Steering wheel upside down !!

Hi
I have just noticed the steering wheel on my newly bought Hiace is upside down ...  I did notice while driving that the indicators etc were difficult to see.....but didn't really check later. I have been busy spending time getting it kitted out for its first trip when I was sitting in the front and noticed the Toyota badge was upside down.......duh. Does it need a garage to sort it out ?............Can't believe it

if it has air bags i would assume yes it needs a mechanic.

Hi Ruffnut

Thanks.......it does have airbags. Thought it was adjusted underneath....tie rod ends ?

Take it for tracking, either someone put it on wrong or it's moved by poor adjustment of the tie rods.
At the true centre the bellows on each end of the steering rack will be equal and then the tie-rods can be wound in/out to make the wheels point straight.

Hi GPW

Thanks, was serviced by toyota in feb this year and had a visual check.....steering included !! This was before i bought it. It also looks like it has top front bushes slightly leaking.....and a repair quote from toyota for £1156.26 !!!!!

margrae wrote:

Hi GPW

Thanks, was serviced by toyota in feb this year and had a visual check.....steering included !! This was before i bought it. It also looks like it has top front bushes slightly leaking.....and a repair quote from toyota for £1156.26 !!!!!

My top front bushes look the same, it's just grease in the dirt and rubber, unless there are splits in the rubber there's no problem with them. They don't have anything to leak IIRC.

Just remember at MOTs to tell them to jack it on the lower wishbones to load them up as unlike most other vehicles the Hiace suspension spring pushes down on the top wishbone, not the bottom. If you 'dangle' the suspension the top bush will appear loose.

Your short term fix for the steering wheel is to unbolt it and turn it around - but best to check the rack is centered TBH which a decent tracking garage can do.

Hi GPW

Many thanks for the information. You will gather I am clueless about these things and wouldn't attempt anything that could be a safety issue....ie steering wheel. I will get garage to do steering wheel prob.

margrae wrote:

Hi GPW

Many thanks for the information. You will gather I am clueless about these things and wouldn't attempt anything that could be a safety issue....ie steering wheel. I will get garage to do steering wheel prob.

This video may help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LArzy_UzsQE

That's how turning the steering wheel ends up turning the front wheels - keep that in mind when you are chatting with the garage - knowledge is power!

The perfect setup is with the rack in the centre, steering wheel straight ahead, and the wheels pointing forward. This then allows the rack to easily accommodate the extreme left and right lock positions without stressing anything.

Good luck, the key is finding an honest mechanic to decide if the tie-rods or the steering wheel, or both needs adjusting.