While heading home this week from wheeling, I noticed that when driving straight down the highway, my steering wheel is turned about 5-10 degrees to the right. Can I just correct this with a wheel alignment, or is this more likely caused by something being bent?

 

Is the Jeep tracking straight, but the steeringwheel is just off? Or do you need to hold it offcenter to drive straight?

Recentering your steering is easy, if nothing got bent, simply adjust the draglink
Basic Do-it-Yourself Jeep JK Wrangler Front End Alignment

 

Just for semantic clarification on this point: Is it accurate to say that in the first situation ("Jeep tracking straight, but the steering wheel is just off") the steering wheel need only be recentered, while in the second situation ("you need to hold it offcenter to drive straight") the Jeep needs an alignment? That's my understanding, but while we're on the topic I figured I'd ask . . . .

 

it is my understanding as well.

 

Sorry for the delayed replies, been buried at work. Cruising down the highway, the jeep tracks straight (ie, doesn't pull left or right), but the steering wheel is turned clockwise about 5-10 degrees.

 

Then--assuming nothing is bent--it sounds like you just need to recenter. The top section in the write-up linked by HappyCurmudgeon should do it.

 

If nothing is bent, then how would it get off center?

 

I was wondering this same thing, heh. The drag link is part of the trackbar right? I ask because I have Teraflexes Monster TB and I don't believe its bent, which would imply something farther up the line might be messed up....

 

If the turnbuckle was loose, I'd suppose the wheel could've shaken off center during wheeling.

I just gave mine a 2" lift which has modestly changed the geometry and so it's slightly off center. Perhaps for the OP it happened during some recent (?) suspension work and it's only just being noticed now.

I'm no expert, but I'd expect some kind of adverse handling characteristics if something was bent . . . .

 

mine is offcenter now, but was dead on when i did my lift. nothing is bent, i have checked. I honestly dont know why it has changed but it has. My turnbuckle is not lose.