heres a good one for you...

On Sunday night on my drive home from the ski area (185km snow and ice mixed on roads) I crashed my disco, I slid off the road backwards and flipped in the ditch. It was reletively painless though the car got some major panal damage and really bent in the b post so door doesnt shut properly. However we pushed the car back over started it up and drove home. The obly mechanical problem seams to be the steering wheel is now 90 degrees off. I have checked the steering arms and components and all looks ok and straight. When you let go of the wheel the car tracks straight but the wheel is now 90 degrees out. Do you think the wheel has slipped on the spline or do you think it is something more sinistar, steering box for example? I am going through the insurance fro the repairs but am currently using it, just wondeing if its safe. Your life is a bit more your responsibility up here so the garage that checked the car for the insurance said its hard to tell so its up to me weather I think its safe to use or not. Drives the same to me, what do you guys think, any ideas why the wheel is now off! Thanks jim

sounds like your front steering arm has a slight bend in it or track rod end is bent

Thats what I thaught too but both look visualy straight, and un damaged

Have you checked the back axle/suspension? With you saying you hit the ditch backwards it could have knocked the rear out of line. If so you will have to counter steer to go in a straight line giving the illusion that the front is bent.get someone to drive behind you to see if your going straight or "crabbing"

I think its not crabbing as if you let go of the steering it go's in a straightline. steering wheel just appears now off

lock to lock it to see if 1. it still makes it all the way to the lockstops (on the hubs) each way, and also count turns lock to centre to lock, and lock to 'new centre' to lock, and try work out from that whats going on!

cheers

p.s. are you going to rip the body off and build a hybrid now???

Have a mate follow you up the road, and look to see if it still drives straight.

I mean is it crabbing along the road, you would not tell to drive it, just the steering wheel will be off centre. I has possibly knocked the rear axle out of line, get it on a 4 wheel laser alignment thingy, and see what it looks like. but first, get someone to follow you, it's loads cheaper!!

or just look at the a frame underneath and see if it looks square.

a good nudge the other way should sort it

Try measuring the hub centres front to back both sides to see if they are equal.

Some good solid suggestions, I will get checking in a minute. The car was fully comp so I am intending to rebuild it but so far insurance is just assessing it from cosmetics. Just want to know its safe to drive as well. If it runs into to much work sadely the car will be written off then I hope to get it as a offroader as I have spent many many hours working on it mechanically (changed the timing belt last week outside 10 hours in -25) so would like my energy to go into somthing!

The amount of cheap spares available and ease of replacement means it can never be scrap. Find out what's bent and return to discuss

Ok so prilimimenary tests complete.

Vehicle not noticably crabbing.
Hub to hub both sides equal.
Chasis not visually bent.
When you take hands off wheel, travels straight (as it did before)
Steering locks left down full at steering wheel (r road wheel almost at stop)
Steering lock right down full at steering wheel (l road wheel at stop)
Steeringh wheel orriginal center 1 5/8 turns each direction to lock
Steering wheel new center (offset 90 degrees) 1 1/2 turns left to lock, 1 3/4 turns to right.
I think chasis is ok it just seams to me that tracking (track rods arms, track rod ends) are out, nothing suggests otherwise. Its just mysterious as they visually also look ok. Only one way to find out and thats to have it tested on a 4 wheel lazer measure thingy, which costs money that I dont want to throw at it untill I hear back from the insurance what they want to do. Any other suggestions? Cheers Jim

If I'm not mistaken the amount of bending / distortion / mis-alinegment etc to cause the steering wheel to be out by 90 deg is minute. Probably so small that you will never be able to find it visually.
Personally I'd be inclined to reset the steering wheel via drag link adjustment and drive the thing.

measured toe in and toe out and wheels are definately toed out, hence why it sits straight without returning to natural centre. I think once I get the wheels toed back in tracking will be ok, and steering wheel will be aligned again....only one way to find out. Cheers Jim

i set up my tracking to zero toe, dead ahead. no point setting up any toe, the 12.5" tyres will just scrub off. i set up the toe with my brother, lying underneath with a measuring tape, (a vinyl one, not a retractable builder's style) and measured the distance apart of the front and rear edges of the front wheels. one we were happy they were parallel, that the steering box was centred and the wheel was fitted on straight, we adjusted the drag link til it went staright on with the wheel straight : job done.

you sound like you know your way around the steering system so should find doing your own tracking a doddle