Steering wheel straight but the wheels are in v shape nothnbroken

The steering wheel gear is out of adjustment. To repair this you must drop the plate under the tractor. Remove the two bolts holding the steering assembly,there you will a gear at the bottom of the steering wheel shaft. This gear matches up with a spline that controls the steering wheel travel. You must make sure,that the wheels are facing straight ahead. Place the steering gear at the center of the opposing gear teeth,this will give the steering wheel perfect travel in both directions. You will encounter a problem trying to replace the bolts back in,when reinstalling the steering wheel shaft assembly. You must keep the wheels straight,at all times,any movement from center will again throw the wheels out of adjustment. I almost forgot the most important step the mower must be removed Sound hard,doing this repair,when explaining,but can see what has to be done,is much easier.Please,be careful you most certainly,will have to jack up the tractor to get get to the steering assembly. Hope this helps. Sincerely,Brad Locke

I have seen this on many vehicles. It is entirely possible that when you last parked and shut it off you had the steering wheel turned to the left or right rather than centered straight ahead. The power steering was assisting with holding it in that position until you shut it off. At that time power assist stopped and the wheel is resting firmly against the theft lock mechanism. Grasp the steering wheel firmly and if your front wheels are pointed to the left then force the steering wheel to the left a bit more and turn the key will holding the wheel, if front wheels are to the pointing to the right then force the steering wheel to the right and turn the key. Try NOT to turn off the ignition with the wheels not pointed straight.

yes replace

I'm a mechanic and have pulled alot of steering wheels off. There are several groves on the shaft that the steering wheel fits over allowing it to be put on in several different spots. There is no way it was put on in the right spot. Take it back and tell him it wasn't like that before and he needs to remove it and set it back on straight. If they won't do it then tell them you will take it to another shop and post reviews on line about there service.

To give you a professional soultion I really need a complete model number.

Here is what happens when steering becomes a problem on ANY brand of riding mower.
1. Tie rods get bent
2. Wheel spindle pivots get bent on one side.
3. Pivot bearings or bushings get worn
4. Linkages from the steering wheel to the tie rod pivot connection get bent.

On the basic bottom of the line Craftsman riding mowers the tie rods are fixed and not adjustable. However if you look for a mirror image left to right of the tie rods often you will note that one of them is bent in or out... or is shorter than the other one. There are after market tie rods that are adjustable. This is over 40 years of experience talking here.
THe best way to do an inspection of steering is to place the mower on tripods so that the fram is being supported and not the steering components and then set the steering wheel to the straight position and inpsect ALL of the steering and suspension components for the front end.

Without your model number this is quite generic. With a model number I can show you a parts diagram by item number of what to check.

Thanks for choosing FixYa,
Kelly

Problem 2 is probably a belt slipping or a pulley loose somewhere.Problem 1 .........is the tie rod adjustable?If the tie rods are adjustable, put steering wheel where it's supposed to be when straight, then adjust tie rods so that each wheel is pointed straight ahead. There should be a lock nut that needs to be loosened, then turn the tie rod end in or out and tighten lock nut. Back to problem 2....if it isn't the belt or pulley, it may not be an easy fix.Sometimes over time, belts stretch and get loose, or a set screw in a pulley can work loose, and cause the pulley to slip on the shaft. If it is hydraulic, it might be low on fluid.. I don't know for sure as I am not a big fan of Craftsman lawn tractors. Good luck

disconnect neg battery lead, from underneath the steering wheel remove 2 torque screws and carefully remove airbag unit disconnect the 2 wires underneath it first, remove bottom steering column cover, next remove keys and allow steering lock to engage with the road wheels pointing straight ahead remove wheel centre stud, wriggle bump shake steering wheel till it slips of splines disconnect wires from underneath and remove wheel, installation is reverse, make sure you position steering wheel straight ahead, dont reconnect battery till airbag unit is reinstalled or you will get a warning light illuminating.

The steering assembly your mower has is very difficult to repair. Thank God they no longer make that type. Forget about trying to tighten that screw, it won't solve your problem anyway. Believe me, you should take it to a repair shop.

1966 Olds 98?
It's been a while, so bear with me. The main objective is to remove the steering wheel, to have access to the turn signal switch.

1.Negative battery cable disconnected

2.I believe you twist the horn button in the middle of the steering wheel, and pull up, to remove. The horn button should have a ring of thick rubber on the bottom, which keeps it in the steering wheel. The chrome piece under the horn button may come off with it, or it stays on the steering wheel. This is the part that is fuzzy to remember.

3.Remove the steering wheel nut, and lock washer.

4.If you do not have a steering wheel puller, go to your nearest auto parts store, and see if one is available to rent. The cost of this puller is relatively low, so you may just want to go ahead, and purchase one. While you're there you need to obtain another tool also. Steering Wheel Lock Plate Tool.

5.After the horn button is removed, and the steering wheel nut, you will see a flat metal area of the steering wheel. On each side of the threaded part of the steering column shaft, there are two small threaded holes, in this flat metal area.

The steering wheel puller, is a bar shaped piece of metal, that has a threaded hole in the middle. There is a threaded shaft that goes into this hole. On each end of the metal bar are slots. Threaded bolts go through these slots, and line up with the two threaded holes in the steering wheel. There is a pointed tip, that rotates on the threaded shaft, of the steering wheel puller. This pointed tip goes in the middle of the steering wheel shaft. (The shaft that you removed the nut from)

Find the two correct threaded bolts in the steering wheel puller kit, that matches the threads in the steering wheel holes. They HAVE to be the correct size, AND the correct thread. (Fine thread, or Coarse thread. They will be SAE thread, and not Metric) If the puller does not come with bolts, or the correct bolts, you'll have to purchase them separately.

Place the puller on top of the steering wheel shaft. Run the threaded shaft of the puller down, until at least 3 to 4 threads of the shaft, are showing on the steering wheel side. Now place a threaded bolt in the slot on the outside part of the bar.

Run the bolt down into the steering wheel threaded hole on one side. Make sure it goes in at least 1/2 inch. Do the same with the threaded bolt for the other side.
Adjust the length of the threaded shaft of the puller, so that the two outside bolts will go in as advised. Adjust the threaded shaft out, or in. Be SURE the two threaded bolts, are threaded down into the steering wheel the same depth, and the bolts are the same length!

Now turn the threaded shaft of the steering wheel puller in, with a ratchet and socket, to remove the steering wheel. (Turn the shaft to the Right)

6.Now remove the steering wheel lock ring. The steering wheel lock ring tool is now used.
There is a cylindrical shaped piece that has threads on the inside of it, and has a hole at the top, that a lock pin slides through, for the above tool. This cylindrical shaped piece is threaded down onto the steering wheel shaft.

The tool has a handle shaped like a screwdriver handle, and a shaft attached to the handle. The shaft goes down into the cylindrical shaped piece. Then the lock pin goes through the cylindrical shaped piece, and also a hole in the shaft of the tool. This lock pin locks the cylindrical shaped piece to the shaft of the tool.

BEFORE the cylindrical shaped piece is pinned to the shaft, you slide a U shaped piece up on the shaft. (Thought it would be better to explain it this way)
The opening of the U, goes down towards the steering wheel. It's U shaped to clear the steering wheel shaft.

As you turn the handle of the tool to the right, it pushes the U shaped piece down. The U shaped piece then depresses the steering wheel lock ring down.
(There is a Thick metal spring under the steering wheel lock ring)

You have to take a metal pick, and a small flat tip screwdriver, and remove the round snap ring. May take a little finesse, and a few tries. Use patience. Now back the steering wheel lock ring tool off. (Turn to the Left) The steering wheel lock ring will come up, so that you can take it off. Remove the spring. Remove the plastic horn contact assembly. Now you can see the screws to remove the turn signal switch.

You need to take the bent tie rod off and straighten it out and put it back on. Look carefully at the engine pulley ("wheel"). Make sure it is not bent. By bent I mean the bottom is not pushed up. The pulley should form a 'V'