84-911

i have an '84 911 and was going to re-wrap the steering wheel.

any tips or hints on how to take off the wheel. the service manual basically just says unbolt the bolt and keep the wheel straight.

is that ALL there is to it and nothing tricky that i'm missing and that these books usually leave out?

thanks!!

g

wwest

Loosen the bolt but don't remove it.

Put the ball end of a ball-peen hammer firmly against the end of the steering wheel shaft. The bolt should be on far enough that the hammer doesn't hit/touch it. use another hammer to strike the opposite end of the ball-peen hammer smartly.

Remove the bolt and lift the steering wheel off.

Alan Herod

disconnect the battery and disconnect the horn wire before pulling the wheel off. My wheel pulled straight off. The biggest issue was loosening the nut -- best to use an impact wrench when loosening, but without an impact wrench take care that when you brake the nut loose the wrench does not strike your windshield.

jet911

Follow Alan's instructions. The horn pad pulls straight off. Be careful not to pull too hard as there is a wire for the horn that is attached to the horn pad and you don't want to break it. It takes a fairly large socket - somewhere around a 24mm. I used a 1/2" ratchet with a breaker bar. I wadded up a blanket and stuffed it in front of the windshield on the dash to protect the windshield just in case the bar slipped. Fortunately, I popped the end of the breaker bar and the nut moved - no issue what-so-ever. I made a mark with a little bit of white out on the steering wheel and the column so I could realign the wheel on the splines where it came off (the white out then comes right off). When you do this, it is really easy.

Good luck!

stefang

27mm socket (1 1/16 also works). I found that an impact socket does not fit past the horn ring, in fact I had to grind down the regular socket I wound up using.

Tommy B

i used a breaker bar and just pushed down toward the seat instead of up toward the windsheild. i also got lucky cus the bolt wasn't even that tight.

steve911

The torque spec on the bolt is 36 ft-lbs, so it should come off fairly easily (at least mine did). Unlock the steering lock before loosening the bolt. Make sure the wheels are straight and the steering wheel level before doing the above. Marking the wheel and column is a good idea - I used masking tape.

K-Jetronic

When you need more force, open your door window, close the door, stand outside. Hold the steering wheel with your left hand and with your right hand push the wrench.

Good luck,

Gerko
1978sc

StanV

When I took the wheel off my '82SC, I loosened the nut by putting an antitheft club on the wheel, a 1/2" drive socket with breaker bar (I think it was a 27mm, whatever fits) on the nut, and positioning the two so that I could squeeze the handles together using two hands (they were only 15-20 degrees apart, maybe a bit less; it's kind of like doing an isometric exercise to beef up your pecs ) This method keeps everything controlled.

rbcsaver

I have had mine off on a few occasions. On our 84's it, is a 27mm. I bought a NAPA as my local Sears/Craftsman did not have one at the time. Horn center pulls off with care and some finesse. If your steering shaft wiggles, you may want to put in a new metal bushing under the while you are there theory. I used my breaker bar, but I like StanV's idea of the anti-theft club. Make sure sure key is in the ignition so that the car's steer-lock anti-theft is NOT on. You can break it if used to secure the wheel for counter torque! I also like the idea of turning towards the seat to avoid a shattered windshield as some have done according to prior posts. It's one of those easy, but "haste makes waste" jobs. First time I took mine off was for the bushing, second was to put on a 930s wheel which, BTW is a terrific upgrade.
So many great ideas in the few posts to one person's question. You guys are great.
regards