joint sits in a nylon cup that will melt.

those lock nuts are tight! im just gonna have to live with it.
BTW heres my jimny