Steering goes off centre after off roading! Anyone help?

Hey folks

BIT of an odd one this in my opinion so I've decided to ask the audience

A few off road days ago I realised once back on Tarmac again that my steering was off centre.

I have a yellow marker at the top of my steering wheel, and it had shifted from 12 o'clock to 10 o'clock.

The car drove fine/normal, just off centre wheel. Odd, I know.

Got the car into the shop, disconnected drag link, centred steering box as best I could and then centred wheel with box at centre.

Then reconnected drag link and adjusted it til car drove straight.

It then did it again on my next pay and play. Note it does not do it on laning trips as they tend to be less abusive.

Anyway I got it in the shop again, removed the drop arm expecting trouble but no it was spot on, no slipped splines.

There was play in the column so I replaced that with a new one, and there was no evidence of splines slipping there either.

Recentred it and back to normal.

Now last week I fitted a return to centre steering damper. This of course is spring loaded to always come to rest at centre. Got this setup on Saturday and it drove bang on straight line. The spring assistance helped to iron out the tramlining.

Sunday playday and it's off centre after some hard steering work

The rtc damper is quite happy to drive the car down the road at centre, een though th wheel is at 10 o'clock. No steering bars are bent so it's not an alignment issue as such.

So I'm a bit stumped.

Could the steering box slip internally? Jump a tooth of something?

It still steers fine and the assistance is ok.

Any ideas please?!

hi sam, i get that but usually when ive bent a steering arm or tracking knocked out

I would have thought that if the wheels were straight and the steering wheel is off centre that the fault must lie in the steering box

the only way to find the fault is to put marks (paint on the nut or spline like a seal ) at every point in the steering system so when it moves you can see the part that the paint has broken the "seal" . but it sounds like the box

My best guess is the box, cos its the connection that I haven't checked, just wondered if anyone could confirm!

Cheers

ide say get the tracking checked

completely wild guess, so ignore if stupid.
could the steering wheel slip on its boss

The steering column splines are always free from damage.

And the track rod is still poker straight so that rules out alignment.

Granted it is ****ing weird though. How can a steering box slip and still work perfectly???

Hi Sam...
Is the marker shifting on the steering wheel (slipping tape!)
daft...but just thought I'd be the one to ask the stupid question!

Kin ell joe, you stooped to new levels this time!

I've picked up another steering box.

No leaks, no play

Its out of a 300 which i was specifically looking for, because my current box doesn't have the centre pin facility on the rear of the box, this makes finding centre on mine very difficult. This will be much easier to track up properly.

Cheers!