100-4 stator tube

[rossco]

Want to rebuild my steering wheel. Unhooked the wires and loosened the brass nut at the steering box. The nut just just spins. The stator tube won't pull. The end of the tube must be boogered or the gland washer is hung up. Any other possibilities? Any suggestions? Am I not understanding how this is supposed to work?

 

[57_BN4]

Just did this job last week.

It works pretty much the same as a fuel line compression fitting does- the nut squashes a brass 'olive' down onto the tube to grip it.

Be prepared for oil coming out of the steering box when you get the gland nut off. It should come right off and slide down the wiring harness to freedom. The olive underneath the nut will be slightly squashed into the tube so if it is an original one, put a tiny screwdriver in the slit and open it out just enough to come off. If it is a replacement/plumbing one with no split then you can either try tapping the tube upwards to see if it will move, or file off one side of the olive so it can be cracked through and removed (you'll need a new one by that stage).

Andy.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Want to rebuild my steering wheel. Unhooked the wires and loosened the brass nut at the steering box. The nut just just spins. The stator tube won't pull. The end of the tube must be boogered or the gland washer is hung up. Any other possibilities? Any suggestions? Am I not understanding how this is supposed to work?

I'm concerned about the nut 'just spinning.' It's been a while since I worked on mine, but I believe the brass nut that compresses the olive which secures the stator tube should come all the way off. I hope yours isn't stripped (someone might have over-torqued it to try to stop a leak).

 

[rossco]

I cleaned up the end of the stator tube. (there was body putty and other crud stuck to it) That freed up the nut, which then slipped off. The stator tube is out. Got the nut off the column at the steering wheel. Now the wheel slides toward me about 3/4" and stops dead. There is metal to metal contact when it stops coming toward me. If it's that loose it shouldn't need a puller, should it? There is a small hole in the back of the hub of the wheel, about 3/4" of an inch from the back edge. Is that a pin or a key that needs to be removed? It feels as though that may be the "stopper" when I pull the wheel toward me.

 

[rossco]

Got the wheel off. There are two small holes in the hub. Nothing in them. Are those for lubrication? How tough is it to thread the wires back into the column when I start to put it all back?

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Holes in the hub are so you can insert a cotter key into the axle between notches on the castellated nut. When you pulled the wires, you should have tied/taped some strong cord to them to use to pull them back through; but, if you didn't, you can wrap some mechanic's wire around the terminals--tape them to make them smoother--then run the wire down the stator tube and pull from the front. The terminals are staggered so you don't get a huge lump. Still, it can be a bit of a pain but doable.

 

[rossco]

Bob. What is the purpose of the cotter key? I see no castellated nut. Is it inside the hub? Or is it the nut that holds the wheel in? That is just a regular 1 1/2" nut. The wires came out inside the stator tube. I now have to feed it back down into the column. What am I missing? Thanks for getting back.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

If you're talking about the splined hub that the wheel is mounted on, the holes are there to insert a cotter key. The nut that holds the wheel bearings in/wheel on should be a castellated nut--yes, it's inside the wheel hub--if it's not someone has changed it (a very poor idea). Maybe you can post a picture so we know which part of the wheel you're talking about. You've co-mingled two questions about different parts of the car and it's getting confusing.

Please re-read my instructions for pulling the steering wire harness through the stator. Basically, you fish them back through using some mechanic's wire.