Tie Rod and Alignment Question
 

I installed new turbo tie rods on my car, then used to string method to check the toe. I need to check the entire alignment, but the car didn't pull at all previously so I am assuming the alignment is at least reasonably accurate. Of course, this like so many may be a bad assumption.

The steeing wheel was off center, I could tell by the number of turns it took to reach lock on each side. I removed the wheel and saw a center mark on the column shaft. I popped the wheel off and reset the wheel to be on center, then validated that to reach lock each side was about the same - 1.5+.

So good, so far. I go back of front and using the string method, set to to '0' on both sides. The only thing that is odd and bothering me is that the drivers side has about 10 threads showing near the tie rod end and the passenger side about 4. There is no structural damage on the tub, no accident history on the car.

Either the string method is not serving me well or it is common for the new tie rods to be different lenghts. Any thoughts would be welcome.

If the rack has been out previously the splines their might be off making your center mark off.

I set mine so the tie rods are equal length. Wether the rack is centered between the LH and RH stops doesn't really matter. Different length tie rods cause different amounts of ride steer for each side, which will tend to increase steering wheel kickback upon hitting a bump.

I think the best plan is to pull the tie rod boots off the rack to make sure the rack is centered, I assume that the rack can be centered visually. I then will need to center the upper steering shaft. Finally, readjust the tie rods, they should be close to being equal length at that point.

If I loosen the bolt on the u-joint, can I rotate the upper-shaft without damaging the splines or does the rack need to be lowered to slide the shaft out of the u-joint before I can rotate?

You have to completely remove the nut & bolt on the upper shaft because the lower is locked by it. And yes, I think you will have to loosen the rack to get enough leeway iirc.

Ian