Hi everyone. Wanted to get some opinions (wrong question to ask, right?): As soon as I got my RMAX2 home after buying it (beginning of November), I noticed that it pulled hard right and the steering wheel was a little off center if the wheels were straight. I called the dealer right away and they were going to come get it but they were swamped so they offered to comp my First Service and fix the alignment then. Took it over to them this morning and picked it up this after noon. Before loading it up I drove it around their shop on the pavement for a while. When the steering wheel was straight, it pulled slightly left. When I took my hands off the steering wheel (I know you shouldn't do that but..), it pulled hard right. The owner of the dealership drove it and then rode with me and he said that was normal for big tires like that on pavement. I think that BS but I wasn't going to argue. I brought it home and it does the same on grass and gravel. Obviously it's an alignment issue but any thoughts on if this is normal? Don't know if I'm expecting too much. I've had a Rhino, General and Viking and none of those had issues like this.
steering wheel a little off center
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Yah that is BS, mine drives straight as an arrow when I let go of the wheel. I hate dealers that pull that shit on people. Take it back and make them fix it at no charge if he says they already fixed it. I'll bet their service is half assed as well. Then again, Maybe you're better off NOT ever taking it back there again.
Thanks for confirming my thoughts and info that your's drives straight. I've aligned my other side x sides and quads so I'm comfortable doing it but wanted to wait on this one in case there was something wrong from the factory. Unfortunately like most stuff now, if you want it done right....
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All that needed done was to reclock the steering wheel. A five minute job. Yamaha aligns the machine before it leave the factory. That's why there a little paint marks on the tie rod ends. The steering columns are already assembled by the time it gets to the actual utv on the assembly line. There some people that think you have to monkey with the tie rod ends. Not on a new machine. Now an alignment is required and once the wheels are back to factory specs, the steering wheel will not be centered. That's ok, just take off the steering wheel and reclock it. The splines are small so getting it straight will be easy.
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I failed to carefully read the first part about pulling to the right before he took it to the dealer. Disregard my previous post.
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Some people have a lot of faith that everything gets aligned properly from factory because of a paint mark. All the paint mark really means was this was torqued. It’s on almost every new bolt or nut a my Rmax, not just the tie rods. The fact is lots and lots of people on this forum have had things not even close on alignment from factory. We can’t even get our fluids properly filled from factory, and we should trust it’s aligned and just reclock the wheel? Like I said early in the thread. My Gen 1 was at 11 o’clock and I reclocked it one tooth and it was at 1:00. No the teeth are not fine enough to adjust it however you want!!!!
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Out of the 7 machines I have owned, all but one was out of alignment. I just found some points on the frame as "square" and used a plumb bob to make markings on my shop floor to measure from.
The Rmax was 3/4" toe in on the right side only. The driver side was 1/16 toe in. Steering wheel was also setting at 1 o'clock while driving straight with no hands. I adjusted the toe to be 3/16 in combined. Guess what the steering wheel is still at 1 o'clock. Going to find a puller to reclock it today.
The Rmax was 3/4" toe in on the right side only. The driver side was 1/16 toe in. Steering wheel was also setting at 1 o'clock while driving straight with no hands. I adjusted the toe to be 3/16 in combined. Guess what the steering wheel is still at 1 o'clock. Going to find a puller to reclock it today.
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Why wouldn't you adjust the tie rods so the toe in is the same on each side WITH THE WHEEL STRAIGHT. Then it will drive straight and wheel will be straight.
Used to do a lot of mechanic work often on front suspension and easy to get the wheel off slightly when doing tie rods.
You NEVER pulled the wheel to fix it. You merrily shifted the tie rods to straighten the wheel and it is the same thing here.
If wheel is off to the right when going straight you simply adjust them both to the right by the same amount and in one or two tries you will have it driving straight with the wheel dead straight too. So simple can't imagine why you would even consider pulling the wheel to fix it. Chances of you getting it straight by moving a spline are slim and you will still have to adjust the tie rods to get it right. Not only that but you are messing up the wheel being centered on the rack so it will turn more one way then the other which you do not want it to do.
Simple to fix it with the tie rods and it be done right. Just mark them and do the opposite to the other by same amount. Open up one side a turn and close the other by a turn and you will shift the wheel considerably with only a single turn on each side.
You must first adjust the tie rods anyhow to correct the toe in then you can work on straightening the wheel.
If when setting the toe-in you can move the one that is off in the direction that also favor fixing the wheel straightness then you are going to be close already just setting the correct toe-in. If not once the correct toe-in has been set you can move each the same amount and easily zero in on a perfectly straight steering wheel.
If people would just adjust the tie rods to straighten the wheel you would see how simple it is to get it exactly right. Chances of it being dead nut moving a spline makes no sense when you still have to do what you should have done in the first place.
Always use a good low pressure tire gauge and set all four tires to exactly the same before you start the procedure.
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Danielplace is right-on imho. Once I get my alignment done just wheel to wheel, if I can't live with the steering wheel clock I just loosen both tierods and turn the rods same degrees until its right. Do not need to take the wheel off, just reach in over tire. Put tires on a piece of cardboard on garage floor and tires twist easy if that concerns you, but it is not a big deal to do that if just a quarter turn at a time of the tierod..
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The wheels are aligned with the frame with a toe in of 3/16". I guess they didn't clock the steering wheel properly, I dunno. I will report back if there is a index marker on the shaft or wheel. This is the first one I have aligned this way that the steering wheel was not aligned after proper toe. I'm no expert on front end alignment by no means, just stating my findings. Lol
danielplace1962 is correct. (I'm an old alignment guy here...) Steering wheel is supposed to be (likely is) centered with RACK. All adjustments should be done via the tie rod ends to keep everything centered. I think someone mentioned above how to check to make sure the wheel/rack are in synch, but other than that, adjustments should be made to tie rod ends.
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Picture the wheels each frozen in place. if you move one side out and other side in on the tie rods what happens ? Exactly nothing changed with either wheels toe-in or distance from frame. You only moved the steering wheel.
They can still be at 3/16" toe-in and wheel be dead straight don't you think just by shifting both wheel in the proper direction by the same amount each and have the wheel dead straight. If you have corrected the toe-in now just correct the wheel by shifting the tie rods by the exact same amounts and you will be golden.
Not sure how far your wheel is off but try tightening one 1/2 turn and the other loosen exactly 1/2 turn and go for a spin on flat level ground and observe how much correction you gave it towards the goal of straight. The second try you should be able to get really close. Threads don't lie if you mark the flats well so you don't make a mistake you will not loose your initial toe-in setting. Not a bad idea to recheck it though when finished.
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Looked at the steering shaft and wheel splines today. There are no index marks. I indexed the steering wheel two notches and all is good, 3/16 toe in according to the frame and centered steering wheel. Drives fine. Yes I know you can adjust the tie rods to make the wheel straight but is the wheels aligned with the machine and is the steering wheel centered for travel left to right, mine is?Works for me alignment guys! Lol
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All that distance from the frame you keep mentioning would not change by centering the wheel with the tie rods. Same distance from frame at both sides. You aren't picking up on the fact the toe-in and distance from frame would not change only the wheel would be corrected properly. You moved it two splines because when you aligned it to the frame without centering the wheel FIRST you were royally screwing up and making it even worse than it originally was.
Think about what your doing/did. You aligned the wheels off the frame with no relation to the steering wheels position you made mistake then think you fixed it by moving the wheel two splines.
Can't say I didn't try my best to get you to understand. Don't mean to be a wise guy or rude or anything but what you did is not correct and others should not follow your lead is all.
You do not want the rack travelling to it's ends before the mechanical stops at the spindle bottoms out. You may be that far off center if you moved two splines. Hopefully that isn't the case but very possible. If the rack keeps bottoming at it's internal stops it could damage the rack. Hopefully your still fine. I would turn it each way and just be sure the wheels travel freely up against the mechanical stops to be sure the rack isn't running out of travel first in one direction.
I'm a retired alignment guy, I agree 100%, wheel off, you adjust tie rods to correct, my rmax wheel was off and I adjusted tie rods, wheel is perfect and so is toe in.
kenner
PS Sometimes it's harder to explain how to do this than it really is, once you get your head wrapped around doing it with the tie rods, it makes sense .
kenner
PS Sometimes it's harder to explain how to do this than it really is, once you get your head wrapped around doing it with the tie rods, it makes sense .
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On my Rhino the rack was off a gear or something because the wheel did not turn equal distances left to right (even with the tie rods disconnected). Therefore I had to center the rack (so it was equal turns left to right) and the steering wheel was off so I had to move it a spline or two to get it straight. Then I had to adjust the tie rods to drive straight. My X4 only needed tire rod adjustment. My RMAx was perfect when I picked it up. I get where Spentcoins is coming from and shit happens from the factory. Sorry guys, sometimes the wheel needs to be moved. That's all I have to say. So comment away how I am wrong but if something works, then it works.
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Yes if in fact the wheel wasn't originally centered on the rack. But just randomly pulling it after you just adjusted the tie rods with the wheel out of center. That is a problem. But yes sure if you checked that first and found out the wheel wasn't centered on the rack but NO ONE ever mentions that they are merrily pulling the wheel and correcting whatever was already off plus what they might have added adjsuting toe-in with the wheel crooked then straightening it by pulling the wheel. For all he knows the wheel could have already been off in opposite direction PLUS the two splines he moved the wheel. 2 splines is a lot and doubt that he was correcting a wheel out of center of the rack but rather fixing what was off originally with the tie rods and then made it worse by setting toe-in with the wheel anywhere it wanted to be.
Why wouldn't you just set correct toe-in with the wheel straight already ?
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