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Moto Lita steering wheel

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Leew

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Chaps
I have changed the dash on my 100/6 and in the process obviously I had to remove the Moto Lita wheel and boss
It was well on and the splines were slightly rusted so removing it required a puller
When everything was out, I greased the shaft and the boss so refitting was nice and smooth, however.........
Now I am concerned that it moves up and down on the spline very easily.
So the question is, how do I keep the boss and wheel fixed onto the spline and fully engaged at the end of it's travel up against the dash other than by the grace of god !!
Is there some sort of circlip that will hold it in place?
Thanks
Lee
 
Assume the wheel is the adjustable type. There should be a circling in a groove at the near end of the splined shaft. A good tool for tightening the collar is a rubber strap wrench.
Bob
 
The Moto Lita Boss that I have has two bolts that can be tightened so the boss grips the spline. There should also be a circlip at the top of the spline which prevents the Boss from sliding right off the spline.
 
Well I have no bolts or circlip on the spline, however I do have the circling groove so obviously there is something out there to stop it sliding off....I'll give Moto Lita acall Monday, maybe they can help
In the meantime any chance of any photographs?
ta
Lee
 
Something is wrong there. Moto Lita have a boss for non-adjustable columns which does not have the tightening bolts. Your car appears to have an adjustable column but it looks like you have the non-adjustable boss. Or a boss for a completely different car!
 
Those Americans.....the car came from California.
I had to use a puller to remove it as it was rusted to the spline so luckily the previous owner never had to take his life in his hands
How can I tell if it had an adjustable column ?
 
Leew said:
Those Americans.....the car came from California.
I had to use a puller to remove it as it was rusted to the spline so luckily the previous owner never had to take his life in his hands
How can I tell if it had an adjustable column ?
Click to expand...
That IS an adjustable column, so you need to get the correct boss from Moto-Lita, or a Healey parts supplier that carries them.

This too is a Healey from California, I purchased it in 1978, and shows a period Moto-Lita boss fitted to a non-adjustable column. There was excess play between the splines of the column and hub, so I changed out the hub for a new one recently.

het_002.jpg


There's a red rubber plug where the stator tube passes through, as it was discovered that with a full (non leaking) steering box and the front end jacked up, oil will spill out.
 
Lee,
I have a similar adjustable boss. The turntable collar around the splines means it was probably made for the adjustable column, which you do have. Unscrew the collar completely from the boss, and you should be left with a slotted splined sleeve. Running the collar up the threads should tighten the collar onto the splines, the slots allowing for compression around the column. The slots may be clogged, or damaged, or the splines worn. Take it apart a little more, and clean it up.
Good luck,
Bob
 
Leew said:
How can I tell if it had an adjustable column ?
Click to expand...

In Randy's picture you can see the nut on the end of the column holding the wheel on. An adjustable column will not have that nut or threads, just a groove on the end for the circlip.
 
Leew said:
Those Americans.....the car came from California.
I had to use a puller to remove it as it was rusted to the spline so luckily the previous owner never had to take his life in his hands
How can I tell if it had an adjustable column ?
Click to expand...

The end of an adjustable column looks like this:
IMG_20160604_121335621.jpg



The clip that goes in the groove to keep the boss from sliding off the splines:
IMG_20160604_121433830.jpg
 
Thanks Bob, Duane et al....it all makes sense now
The knurled nut that is designed to allow you to slacken off the pressure around the spline when you want to move the column up and down was rusted on so tight I could not move it
Now I understand how it works I have released it in the vice and will clean and lubricate and hopefully it will then grip once I put it back together
I will just need to get the circlip to prevent the wheel coming off the end of the column
Lee
 
Lee,
I had Moto Lita make a custom designed wheel for me to go on an adjustable column and it has 2 Allen head bolts so it can be tightened onto the steering column. From your photo it looks like you have an adjustable wheel which would lock itself onto the column by turning the big knurled ring. You should also have a circlip like I do on the end of the column to prevent the wheel coming off in your hands.

Peter

Steering Wheel 2.jpg

DSCN2155.jpg
 
Lee, Mine looks just like yours. You have, IIRC, the Healey adjustable collar (or a repro) and a Moto-Lita boss. As you have discovered, the collar will unscrew so you can loosen and tighten the splines to move the wheel in and out. All you need is the circlip.
 
That's quite the unique door panel! While it wasn't addressed in this thread, the original Healey trafficator (turn-signal and horn switches assembly) works perfectly well in conjunction with a Moto-Lita steering wheel boss, should you decide to equip the car with one.

IMG_4175.jpg
 
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