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TR6 Steering column rubbler coupler

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John_Mc

John_Mc

Jedi Knight
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I'm replacing the old rubber coupler on the steering column. For the life of me, I can't get the screw holes in the rubber to line up with the metal bracket on the column! The width between the holes on the rubber seems to be a good 3-5 mm wider that the width between the holes on the bracket. Is there something I'm missing? Is there a special technique? Bentley makes it sound simple, but simple it is not. I'd appreciate any secrets to getting this back on. FYI, i have the earlier coupler that uses the two recessed allen bolts and two hex head bolts. It's the hex head bolts that are troubling me.
 
Try putting a C-clamp on the rubber coupling to compress to get the holes to align.
 
Agree with trrdster2000. If you cant find a hose clamp large enough hook several smaller ones together. Its what I used and worked like a charm.
 
Go to Home Depot, Lowes or HF and get a few of those slide clamps with the handle grip tightner. WOW does that make the job easy, and the clamping surface is insulated with hard plastic or rubber, providing a good grip.
 
It also helps if both the steering column flanges on either side of the coupling are in the same plane, squared up to one another.
The rack may need rotating a tad to accomplish this...Not only does it make installing the coupling a bit easier, it also takes considerable stress off the coupling. Otherwise the coupling tries to act like the U-joint as you make turns and that contributes to the splits in the rubber coupling.
 
I used the C-clamp with good success. Thanks, everyone, for the input. Poolboy, you mentioned having the flanges in the same plane or else the coupler acts as a u-joint. Is this not part of the function of the coupler? Mine didn't seem to orient in exactly the same plane due to the higher angle that the column comes in at from the steering wheel.
 
There is a real U-joint; but as you know, John, it's between the lower column and the pinion shaft.
The alignment is made at the rack, by rotation in whatever direction that creates the alignment.
Your rubber coupling will accommodate a certain amount of misalignment but it does stress it and contributes to the splits developing in the rubber.
 
KVH said it... the Irwin sliding clamps are the ticket. (If you don't have them, use this excuse to buy a set. They get a lot of use; the type of tool that I did not know how much I needed until I bought my first set. Now I have maybe 6 or 8 of them!)

https://www.irwin.com/tools/browse/clamps/one-handed-bar-clamps

(There are other brands... I'm not saying Irwin is the best, just what I happen to have.)
 
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