TR2/3/3A Steering Wheel hitting my belly

[rlrobian]

My 61 tr3a is back on the road, but with a problem I need some help with. My horn button assemply is sticking to far out of the column. I can not get it to go any furter in the car. It wont come out either. I've removed the locking nut at the end of the tube and that seems to make no difference. I've put WD40 in around the plastic locking nut on the adjustable column. That adjuster is locked up and I'm afraid of using to much force for fear of braking something. I hope the pictures will better illistrate by problem. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[charleyf]

As you have an adjustable steering wheel the stator tube has a notch in the top several inches. My best guess is that your control head has been pulled out of the stator tube. To get it back in try rotating the control head slowly while providing light pressure down on the control head. You are trying to line up a raised area on a tube attached to the control head with the notch in the stator tube.
I would guess you might have the best luck when the chrome turn signal knob is straight up.
Charley

 

[rlrobian]

Thanks Charley, I'll try that, but currently I can't turn the control head. It seems locked in place, but I'll try again since most of my efforts have been in trying to push the head deeper into the stator.

 

[auprichard]

Just checking: you say you removed the nut holding the stator tube in place, but the picture shows the nut still screwed on. If indeed the nut is off, the stator tube should rotate easily.

 

[rlrobian]

Auprichard you are correct I took the photo before I removed the nut, but with the nut off the tube, and some persuasion i did rotate the control head. I am able to pull the control head and tube out of the column about 10 inches. I could not find the indent for alignment. I have sprayed some WD40 on the tube and try to press the tube in place, with the turn signal control pointing up I made no more progess than when I started other than getting the turn switch centered.

 

[charleyf]

If you were able to pull the control head out to 10" then you should have been able to see the stator tube. But that does not make sense. Even though you may have removed the nut at the bottom end you would had to have also removed the "olive" that is below the nut to get the stator tube to pull up to get 10" .
I am not sure how long the tube is that is a part of the adjustable wheel you have. But 10" sounds to long. Maybe somebody with more recent experience can inform us what that length is.
Another thing to try is to have a second person pull on the wires at the bottom end of the stator tube while you try the rotating and apply the downward pressure at the top end. Reason is that once you have pulled the control head out, you have also pulled the wires up the tube. It is very possible that those wires are getting in the way of the two tubes slipping together.
Charley

 

[rlrobian]

Charley thanks for the insight. Once the control head was pulled out as shown in the above photo, the olive was off the tube and all of the slack in the wiring was pulled up with the tube into the steering box. Last night at about 2AM i woke with same idea of having someone help me by pushing in the control head while I from underneith and infront of the car carefull pull on the wiring harness coming out of the tube in case somehow it got bunched and is not allowing the tube to go the last 3/4" into the tube as shown in my very first photo. As soon as my mechanics assistant comes back from her yoga class, and is the right mood, I'm going to try that approach. I'll let you know how it goes. Would any additional photos help?
Thanks
RL

 

[bobhustead]

very gentle pull on the wires. The connections in the control head are not robust when new.
Bob

 

[rlrobian]

Got it and will do.

 

[CJD]

Do not force the trafficator into the stator. There is a slit cut into the stator. The small tube coming out of the trafficator has a stamped dimple that must line up with and go into the stator slot. If you just shove the two parts together without lining up the slot to the dimple you will likely permanently damage the assembly. If they are aligned they will slide together very easily...they have to to allow the steering wheel adjustment to work.

Also...the stator could be oriented in any direction, so do not expect holding the trafficator straight to align the assemblies. You must find the slot, turn the trafficator to whatever angle it takes to align the slot and dimple, and then slide in the dimple. Only THEN can you turn the trafficator straight.

If all the above still leads to the same trouble, then it is likely that the stator tube has broken at the end of the slit. It is a VERY common failure. To check that you will have to pull the stator up out of the column, while your helper aligns the wires to feed into the steering box. You only need to pull it up enough to see if the entire slot is intact.

 

[rlrobian]

Tried multiple times to no effect. Different approach. The colar that loosens and tightens the steering wheel cannot be moved. I cannot move the steering wheel in or out. Is it possible that the control head is where it needs to be but the steering wheel has been lowered to far and is now stuck?

 

[rlrobian]

Do not force the trafficator into the stator. There is a slit cut into the stator. The small tube coming out of the trafficator has a stamped dimple that must line up with and go into the stator slot. If you just shove the two parts together without lining up the slot to the dimple you will likely permanently damage the assembly. If they are aligned they will slide together very easily...they have to to allow the steering wheel adjustment to work.

Also...the stator could be oriented in any direction, so do not expect holding the trafficator straight to align the assemblies. You must find the slot, turn the trafficator to whatever angle it takes to align the slot and dimple, and then slide in the dimple. Only THEN can you turn the trafficator straight.

If all the above still leads to the same trouble, then it is likely that the stator tube has broken at the end of the slit. It is a VERY common failure. To check that you will have to pull the stator up out of the column, while your helper aligns the wires to feed into the steering box. You only need to pull it up enough to see if the entire slot is intact.

John do you have any pictures/diagrams showing how this is supposed to look? I have searched through my repair manaul and cannot find any. I'm getting a little confused. The steering wheel works as it should, the control head works as it should (but the turn switch does not automatically cancel) and the horn button does it job. Thea stator tube sticks about 1.5" out of the bottom of the steering box when the control head is in as far as I can get it. When the locking nut and olive are removed from the bottom of the steering box the stator and with control head attached can easily be moved up and down, or turn 360 degrees. I can see the top and bottom the stator and I not see a slot or dimple. Thanks for your help. RL

 

[sp53]

The stator tube sounds broke to me like John suggested. You can leave the steering wheel on and then remove the olive and nut from the bottom then unplug the wires and have someone push from the bottom and you pull from the top. There should be 2 feet of wire hanging at this point that can go into the column. Also see if you can tell if the wires are not stuck as they move up and out

When you see the wires at the top and probably the other have of the stator tube grab and pull them out slowly. The wires will probably bring the broken piece of the stator tube with them because the wires cannot get through the small hole of the stator tube.

If not, that should leave the broken piece of the stator in the steering column stuck in the column. To deal with that you might get the control head and wires out pulling one wire at a time. I would also unhook the battery.

Do you have a 2 piece column or a one piece? Moreover, the control head not inside the slot with stop the head from canceling.

steve

 

[CJD]

I agree...if you can see the top of the stator tube, and there is no slit, then it is broken. It usually sheers at the base of the slot, as that is where the highest stress concentrates. If you have tried to force the tube in the trafficator head into the end of a broken stator, the dimple may have compressed. It is just a stamping in the tube.

Go down to post #81 to see what a stator should look like, and how to make a new one. The one shown is for a non- adjustable wheel. The slot is longer for the adjustable wheel:

TR2/3/3A - Recipe for a TR2

The heater is hung, although not fully secured yet. The last couple days were frought with problems. This is the original stator tube on the right. David sent me to Grainger, who carries the similar stainless 3/8", .035" walled, 61.5" long tubing. The original is not stainless, but oh...

www.britishcarforum.com

Then, installing the trafficator is in post #125 here, once again, this is a non-adjustable wheel, the only difference being the stub tube is longer in your trafficator. The trafficator in the thread is actually from an adjustable wheel, and I swapped out the stub tube to use it in a std wheel:

TR2/3/3A - Recipe for a TR2

I for one am keen to see your attention to detail put to starting an interior thread John... only if you have time of course! Cam

www.britishcarforum.com

 

[rlrobian]

Using the catalog from the Roadster Factory as a guide I can see the slot you all are talking about in the stator tube. Mine does not have a slot and the traficator is attached to the stator tube. The length of the stator tube certainly appears correct. Considering how much stickes out of the front of the steering box and the amount of additional tube not inserted that would end up pushing the end of the tube further out the front of the box whick would appear to match the amount of the stator that is showing in this picture from my very old red hard corver repair manual.

Compare this picture with the first one I posted and you can see the difference it the lenght of the exposed stator.
1 when I remove the locking nut and olive the trafficator will slide out with the stator attached until all of the wire slack at the front has been pulled up the stator, about 10 inches.
2. For each movement in or out of the steering box the stator moves the exact same time and distance with no restinance. I can even move the stator and control head by light finger action from where the stator exits the steering box.

I was wondering if my steering wheel was incorrect for the adjustable head

But looking at The Roadster Factory's catalogue confirms I have the correct wheel for an adjustable steering column.

When I insert the stator tub and trafficator they move very smoothly and easily until they come the a hard stop. Is there anything along the path of travel that could be causing this? The stator the TRF catalogue appears to have a slotted section about a third of the way back from the forward end of the tube. Could it be catching on anything and stopping the movement?

Copied this location from the TRF catalogue showing the stator tube with the slot you all are talking about.
> TR2, TR3 Glove Box Companion: :(page 164) < It's at the head of the tube and runs about 8-10 inches in length. I do not have that slot in my tube ????? This is driving me nuts!! But sure is fun.
Thanks
RL

 

[charleyf]

So when you are pulling the head and stator tube up the only thing that is holding it from coming up more than the 10" are the wires at the lower end become tight. Right?
If so you do realize that you can disconnect the lower end of those wires. They have bullet connectors that are located to the rear of the left headlamp. If you do disconnect them I suggest you use tape and label both ends so you can reconnect them correctly.
Once disconnected you should be able to pull the head up further. Limit yourself to pulling the wires and control head only to the steering box. Pulling them beyond there gets real messy. So avoid that if possible.
Hopefully pulling the tube farther out will give you a better look.
Charley

 

[karls59tr]

Your steering wheel is mounted upside down. The spoke you have at the bottom should be at the top. Not sure if it is causing part of your problem but just saying.

 

[NutmegCT]

Just wondering here - was the steering wheel sticking out too far when you first got the car?
Tom M.

 

[rlrobian]

Tom, it was not, but that was 50 years ago, and I was in college. For 25 of her years with me she was in a garage partially dissasembled. My son and I along with a few of his friends partially restored her in 2005. From then this has been a minor issue. It does not hinder driving the car but its becomming more bothersome and I'd like to get it taken care of, primarly for a cosmetic issue. Also I'm tired of listening to "officinados" at car shows about it, to the point of stopping going to local shows. I'd like to starting showing the car again and want this corrected, without rebuilding the front end.

 

[CJD]

You have already answered your question. If the stator has no slot, then it is broken. There is absolutely no use doing anything else until you replace the broken stator.

Then, while the trafficator is out, check out the tube carefully for the required detents. When you get the new stator, trial fit the stator to the trafficator to make sure the trafficator slides freely in the slot.

Karl, the wheel cannot go strut up, or it would block the turn signal switch.