Depends on the tie rods and the way they are threaded, left or right-hand. Best thing to do is just observe the movement as they are turned, carefully noting the amount of turns so that you can easily undo what you have done.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

And it should only take a 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Make a chalk line on the threads so you can keep track of how far you go. I always center the steering wheel first, then bring the wheels into line.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Keep in mind roads usually slope one way or the other for drainage, so that will often result in the wheel not being centered. I assume you are aware of this but you need to drive on some different roads to make sure it is always off center.

If so then as everyone said just tweak the tie rod nuts a bit and you will be fine. Quite easy to do.

Mike

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Excuse me but isn't the first thing an alignment tech does to to check to find out if the car is able to be aligned? Iif parts are found to be loose they are to be addressed before starting the alignment. If the customer declines the repairs or adjustments then it should be stated on the work order.

Checking for gearbox play is not only to insure the steering wheel is able to be straight but also is considered a saftey inspection item in most states!!!

I think you should first check the steering play and see how bad it is. Just measure the distance the wheel moves without the tire moving both in a running and non running position.

Please note: High end machines have been printing out the before and after specs since 1980 I still stink this guy "Bonused" you because you DIY and he got stuck with the grunt work and not the gravy.

Also. the average price for an alignment is $70 dollars here in Kansas City and if the alignment does not have enough toe in, the car will wander at speed and too much it will wear the tires as toe is the most major reason for tire wear.

Yes I am thankful that I was not flamed as I considered it before posting but I hate to hear of Bbonusing" in an industry that has such a bad reputation caused by a few that affect the majority of reputable shops

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Jeff (moose)

92 500E 90K miles stock less AMG chip

73 Datsun 240Z, 74 260Z, and a 75 280Z 2+2

Well, I followed the directions given and the steering wheel is now noticeably more centered than turned slightly left when driving straight ahead. (or as A. Dalton noted, the car now goes straight rather than to the right with the wheel centered). I will need more time and some varied roads to assess if it's as good as can be expected.

I did the following:

- First, I made a white mark on the threaded inner ends of both rod ball joints, directly opposite the slot in the rod tube. This was my reference, as received from the alignment job.

- I marked each rod tube with a white metal marker pen at 1/4 and 1/2 turn positions, relative to the slot.

- I turned both rods in a forward direction (as the road wheels would turn going forward)(easier to explain than 'clockwise from the right' or whatever) to the marked 1/4 turn position, and did a road test. No change. So I returned and advanced both forward to the 1/2 turn position. Road tested, again no change.

- I then turned both rods backward to the initial position, and rotated both backwards this time, to the already marked 1/2 turn position. The road test indicated a noticeable change in the wheel position, very nearly centered. I rotated both an additional 1/4 turn, and the wheel is now as centered as I can get it.

What I find mind boggling about this exercise is this left and right thread business. The service manual describes the trackrods (tie rods) as follows:

"Pitman arm side, lefthand threads mounted at the left in driving direction", and "Intermediate steering arm side, lefthand threads mounted at the left in driving direction". This is verbatum from the book, 46.5 - 540/1. Misprint? Or is the left rod thread on both sides left threaded, the rightmost rod thread right threaded?

More importantly, DID I DO THIS CORRECTLY? I now have no way to verify my toe settings, short of another alignment.

Lastly, with the engine running, wheels on the ground, there is less than 1/2" of movement at the rim before you can see the tire/wheel start to move. Doesn't feel 'loose' to me at all. And, I really couldn't see where any wrench or socket had been on the big nuts for the camber adjustment, the eccentric bolts on each side. Maybe the setting was within spec and didn't need to be touched? I think I got ripped off on this alignment job.... .....But if the correction has been done right, I'm happy for the learning experience.

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1986 560SL
2002 Toyota Camry
1993 Lexus

Arrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh !!!!!

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

There is confusion here ..
The key words are lenghten the right [ that will bring the front of the wheel in toward a more foward direction] and shorten the left [ that will bring the front of that wheel out from being too far in to a more foward dircection]
What I meant by turning the rods in the same direction is if you wanted to lenghten a rod, you would turn EITHER side in the same direction..if the threads were the same on each side , this would not work and they would have to be turned opposite. Same goes for shortening..same direction..
.but, in your case we want one shorter and one longer[ left/right respectively]

So opposite turns.
Gets confusing.. the trick is to look at the way the threads are rotating on the rod..you can see if the threads are going into the shaft or coming out of the shaft ..going IN results in shortening, coming out results in lengthening..

So, you know how many turns you made on each and what direction, so get back to zero and LENGHTEN the right the same amount as you SHORTEN the left..
sorry for the confuse...

On the SW play, they allow up to 1" at the circumference as Normal..