How do I remove the washer to remove my steering wheel to realign my wheel with my tires on my 73 3.0 S?
- Thread starter Roman596061
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Magnet stick?
maybe I am wrong, but a washer is not retaining anything, it is simply seating there, just pull the steering towards you
Humbling tale- driving away from shop, I pull on steering wheel and see the nut is missing. I think to myself - that’s not safe, why if I pull on the wheel enough, the wheel will come off in my hands.. and that’s when I pulled on the wheel and it came off in my hands while driving down the road.
And now no car leaves the shop without the nut EVER.
And now no car leaves the shop without the nut EVER.
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Yep, I used to drive it without the nut so I could easily take it off and adjust after having the wheel off. After an "Oh shit!" moment I always keep the nut on loosely and bring tools.
Roman596061
Well-Known Member
I have but it won't come off
Roman596061
Well-Known Member
I have and the wheel will not come off
try harder
I'm not the one to say that it's certain to work, sometimes a previous owner may have done some damage to the parts
it's also possible that it's rusty
what's 100% certain is that the washer is not to blame,
My wife says it is safe to drive with me because the nut is always there. On the other hand it is not very useful because flattery does not take her anywhere.
PS: On the coarse spline E9 steering wheels the nut was a large 22 I recall, and once that is out the trick is to pull out hard without hitting your own face. The resistance is that of the splines, not a washer.
stphers
Well-Known Member
Put the nut back on partially and then pull like hell, if it still does not come loose, you may have to have a second person hit the the center of the shaft with a large punch while someone is pulling on the steering wheel ( you want to make sure that whomever is doing the swinging is a good friend so they don't hit you instead ) Thats why you put the nut back on a little I've gotten one fat lip in my life from the steering coming off quite violently, when it came and it hurt like hell once it caught me in the mouth They can be tight Is it an aftermarket hub, if so, they can be quite tight, much more so than an original wheel
Thanks, Rick
Thanks, Rick
I've used a brass drift for this.
The inside of that hub has what look like a lot of impact marks.
It is possible that a soft or too-tight fitting washer was installed and deformed while tightening (or being beaten), effectively turning ID into a retainer grabbing the threads.
Do you have any axial movement - free play in washer or hub - does washer turn at all?
Have you tried "unscrewing" the washer while pulling? Try using a hemostat or double-jointed pliers.
Failing that very careful drilling with small bit, making a radial line of holes from ID to OD then splitting/separating washer with a chisel
It is possible that a soft or too-tight fitting washer was installed and deformed while tightening (or being beaten), effectively turning ID into a retainer grabbing the threads.
Do you have any axial movement - free play in washer or hub - does washer turn at all?
Have you tried "unscrewing" the washer while pulling? Try using a hemostat or double-jointed pliers.
Failing that very careful drilling with small bit, making a radial line of holes from ID to OD then splitting/separating washer with a chisel
Rock the steering wheel back and forth SLIGHTLY while pulling
...While wearing one of those American football helmets...
ok rock back and forth slightly while pulling slightly
It will come off!
If no other options work, then my guess is that the splines are just stuck. Penetrating oil+ perhaps a bearing puller?
It can push on the steering shaft, and hopefully it can grip around the edges, but usually the arms only have little , short hooks. You may need to fab a steel plate to bridge the distance of the hooks to the back of the steering wheel, with a cutout for the steering shaft.
It can push on the steering shaft, and hopefully it can grip around the edges, but usually the arms only have little , short hooks. You may need to fab a steel plate to bridge the distance of the hooks to the back of the steering wheel, with a cutout for the steering shaft.
Roman596061
Well-Known Member
Tried that, as well.
tochi
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Is your steering wheel original equipment or aftermarket?
It might be helpful if you posted some additional photos, including an image of the entire wheel. As you can see from the attached image (from a different model), the washer should not preclude removal of the wheel. However, in scrutinizing your image, it almost appears that you are dealing with two washers and judging from the scarring the washer/s could have been peened against the shaft. In any event, you could consider taking a sharp metal chisel to the washer/s, allowing you to pry it out of the steering wheel cavity.
I can’t recall seeing an image of a steering wheel with so much internal scarring. This suggests a number of things, including the possibility that at some point there was a “forced” mating of a steering wheel with splines different from those on the shaft (fine versus coarse splines or vice versa). It might also be possible that the threads on the steering wheel or on the corresponding steering shaft were damaged. If this is the case, you could uncouple the shaft from below and remove the shaft and the wheel and remove the wheel on a bench. Obviously, that is a lot of work. As suggested by another poster, there are steering wheel pullers. You might also consider applying heat with a carefully directed heat gun. Liberal use of a rubber mallet or dead blow hammer?
Best of luck.
and for no particular reason:
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