Adjustable steering wheel

[GregW]

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if the locking collar on the steering wheel is supposed to come off. Mine has about a 1/4" of travel. When I try to pull it off, it slides then hits a positive stop. There seems to be 4 dimples in the collar. Are these the culprits? See attached for graphic details. (rated G)

Thanks,
Greg

 

[John Loftus]

Greg,

The collar on mine just screws on and off the steering wheel hub ... no sliding at all. Perhaps yours is different because of the aftermarket wooden wheel. Is there a circlip or anything holding things together in the I.D.?

Cheers,
John

 

[GregW]

Hi John,
I don't see any clips. The collar spins freely when it's in it's loosened position (pushed away from the rim). The wheel is original. I put the wood on myself since the black plastic was cracked pretty bad.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[John Loftus]

Greg,

It appears that your outer black sleeve has separated from the inner portion (bare steel in your photo). The inner part should be turning when you turn the outer sleeve. The dimple areas are most likely plug welds and yours has separated there. Also, when the two parts are assembled, the sleeve lines up with the inner part (where you have an arrow pointing to STOPS HERE). Can you grab the inner part with something and turn that?

Cheers,
John

 

[DerekJ]

Yep I think Johns right. Ive got a wheel in front of me now. Firstly it is supposed to screw on and off with no problems. Secondly there aren't any dimples.

Thirdly you have an extra "ledge" where the unpainted metal inner piece (which carries the thread) is pertruding beyond the outer black collar by about 1/4 of an inch. It should be flush. Presumably the outer cover is turning but the inner piece isn't. That should be easy to determine, in which case grab and turn the inner piece.

BTW when the wheel is upside down with the collar pointing up towrds you it unscrews anti-clockwise. When its mounted on the car its clockwise to unscrew it

 

[GregW]

Thanks, worked like a charm. With a little oil between the threaded collar and the wheel, I was able to unscrew it. Looks like the plug welds didn't penetrate the threaded collar and they failed (just a smooth blemish). I don’t think I’ll try to reweld it because the bonded plastic may melt. My thought is to tap some grub screws and Locktite them in, making them as flush on the visible side as possible.

I appreciate the help,
Greg

 

[John Loftus]

Greg,

Instead of the tapping and grub screw routine, it might be easier to glue the two parts together since there is a lot of surface area. I would go for a high quality epoxy (I use marine grade West System Epoxy for repairs) but at least something with a 24 hour cure (instead of the 5 minute stuff). Then make sure you use a good anti-seize paste on the threads so they don't lock up on you in the future.

Cheers,
John

 

[Keoke]

Hi Greg, why not just take a run up to Peters Marina Motors and pick up a good used adjuster. He is at 800 Lincoln Blvd---FWIW---Keoke

 

[GregW]

Hi Keoke,
I'll work on the adjuster tomorrow and see how good I can get it to look. I've got the screws in and it works well. I just need to clean up the old gouges and paint it. If I’m not happy with my work I may stop by Peter’s on Monday on the way back from Star Wars.

 

[ynotme2]

Okay I have a stupid question. My car has an adjustable column. What exactly does that mean? I have the same collar on the steering column. How do I adjus it and what does it adjust?

Thanks

 

[GregW]

Hi ynotme2,
When you unscrew the (properly working) collar, you can move the steering wheel closer or farther away from your chest. Most comments I've read, people like the wheel forward to make getting in and out of the car easier. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

 

[ynotme2]

Cool...Thanks. I will attempt to unscrew today. I didn't know. It looks like mine has years of crude on it. I hope it comes loose

 

[DerekJ]

Don't get too excited! If it works ok all it will do is allow you to move the wheel about 2 inches closer to you. Most people think its too close to begin with so its not much help!

Dont forget it unscrews CLOCKWISE when you are looking at it on the car.

 

[GregW]

Thanks everyone for the advice. My initial thought was to take a gear puller to the collar. Glad I was “steered” away from that course of action. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/pukeface.gif I installed the wheel on Saturday and am happy with the results. Here’s a photo of it. Now on to the trafficator…