Installing new stator tube

[Member 10617]

Since having some trouble with my stator tube, which I was fortunate to be able to fix with the tightening of the stator screw at the end of the steering column (thanks to guidance from BCF members), I have read numerous threads in this forum and elsewhere on how to install a new stator tube.

What I have found has been very helpful, but it has been presented only in bits and pieces and often lacking in those important details that may be second nature to experienced owners/mechanics but lost to people who are new to this.

What some experienced person could do, if he only would, is to lay out in logical order and sufficient detail the steps one goes through to replace a stator tube... or at lease how to repair or replace components like the olive or the wiring harness.

I know it may seem easy to those who have done it, but for those who haven't it is daunting.

My appeal, therefore, is to someone to lay this out for the rest of us who may, at some time, want to do this ourselves. I can assure you that you would have the gratitude of many.

 

[CJD]

I see no one else bit, so I'll try from memory!?!

1) Disconnect the four electrical wires that run to the front of the steering gear, and free the wires from the clips along the inner fenders (wings).

2) Using a small flat blade screw driver, loosen the three screws found around the outside of the steering wheel center. They are inset into holes.

3) Pull the horn/signal assembly (control head) back and away. The wires will pull through the stator tube as you do this. You will have to occasionally stop and align the wires at the steering gear so they continue to feed into the stator tube at the bottom. Two people doing this is a real bonus!

4) Place a bucket under the steering gear.

5) Remove the nut where the wires previously entered the steering gear.

6) Gently tap the end of the stator at the steering gear with a wood or plastic mallet to loosen the stator and free the brass olive seal.

7) From the steering wheel, pull the tube all the way out...have rags handy to prevent oil from dripping when you get to the end of the "pull", to keep oil from dripping in the car.

8) If the tube does not come out in a single piece...stop now for a beer and a good cry. Do to the flared areas on the tube (2 of them), the tube cannot come out the bottom, so you are now in a world of hurt and you need more help than I can provide here!

9) The installation is in the exact reverse, except note the following:

a) The slot in the top of the tube goes upward.
b) feed the wires and connectors into the tube one at a time from and ensure the wires are not bent or twisted as you feed them through the tube. You will note the wires are slightly different lengths. This is to prevent them from going down the tube in a bundle.
c) Do not push the tube all the way in...use the control head to do that.
d) Use 2 people when seating the control head...one at the head and one to gently pull the wires at the steering gear. (he/she may want to move the bucket that is full of gross old oil)
e) Once the control head is installed and you are sure the turn indicator is centered properly...install the olive with a bit of sealant on it.
f) Don't forget to add oil back to the steering gear.

 

[Member 10617]

CJD,

You caught my attention with #8! If the stator tube is broken, as can happen, I can see why the tube would'nt come out in a single piece. And that leaves me in "a world of hurt."

I think I'd better rethink doing this myself. Better to leave it to my professional friend who has done it many times.


Thank you for the instructions.

 

[TR3driver]

If you follow the book method though, the tube comes right out with the wires even if it is broken.

 

[CJD]

There you go...I knew Randall would have the "help" you needed!

Really Ed, this would not be a difficult job if you are a little low on skill but high on "want to". It's not more than 30 minutes or so to remove, even with a snag or two.

John

 

[Member 10617]

I was thinking after I emailed you that (1) if as I withdraw the stator tube out the top end, and the bottom end moves up into the steering column, this would indicate that the stator tube is not broken, or (2) wouldn't the harness pull the stator tube up with it even if broken because it fits pretty tightly in the tube.

There is some question about the "olive." The original olive is flat at one end and tapered at the other (with flat aimed at the nut and taper aimed to box), but the new olive from Moss is tapered at both ends. Does this create any problem? Also, the olive is split. Do you try to put the split on top so as to minimize any leaking, or does it push together sufficiently when the nut is tightened?

Can I replace the harness without withdrawing the stator tube, if I feel I would like to "upgrade" it? I assume that if I pull the harness it will (hopefully) come out of the stator tube from the top. Then, I suppose I need to run a wire down the stator tube, attached at the top end to the longest wire on the harness. If I pull from the bottom on the wire, very carefully, I assume that it will draw end of the harness down and out the bottome end of the stator tube.

I'm sure there are other "tricks of the trade" that make this operation go smoothly...

 

[Tinkerman]

Ed wire pulling lube from one of the big all purpose hardware stores makes pulling the wire through the stator tube a much easier job. I taped (eletrical tape) a long piece of string to the down end of the harness smeared the harness with the wire pulling lube and it went on through the stator real well. I left the string and tape on the end and then put it through the steering coluum. Do be aware of the top and bottom of the harness. It's a real pain to pull it out and do it over. I hate do overs! Incidently the wire lube was a trick learned from Randall. Nice job CJD!
Good luck, Dick

 

[Member 10617]

Dick,

From what you have written, it appears that you put your harness through the stator tube while it was out of the car (new tube?) and then put the stator tube through the steering column. Am I right? If the stator tube is OK, could I leave it in the steering column, pull out the old harness from the top of the stator tube, and then pull the new harness down through the stator tube using your string method?

In other words, is it necessary to pull the stator tube out to replace the harness if the stator tube is not broken?

 

[TR3driver]

Incidently the wire lube was a trick learned from Randall.

However, Randall has since decided that maybe the lube wasn't such a good idea. It did make pulling the harness through go from impossible to possible (for me), but now it seems to have hardened and locked the harness firmly into the tube. I won't use it next time.

The factory harness doesn't pull all that hard, but the repro harness I got from TRF took a LOT more force. It's also possible that this tube has some corrosion on the inside, making it more difficult.

 

[Member 10617]

What if you used a little dielectric grease or even a little vasoline?

 

[Moseso]

Wax works well. Take a block of paraffin and vigorously rub the cloth covering of the harness with it.

 

[Member 10617]

Still don't know what you think about replacing the harness with the stator tube in place. Is this possible? Or does the stator tube have to be taken out?

 

[TR3TR6]

When I replaced my tube (because it was broken), I put the new tube in first and then ran a thin wire in the tube, wrapped it around the wiring harness and pulled it through the tube. I had no problems, but was using my original harness.

 

[6TTR3A]

<span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="color: #003300">I have replaced the harness with the stator tube in place.
....I had an awful time getting the old harness out, ruining it in the process. I built my own new harness with all 18ga. wire including the horn wire (A horn relay compensated for that).
....I wrapped the new harness with vinyl and sprayed it with silicone. I cleaned out the inside of the stator tube with a long rod & some steel wool and sprayed that as well. The new harness went thru with no trouble.
....I've only worked on a few of these over the years, but I've yet to see a stator tube that was so beat up that it needed to be replaced. Sometimes the slot at the top gets distorted for whatever reason, but I've been able to get them back to functioning with minimal effort.
Frank Conklin </span></span>

 

[Member 10617]

Frank and Terry,

Many thanks. As far as I can tell, my stator tube is in good shape. If I do anything, I might replace the wiring harness (although no time soon because there's no pressing need to do so at this time). It is good to know that I can put the new wiring harness in and replace the olive and the nut without having to pull the stator tube out.

 

[Tinkerman]

Old stator tube , new harness. When I did all of that my steering column was in the car. Unless you have a hardtop the stator tube is no biggy to get out or in, heh. Having it out would be simpler to me. I can't anyone laying on the ground trying to pull that new harness trough the tube. Mime was a cloth harness and was a tough pull. Of course I had to pull it out and do it all over again because I did it backwards, sheech!
Randall mine did not harden up on me, at least not yet. I did that two or three years ago. I just looked for the pulling lube I used, but of course can't find it. I will keep looking and PM you if I find it. It's in the shop somewhere.
Another thing I did was to use a brass gun cleanig brush through it to clean out any bad spots

Anyhow good luck
Dick

 

[Member 10617]

Dick,

You have a good point there: open car presents no problem for pulling out the old stator tube, and lying on the ground doesn't sound very practical. My harness is a cloth harness, so I assume it would be a job to get it out. Easier, perhaps, on a workbench.

Many thanks for your thoughts.

 

[CJD]

Ed, if your control head does not turn, then your tube is most likely in good shape. If it turns a bit, the slot at the top of the stator may be distorted. If it spins while the end at the gear is stationary, then you've got a broken one. So, a broken stator is pretty obvious.

I changed my control head with a new repro, which also had new wires with it. The button immediately fell out of the repro. So, I had to remove the head and wires again...and I pulled them out and pushed them back through with the entire column in place and with no problem. If you are just pulling the control head and/or wires, all you need to loosen is the three set screws at the steering wheel...nothing else has to be disturbed at all.

I have used the conduit lube many times for other house projects. The only concern I have is that it is water based, and I don't like using water based products inside steel components. The stator may be stainless though?? A squirt of silicone lube is all I used. I straightened the wires and just kept shoving an inch at a time till they popped out. I then had my wife align them at the top while I pulled at the bottom.

John

 

[Member 10617]

John,

Very helpful. My control head doesn't turn, but it does "wiggle" a very little when I turn the steering wheel. Earlier, the control head turned with the steering wheel, but I fixed this by tightening the bolt at the end of the stator tube (it was a little loose).

About two years ago, when I purchased this car, I had a shop replace my old control head with a new repro. The repro came with the car. As the old head showed considerable age, sun damage, pitting, etc., I had it replaced (probably unnecessary with hindsight).

If I am just pulling the head and wires, as you say, I would have to loosen the three set (grub) screws on the steering wheel. Of course I would also have to unplug the wires at the other end. But if I were to do this, I'd probably want to replace the olive and nut (as recommended by several on this forum (?).

I think a squirt of silicone lube or a little dialectric grease smeared on the harness should do the trick. The new stator tube is stainless steel, but I'd rather not use a water based product, as you say.

Unlike all the rest who have written on this, it appears that you did not draw the wires down the stator tube with a wire or a string but just pushed the harness down inch by inch. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by having your wife "align" the wires at the top...

Many thanks.

 

[CJD]

If the olive is not leaking oil, there is really no need to change it. As you noted, the repo olive is different. With all the issues I've had with the "different" olive on the fuel pump inlet, I always suspect any part that is "different". But that's just me. You noted the split in the olive. That bothered me, so that is why I used a bit of pipe sealant on it when I installed it...just for insurance. So far it's been a year without a drip of oil leaking.

By aligning the wires, what I mean is...if you picture pulling the wire from the bottom of the steering gear, the control head will be dangling downward at the wheel. The wire will catch the end of the stator and get stuck. If someone just holds the wire at the top straight while you pull from the bottom, it will pull easily all the way till the control head seats in position.

One other thing to watch when installing the head is that the disc which sets into the wheel with the grub screws must be oriented correctly. It has the tabs that cause the turn signal to cancel, so the cancelling feature can be at odd wheel positions if you don't orient the cancelling tab straight up (or was it straight down?? It's been a while since I installed one). Just remember to take note of the orientation when you remove the control head.

Just curious (and maybe I missed it earlier), but is there a problem with the repo control head you have? Just wondered why you need to pull it.

John