8000ft

while on the White Rim I hit a wash out and smacked the front right pretty hard. For the rest of the 100 miles the steering wheel has been off center. The normal positon of the cross bar on the steering wheel is at 3 & 9 o'clock but now they are at 4 & 10 o'clock. Once back out on the highway I had expected it to pull hard to the left but it doesn't..at all. It's still in alignment but the wheel is off center which has set off the ESP/BAS and the sliding car lights.

The forward traction control works (it is cutting the power inthe snow) and the anti-lock brakes are working but not the sideways anti-skid control.

QUESTION: I read the "how to center your steering wheeel" artical but after I do thid will the system automaticly reset itself?

QUESTION? How can hitting a bump set the steering wheel off center with out and apparent damage to anything else???
Is something bent that I can't see???

TenForward

Once you center the steering wheel, ESP/BAS lights will go out and the system will return to normal. It's pretty common that after smacking a front wheel/rim against a solid object, the steering wheel will be off-center. I have found that it doesn't take much to bend the tie-rod on the JK. Even a slight bend will throw the steering wheel off. I recommend you check the front toe-in to make sure it's correct before centering the steering wheel. You can follow the do-it-yourself right up and get it pretty close. Of coarse, you could always take it to an alignment shop to have it checked.

Here's how I checked my toe in.

1. Jack the front axle up so the tires are not touching the ground and support with jack stands.

2. Measure the toe in. Mark a vertical line near the middle of the tires tread on both tires. Measure between the two lines with a tape measure when the mark is in front of the tire, at the 3 or 9 o'clock position looking from the side. Make sure the marks are at the same height so the tape measure is level. Note this measurement then rotate the tires 180 degrees so the mark is on the back of the tire, measure and note the distance. The difference between the two measurements is the toe in, and should be about 1/8" positive. Positive toe-in is when the front of the tires is closer together than the rear of the tires.

Ncb

The axle might have shifted a bit if the TB mounts have elongated bolt holes, or as stated above a bent tie rod.

PatrickESJK

My advise is to not play around with it. If you can live with the wheel be off then ok, but if you have knocked something out of camber then you should go get it alined. You may think everything is ok, but a 300 tire may change your mind.

Up to you. I have already experanced it. Good luck!

8000ft

Yep there is an ever so slight bent in the tie rod. I adjusted the tie rod so the wheel is centered again and have driven it about 10 miles to confirm that it is centered and there is no pull to one side or the other.

Now with that being said ...the lights are still on and the system is not responding to sliding the way that it should.

We just got a couple inches and it has turned into hard pack ice in the parking lots and streets......yep I pulled into work and spun out...180 degrees around before I knew what was happening.

Can I pull the Neg. battery cable off for a minute to reset the computer????

Doughnuts are fun but only when they happen when you want them to....

Freewill

Is the steering wheel really centered now? Or is it just closer than it was? It should be dead-on.

The toe-in should be set first by adjusting the tie rod. Toe should be 0" to 1/8". The tie rod is the one with a knurled plastic adjuster. Doesn't matter if the steering wheel is centered when you're done setting the toe.

Next adjust the drag link/relay rod to center the wheel if needed. This rod has a pair of bolts on a clamp that turns. When these adjustments are done in the right order the dash lights should go out. If they are still on you aren't done yet.

If I could see a bend in my tie rod I'd probably replace it, but that's just me. The bent rod won't stop you from setting the toe.

8000ft

Well update,
I pulled the Neg off for about 30 seconds and reconected it and drove off. Within a hundred feet the lights went off.
I haven't had time to check the toe yet, probably this weekend.
My biggest concern was to get the systems working again because of the icy roads we've got right now.

I don't think that I will replace the tie rod, I just don't have the money.

I should say that this was my own fault, I was going too fast through the desert and hit that wash out to fast. The stock JK suspension is pretty good but it is NOT a pre-runner set up and I should have slowed down.

I am glad that I could get it straightned out by myself and it was a Zero$ mishap.....unlike the other SAG truck that I had to winch out. A 9000 pound Dodge 2500 full of gear that I pulled out of a greassy switchback ditch with an XRC 8000 spooled ot about 40'