My Wagon's steering is off centered to the left by a few degrees. The car drives straight with no pulls or uneven tire wear. My older Wagon was the same way after Volvo did my alignment. I had to fight with them about it and they redid it for me and straightened the steering wheel.

What I have noticed is that the steering column is a bit on a angle and i think most alignment techs align the steering tothe steering column thinking its straight. However when the steering wheel is perfectly centered, the steering column should be angled a bit downwards from the left side.

Am Ithe only one with this problem, or is there anyone else with the same?

Also my old Wagon had gas smell from the rear as well as gas leaking when the tank was full which is commonly a hole in the vent hose. My new wagon has the same problem with gas smell and the gas leak! I think this should also be a seperate recall since most of us suffer from this. Is there anything we can do about it? To me this is more serious than the current gas tank bushing recall.

 

Hi Ali,

As to the steering, the guy/gal who worked on it might not have been knowledgeable or highly skilled on how to use the laser aligner. With proper knowledge & training, using an aligner is not a rocket science (otherwise, you would see everyone going off the road). When they do the alignment, they have to move the car back & forth a few times on the aligner to make sure the steering is centered. However, there must not be a problem in the suspension & steering components (worn/missing rubber bushings, tie-rod ends, etc...) otherwise having an alignment does no good. Not sure about 850, but on some Japanese cars you can just take the steering wheel off and re-install it; Honda uses splined shaft so it was easy to adjust; unless if it was off by less than an inch (in such case the front wheels had to be aligned).

As to the gas smell, is it the same thing you've had for a long time? If recall service has not been done, do it asap. Also, check to make sure that the charcoal canister in the engine compartment is not damagedand has hoses securely attached. No luck after replacing the hoses in the tank?


JPN

 

Most alignment places don't really worry about if your steering wheel is aligned unless it's grossly off. You're wheel can be completely off but your wheels still be aligned. Most places will do the steering wheel if you ask them.
[align=left] [/align]

 

JPN,

the volvo I posted the gas smell about long time ago is now history. Someone did a hit and run on me and totalled the old Wagon.

I got some insurance money and bought a 95 T5 Wagon. This one has the same gas smell problem as the older one except its not as strong, but its there.

As for the steering, I think for the wheel to be centered is important safety wise. You would want the wheel to be pointing in the way you are going and not sideways when going straight.
I think ost people don't pay attention to get the wheel straight as possible. There was a guy I useto go to for alignments in Montreal, Canada, and he got the wheel straight in the first shot. Never had a problem. I guess most people don't care.

 

You're correct having the wheel oriented correctly is the best way to be. All I'm saying is that a few degrees isn't going to kill you. Now if you're off by some absurd ammount then yeah get it fixed.

 

for sure it wont hurt.Its just sometimes weird. I guess i just like things to be perfect[8D]

 

>the volvo I posted the gas smell about long time ago is now history. Someone did a hit and run on me and totaled the old Wagon.

May your old wagon rest in peace.

>As for the steering, I think for the wheel to be centered is important safety wise.
Agreed.

>I think most people don't pay attention to get the wheel straight as possible.
Agreed.

>I guess most people don't care.
Agreed.

>There was a guy I useto go to for alignments in Montreal, Canada, and he got the wheel straight in the >first shot. Never had a problem.

Perhaps there was a French technology involved?

As well as the steering, I would make sure to have the gas smell taken care of asap as it poses threat against safety & your life.

Wish you luck,


JPN

 

Hi Kanji, huzzsaba, and info2x,

> May your old wagon rest in peace.
LOL ... I once knew a girl that held a funeral ceremony for
her car and invited all her friends...

My car (a 96 na) has a gas smell after I've driven it a few miles.
I don't notice this after putting gas in it, but I probably wouldn't
notice it at the gas station with all the fumes from other cars.
I guess I need to fill it all the way and see if it leaks.

> As well as the steering, I would make sure to have the gas smell taken care of asap as it poses threat against safety & your life.
Yes, I had a Ford Escort that had a leak in the fuel tank and I
carried a fire extinguisher with me in hopes that it would buy me
enough time to get out of the car if it ignited. Not good. That was
one reason that I got rid of that car. The current owner told me that
he has not repaired it either due to the expense involved.
If there is a problem with fuel tank leaks on Volvos or any other
car, there should be a recall at the manufacturers expense.

Best regards, John

 

Hi John,

Earlier models of Ford Escorts were one of the worst cars I've driven. In summer the engine would quit due to vapour lock in the fuel line, as well as heated ignition module. I would like to know, what kind of engineer has decided to mount the ignition module directly on top of the distributor, where there was enough engine heat[8D].

I'm moving out from my folks' place in Yokohama, and heading to a new apartment by Narita Airport for my new line job. The ISP told me it would take up to a month until they can get the lines through[8D]. I'll try to find an Internet cafe at or near the airport to check the forum, if possible.

I wish you all the best,


JPN

 

Kanji, good luck on your new job, I hope they get your new
ISP line in soon.
My Escort had no instrument lights, inoperable fuel gauge, bad
transmission, and seriously worn suspension. It was at 156k miles.
Sorry, enough talk about Escorts.

Best regards, John