Steering wheel removal

[Stuart Rees]

Hi,
I'm trying to take my steering wheel off to straighted it up, what thread are the two holes on the wheel to use my puller? Seems like its in between 6mm or 7mm. I've tried pulling, hitting it with a rubber mallet even swearing at it :oops: - nothing, any advice is very much appreciated.
Stu

[Dan6457]

If the wheel is wonky its unlikely that its been taken off and put back wrong before, I would say your tracking is out of alignment.

[Stuart Rees]

Hi Dan, We put a recond rack in then done the tracking which made the wheel turn.

[Dodgy Motor]

Just a thought,is it far enough out to turn in one more spline in the rack :wink:

[Dan6457]

Usually when you do tracking you set the wheel straight then adjust the track rod ends to bring the wheels in track with the wheel still held straight.

[Stuart Rees]

Well somthin's gone wrong then, I trusted my local garage to do it, :roll:

[bozzzydmc]

Stuart Rees Wrote:Well somthin's gone wrong then, I trusted my local garage to do it, :roll:

That was your first mistake

Get them to take it off and put it back on straight ?

[Dodgy Motor]

How far out is it Stu?? oclock wise??

[Dan6457]

Actually if they've set it up with the track rods showing equal lengths of thread showing each side and the wheel is wonky then you must of put it back on the rack a few splines out, so yeah adjusting the wheel makes sence in that case sorry.

[Rich Hanlon]

I've been down this route. Basically, the wheel was incredibly difficult to get off - so much so that it stripped the threads in the puller and still never let go. However, the following method helps - just needs two people...

*Line the car up straight - just drive in a straight line and stop so you know the road wheels are dead ahead. Park up.
*Remove the knee pads from round the steering wheel.
*Remove the leather thing that goes over the top of the steering column (if your car has one)
*Undo the two big bolts at the top of the steering column - note which way the bits of tin plate go.
- this will release the wheel - you'll have to undo the multi-point electrical connectors...
* go round the outside - take the driver's side front wheel off.
*Undo the pinch bolt that goes through the lower end of the steering column - look up and you'll see it.
*Get your mate to pull on the wheel/column assembly from inside, ease it out of these lower splines.
- (This is the point at which to withdraw it completely to replace your lower column bush (ooo-errr) should you need to...)
*Line the steering wheel up nice and straight and reintroduce the lower splines by pushing on the wheel/ column. This is where it definitely needs two people unless your arms are 6' long. The column's plastic 'pod' will be free to rotate around it at this point - deal with that when you reassemble
*Do everything back up - MAKE SURE THE PINCH BOLT IS THROUGH THE LOWER COLUMN!!!

This method means you're still in the centre of the rack but you're just rotated the column by one or twop splines. Very effctive, and you don't have to disturb the steering wheel - which probably won't allow you to disturb it anyway!

PS - the final stage is to realise you've moved it by two splines instead of the one it really needed so you've got to start again and go back by one!!

Have fun, vbut make sure you do up the pinch bolt for goodness' sake!!

[Dan6457]

My tracking could do with tweaking up but I don't want to take it to my local garage and let some 17 year old youth drive my precious delorean :?

[Stuart Rees]

Cheers Rich,
It crossed my mind to turn it that end but I thought it would be easier just to turn the wheel!! As you said & as I've found out the steering wheel is on there waaaaay too tight, I'll give your way a go tomorrow. Thanks
Stu

[NickT]

You need to centralise the wheel to the rack prior to getting a geometry done.

Count the no. of turns the wheel makes to the left noting where it finishes up angle wise.
Do the same to the right and it should be in the same place but mirrored.

If the rack is offset (earlier vins) then as far as I can remember the wheel offset should be about 30 degrees to the left.
I would have to get this from Mikes car.

After this, get the rear alignment set to the car centre line then adjust the front to the rear.

Get a full geometry and not just a cheapy place the just does the front alignment.

This is when we had a 4 wheel alignment tracking day on my car after changing the front bushes:

http://www.deloreans.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=921

NickT.

[Dan6457]

Does anyone know anywhere that could do 4 wheel alignment in the essex area?

[stunned_monkey]

The threads in the steering wheel are M6 and with the correct tool, the steering wheel comes off just fine. James RG made one years ago and when that went walkies early last year, I took the opportunity to make my own. It's just a 10mm thick piece of ally with two 6mm holes corresponding to the holes in the wheel. Then I tapped a centre hole out to M10. Now with two M6 cap screws, threaded FULLY into the wheel, you then thread an M10 bolt into the centre, and the steering wheel just pops off.

I've removed steering wheels countless times and never had one that wouldn't come off, using this tool.

When you send a rack away for rebuild there's no guarantee the pinion will be put back in the same attitude that it came out. You also need to put your upper joint back in precisely in the same place, and this is easy to fail to do.

Re adjusting the wheel is by far the best way to readjust the steering after taking the linkage and/or rack apart.

The track rod ends can be used to fine tune the wheel pisition within one spline of adjustment. This is not enough to cause noticable bump steer.