Steering Wheel Angle Fix

22131 Views 18 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Trolle, Nov 26, 2020

BradleyS

Discussion Starter · Jun 25, 2020

Hello, I need to fix my steering wheel angle on my Honda Clarity. My wheel alignment is good. When driving in a straight line my steering wheel is turned just a few degrees to the right. The solution appears to be running a Neutral Memorization Procedure in the i-HDS similar to 2014-2019 Honda Odyssey vehicles described in the link below.

https://www.autoserviceprofessional.com/3120/honda-steering-angle-fix

It looks like a battery disconnect might require a steering Angle Neutral Position Learn with 2017 Honda Civics.

“Each individual vehicle repair manual should be checked for the proper battery disconnect and reconnect procedures,” he wrote. “On this 2017 Civic the battery reconnect procedure does not list any requirement for seat check or initialization but it does list a requirement for Steering Angle Neutral Position Learn after reconnecting the battery.”

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/...-could-be-necessary-after-battery-disconnect/

It looks like it might happen with the Honda Accord as well.

https://hondamanual.org/products/5957

This might be the directions on how to Rewrite the Neutral Position of the Steering Wheel Angle.

https://www.launchtech.co.uk/common...ity Assist neutral memorisation procedure.pdf

And here is a YouTube video where an Autel scanner is used to Reset the Steering Angle on a Honda Accord.

When I searched Google I saw lots of suggestions about getting a wheel alignment done or adjusting physical components but I don't think that is the answer in my case. I need to get my hands on i-HDS (Techinfo.Honda.com) and try to correct my steering wheel angle. Unfortunately, my laptop battery won't keep a charge so it might take a while for me to do this procedure. I'll come back to write an update once I've tried it out.

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2002

· #2 · Jun 25, 2020

That's interesting I didn't realize that steering wheel angle is adjusted electronically now, unlike the old days where you would just loosen a bolt, adjust the steering wheel and then retighten.

A lot of Clarity owners have either had dead batteries, or purposely disconnected the battery in order to reset the system to cure various odd symptoms. In fact I have done both of them one time each (of course only one of them was on purpose). When battery power is restored you get a slew of error messages about ABS and several other things not working, but within about a mile of driving the error messages go away. The only lingering effect of battery disconnect (or dead battery) that I am aware of is that it clears driving data so the EV range estimate is way off until you drive the car a few times. But I have never heard anyone report that their steering wheel was suddenly off-kilter after a battery disconnect. You would think that any adjustment for steering wheel angle is stored in non-volatile memory and is not lost after battery disconnect. But I guess the only way to know is to run the procedure, then disconnect the battery and see if it retains the adjustment or if it loses it and you have to run the procedure again.

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obermd

· #3 · Jun 27, 2020

2002 said:
That's interesting I didn't realize that steering wheel angle is adjusted electronically now, unlike the old days where you would just loosen a bolt, adjust the steering wheel and then retighten.

That was my thought as well, but I guess with electric power steering it's not a surprise.

Trolle

· #4 · Jun 28, 2020

"That's interesting I didn't realize that steering wheel angle is adjusted electronically now, unlike the old days where you would just loosen a bolt, adjust the steering wheel and then retighten."

I think you are indicating the spline adjustment on the wheel if you remove the nut and reposition the wheel on the spline of the steering shaft, that is a a large correction as the teeth on the spline are many degrees apart.

The picture from the original poster indicates a slight offset that usually is corrected by turning the tie rod adjusters while still setting the correct toe in/toe out specification.

If this can be done electronically that is news to me also, another reason I need to get downloading those technical manuals from the Honda site.

Trolle

· #5 · Jun 29, 2020

Upon further study of the issue I do not believe there is any way to electronically correct the mechanical position of the steering wheel.
The mentioned zeroing of the wheel refers to the the steering angle sensor (SAS).
The sensor simply gives input to the computer as to when the steering is at zero meaning the car is going straight ahead.
The sensor is then set or calibrated to zero so the computer can use this to make other steering adjustments as needed, lane departure etc.
In the case of the offset steering wheel as shown in the picture the adjustments to zero of the steering wheel has to done mechanically as always by turning the tie rod adjusters and maintaining the correct toe in, toe out.
After this adjustment the steering angle sensor (SAS) will need to be calibrated.

Insighter

· #6 · Jul 1, 2020

That's a coincidence. I just had the exact same problem with my new 2020 Clarity (at about 3,500 miles), except that my steering wheel was a bit to the left. I took it to my dealer and explained the situation. I specifically told them that the car seemed to be holding the road right, but that the steering wheel was always a bit to the left, as though the steering wheel needed to be pulled off, rotated a bit, and put back on. I told them that I knew that was probably not what needed doing, but that was what it seemed like.

So, they did an alignment, the service dept. manager test drove, and they had me come pick it up. Result? No difference.

I went back a couple of days later and had the service dept. manager take a drive with me to show him what I was talking about. They then fixed it and it is all good now. I'm not sure exactly what they did. I put a call in to my service rep to see if he can tell me. If he tells me anything, I'll post again to relay what he says.

Insighter

· #7 · Jul 3, 2020

Okay, I just heard back from my dealer. According to my service advisor, they fixed my steering wheel problem (which was almost exactly the same as yours, see my post above in this thread) by "adjustments made to tie rod ends to align steering wheel."

Reactions: 3

BradleyS

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 9, 2020

Insighter said:
Okay, I just heard back from my dealer. According to my service advisor, they fixed my steering wheel problem (which was almost exactly the same as yours, see my post above in this thread) by "adjustments made to tie rod ends to align steering wheel."

Thanks. I made an appointment to get a wheel alignment. Told them I want the steering wheel angle fixed. I'll remind them when I take it in for the appointment. When they deliver it without fixing the steering wheel angle I'll take it back and tell them to adjust the tie rod ends. :grin:

I mistakenly thought steering wheel angle neutral position had something to do with the steering wheel angle. It does not. If anyone has that problem after disconnecting their 12V battery there are there are two learning methods. One with HDS and one without:

Steering Angle Neutral Position Learning- Procedure

If the steering angle neutral position is cleared, do the steering angle neutral position learning procedure.

The steering angle neutral position is cleared whenever you do any of these actions:

－
EPS motor/control unit replacement, removal, or installation.
－
12 volt battery terminal is disconnected from the 12 volt battery.
－
The power is disconnected from the EPS control unit.
－
The power supply voltage for the EPS control unit is decreased.

If the steering angle neutral position is cleared, the VSA indicator, VSA OFF indicator, deflation warning system indicator, and CMBS indicator (if equipped) will come on.

There are two learning methods.

The learning cannot be done when the EPS indicator is on.

If the learning does not complete, check the EPS system.

Learning method without the HDS

1.
Drive the vehicle in a straight line at speeds of 10 mph (15 km/h) or more until the indicators go off.

NOTE:

The learning will complete after driving in a straight line for about 10 seconds.

Difficult situations for learning are below:

－
Driving on a non straight line.
－
Driving on a rough road.
－
Driving under 10 mph (15 km/h) or less.
－
Driving on a sloped road.
－
Rapid acceleration and deceleration.

BradleyS

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 9, 2020 (Edited)

4

Honda Tech Service Bulletin 06-068 May 2, 2009

Vehicle Pulls or Drifts, and/or Steering Wheel Is Off-Center
(Supersedes 06-068, Vehicle Pulling or Drifting, dated October 4, 2007, to revise the information marked by
the black bars)
(Replaces 90-011, Steering Wheel Off-Center Adjustment at PDI)

If there are no other wheel alignment issues the bulletin directs the Honda tech to repair C:

Steering Wheel Is Off-Center

REPAIR PROCEDURE C

1. Make sure the steering wheel is centered.
• Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right
until it stops.
• Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left,
and count the number of revolutions until it stops.
• Divide the number of revolutions in half, and turn
the steering wheel until it is centered. For
example, if it takes four revolutions of the
steering wheel to go from lock to lock, then two
turns is centered.
• If the steering wheel is off-center by a large
amount (20 mm or more), it may not be centered
on the steering column shaft. Reinstall the
steering wheel before going to step 2.

2. Place the vehicle on a lift, turn the steering wheel
until it is centered, and then raise the vehicle.

3. Adjust the tie-rods. Use your measurements from
question 13 of the test-drive to make your
adjustment.
• If the wheels are pointed to the right, shorten the
driver’s side tie-rod, and lengthen the
passenger’s side.
• If the wheels are pointed to the left, shorten the
passenger’s side tie-rod, and lengthen the
driver’s side.
• Each 360° turn of the tie-rod equals about 8 mm
of steering wheel adjustment. For example, a
steering wheel is off-center by 4 mm with the
front wheels pointed right (when the steering
wheel is centered). To correct the off-center,
shorten the driver’s side tie-rod by a half-turn,
and lengthen the passenger’s side tie-rod by a
half-turn.

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2002

· #10 · Jul 9, 2020

BradleyS said:
I mistakenly thought steering wheel angle neutral position had something to do with the steering wheel angle. It does not. If anyone has that problem after disconnecting their 12V battery there are there are two learning methods. One with HDS and one without:

From all of the posts it seems there are three things being discussed that can be off: steering wheel off-center, steering wheel angle, and steering wheel angle neutral position. The situation that people are reporting here all seem to be related to steering angle.

- Steering wheel off-center. From one of the sources that you quoted: "If the steering wheel is off-center by a large amount (20 mm or more), it may not be centered on the steering column shaft. Reinstall the steering wheel before going to step 2."

- Steering wheel angle. Requires adjusting tie-rods etc. The situation that people here have experienced.

- Steering wheel angle neutral position. This seems to be the subject that a large part of your posted sources are referring to. As far as I can decipher based on the sources as well as all of our experiences, it is normal or at least common for the steering wheel angle neutral position to get cleared when the battery is disconnected. The system then self corrects as soon as there are ten seconds or so of straight line driving. No action is required by the driver other than driving the car.

The steering wheel angle neutral position needing to be cleared apparently accounts for several of the normal error messages seen when the car is first driven after battery disconnect. Quite interesting, I was not aware of that.

Your posted document mentions that two learning methods for steering wheel angle neutral position are available after battery disconnect. The first method is to simply drive the car in a straight line for ten seconds. That of course is the method used by owners as it seems that normal driving sets it pretty quickly.

The second method is to use HDS, which is Honda's diagnostic system used by dealers and also independent shops who subscribe to it. My guess is that the HDS method is useful for a mechanic as a way to reset the steering wheel angle neutral position without having to take the car out for a drive, as might be the case when doing a repair that does not otherwise need a test drive upon completion of the repair. In theory it could also be used in cases where driving does not set it, but I have never heard of anyone experiencing that, someone would have to live somewhere with extremely curvy and bumpy roads for that to happen.

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Trolle

· #11 · Jul 12, 2020

I think the confusion was introduced from the start. The original post really should have said steering wheel off-center.

Usually steering wheel of center can happen if a wheel slams a curb and a slight bend of the mechanical components occur.
This also changes the toe of the wheels and the compensation to steer straight results in steering wheel off-set.

This is then is fixed by turning the tie rod adjusters while setting back the correct toe.

The 20 degree off-set steering wheel not to be corrected by repositioning the steering wheel on the steering shaft is shown after a lock to lock is performed.
If one would simply remove the steering wheel to bring the steering wheel back to center, the car would increase/decrease the full turn ability left/right.

Steering wheel angle terms appears to be used only for calculations that is related to the sensor/CPU.
The neutral and the reset is all part of these calculations and how they are performed

2002

· #12 · Jul 12, 2020

Trolle said:
The 20 degree off-set steering wheel not to be corrected by repositioning the steering wheel on the steering shaft is shown after a lock to lock is performed.
If one would simply remove the steering wheel to bring the steering wheel back to center, the car would increase/decrease the full turn ability left/right.

I have always assumed that this particular problem only occurs when a steering wheel has been removed then reinstalled incorrectly, like can happen when someone is having some type of work done behind the dash that requires removing the steering wheel. Whereas hitting a curb etc requires fixing the mechanical problem that has caused the steering wheel to now be off-center. But I'll bet a lot of people just reposition the steering wheel in those cases, thinking they have fixed the problem, when the underlying issue is still there.

Trolle

· #13 · Jul 12, 2020

You are absolutely right about that mistake of just making a drastic correction of the offset by repositioning the wheel on the steering shaft. Usually that happens after major work where a lot of front end work is done, damage etc.

Not only can the left/right max lock to lock be off but the cancellation of the turn signal switch can be effected.

So Honda wants the rack and pinion gear to be in the center, steering wheel centered at the same time. In addition the steering shaft may also have to be centered if there are any mechanical functions on the shaft that depends on that.

Also of cause the toe in/toe out of the wheels also need to be in specification when the above is right, I guess most new cars are 0 but I cant find any info on the Clarity for that

ClarityDave

· #14 · Nov 16, 2020

Trolle said:
Also of cause the toe in/toe out of the wheels also need to be in specification when the above is right, I guess most new cars are 0 but I cant find any info on the Clarity for that

I think there is usually (not always) a tiny bit of toe-in or toe-out set in the suspension so that when the vehicle is moving it will theoretically be at zero. Front wheels of FWD vehicles tend to have a bit of toe-out while RWD vehicles tend to have a bit of toe-in.

Trolle

· #15 · Nov 17, 2020

In general I agree, rear wheel drive cars used to have slight toe in and front wheel drive 0 to slight toe out.
I am still looking for info for the Clarity alignment specs, in the past that info would be in the manual.
There are some online sites that give Honda specs but the Clarity is never listed.

I just like to have the toe specs that I can easily check with an adjustable bar on the inside of the tires.

ClarityDave

· #16 · Nov 18, 2020

Trolle said:
In general I agree, rear wheel drive cars used to have slight toe in and front wheel drive 0 to slight toe out.
I am still looking for info for the Clarity alignment specs, in the past that info would be in the manual.
There are some online sites that give Honda specs but the Clarity is never listed.

I just like to have the toe specs that I can easily check with an adjustable bar on the inside of the tires.

Yeah, I guess with the Clarity being a low production volume vehicle maybe those specs are a little more difficult to find. I would imagine if you can make friends with a tech/mechanic from a Honda dealership they could get the information for you.

Also, just my two cents’ worth on this whole thread of centering the steering wheel (and I realize it’s already been covered here) is that, indeed, the only right way to fix it is by manipulating the tie-rod ends to get it centered. The big question would be: how did the steering wheel get off center in the first place?

Trolle

· #17 · Nov 18, 2020

I think it was mentioned in the thread that sometimes after a front end damage the bodyshops will adjust the toe specs correctly but fail to center the wheel exactly.

It is actually pretty common that even dealerships fail to make this exact.

I had an electric steering column replaced under a recall on an Hyundai Elantra. The repair was fine but the steering wheel was slightly off center when I drove the car home. I did not bother taking it back, it was less of a hassle making the adjustment at home.

ClarityDave

· #18 · Nov 19, 2020

Trolle said:
I think it was mentioned in the thread that sometimes after a front end damage the bodyshops will adjust the toe specs correctly but fail to center the wheel exactly.

It is actually pretty common that even dealerships fail to make this exact.

I had an electric steering column replaced under a recall on an Hyundai Elantra. The repair was fine but the steering wheel was slightly off center when I drove the car home. I did not bother taking it back, it was less of a hassle making the adjustment at home.

Yeah, I’ve done that once or twice too. You can mark the tie rods with a piece of chalk and then just rotate both sides equal number/fraction of turns in the right direction and it will fix it.

Trolle

· #19 · Nov 26, 2020

After a lot of searching for the Clarity wheel alignment specs I could only manage to find specs on the Accord.
The 2 models "appears" to be close in chassis build but not sure if that is good enough to draw a conclusion that the alignment specs are the same.

Anyway the attached picture shows the toe in spec for the Accord to be -0.08 to 0.08 degree.
I believe the parenthesis number (2) is mm.

A conversion table using 26" total tire height calculates this very close to 2 mm.
'

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