Sideswiped, now steering wheel not aligned

[Neutrino]

My CRX was sideswiped and now my steering wheel is about 45 degrees out of alignment. It was not that way prior. As far as I know it’s a direct linkage, so my steering wheel being “off-center” seems to imply a much larger problem. How can I determine if this is the case? It seems to drive okay, from the little I’ve done (not much with a messed-up fuel tank and trailing arm). Is it realistically possible that the foot or so my car was pushed did not screw up my steering linkage? (BTW, I use a Club on my steering wheel.)

Thanks,
-CC

 

[civicious]

Your chassis is probably all kinds of fucked up...if the steering wheel is off after a wreck, 99.99999% of the time the actual steering linkage is fine, but the chassis itsself is bent/out of whack. We get at LEAST 2 or 3 'wreck and rebuild' cars a week at work wanting alignments because the steering is a little off, and we turn all of them away. It's not anywhere NEAR a simple fix.

the car was sideswiped, and insurance didn't total it?

 

[Neutrino]

All the insurance I can afford is the state minimum requirements - nothing for me.
That really sucks. Would it do terrible awful things to my car if I keep driving it? (I don't need it to last all that much longer, maybe a year or so.) That is, IF I can fix the fuel tank and trailing arm.

 

[civicious]

you should NOT drive that car.


if you were sideswiped, shouldn't it have been someone else's fault? namely, the dude who hit you?

 

[get_nick]

you should NOT drive that car.


if you were sideswiped, shouldn't it have been someone else's fault? namely, the dude who hit you?

that's what i thought. i think we might be missing part of the story here. maybe he was sideswiped by a medain or something.

 

[Neutrino]

Yeah, no way it was my fault. Thing is, I don't drive much and it was just parked on the street. I had no idea what had happened until I needed to go somewhere. I have no idea who killed my car, nor when it happened. Sometime between the night of the fourth and the morning of the seventh.
Sometimes it sucks to be me.

 

[civicious]

That sucks...but it doesn't change the fact that the car is NOT safe, and you shouldn't be driving it until you've had it inspected by a body shop or something to that effect...

what's more important, losing some money on a car that got fucked up or getting killed because the vehicle you're driving decides to break the fuck in half?

 

[get_nick]

if it was in the street parked, homeowners insurance might cover it. you need to at least file a police report.

 

[Neutrino]

Problem is, I'm barely making more than rent and student loans each month. I've got no homeowners insurance. It seems that I'm just plain fucked. And I bought new tires for it a few months ago! FUCK!

 

[get_nick]

post some pics man. it might be something like a bent control arm or something fixable. you never know what it could be.

 

[Neutrino]

I'll see what I can do.

 

[Citizen_Insane]

Word, did the alignment seem off when you drove it after the accident? Can you tell if they hit your wheel? They could have simply messed up the alignment or bent an LCA.

 

[f22b1 coupe]

If the frame is fine, the main culprits will be the lower control arm (almost always damaged when it is a sideswipe-type impact), the tie rod end, the steering knuckle (pretty weak on most hondas), and if the steering wheel is turned THAT far, it is entirely possible that the steering rack is ruined. My strut was actually bent as well, which was shocking (no pun intended). The best bet on front ends (According to my collision center tech neighbor who hooked me up with a front end for my accord) is to buy the whole assembly off of a car at a salvage yard. The individual parts will be $50+ a piece easily. Steering racks run $150-$250, lower control arm could be $75-$150, steering knuckle around $150, etc. if you go to a dealership, so it would add up quick. So, 1) have the frame checked out, 2) if its fine, check with every salvage yard you can find.

 

[Neutrino]

Word, did the alignment seem off when you drove it after the accident? Can you tell if they hit your wheel? They could have simply messed up the alignment or bent an LCA.

The alignment was off because my rear trailing arm is now bent, messing up the rear alignment. I'm not sure what-all was hit, aside from the driver's side door, body panel behind it, rear wheel, mirror.
I've spent ungodly sums of money I don't really have on this thing already. New tires, new alternator, new radiator, new thermoswitch, new thermosensor, new temperature sending unit, etcetera. I'm seriously considering parting it out and being done with it. Y'all's thoughts?

 

[Neutrino]

I replaced the trailing arm and the panhard rod (both were pretty bent), and bent the frame part the attaches to the panhard rod back into place. Now the steering wheel is back to where it should be. Slightly puzzling, but I'll take it.
Thanks for all the input.