its an 88 coupe. How does horn cover come off? Do I just pull it off? My mechanic says big job. WTF!!

Please advise.

leo

 

Leo, its not a big job. The horn pad is press fit. There three plastic male fittings into three female, thats it. Big job........please. Pry out or better yet if you can get your fingers wedged in pull out evenly on both sides and pull stright out. I suggest disconnecting the battery first. Take your time as the male fittings have little teeth that secure it into the female fittings. If the wheel is loose I bet it is the plastic o-ring that wears out. Pelican sells the metal piece to replace it and it will not wear out again. Very basic proceedure.......even for me.

 

Does it wobble at the top? If so, the plastic bushing had disentegrated and you need a new metal one. Very easy job to replace. Pull the horn cover off, it just pops off. I would disconnect the battery (really noisy if it doesn't come off easily). Index the wheel with a piece of tape or magic marker so it goes back on in the same place. Remove the big nut and pull the wheel. The plastic bushing pieces need to be pushed out the other side. I use a small scribe or screwdriver. When you loosen and tighten the nut, do not use the ignition stop as a brace. Hold the wheel in one hand and break it loose with other. You might want to get some one to hold it for you. Go to Pelican.com and look for threads on how to do it. You do not have to replace the bearing & sleeve, only the sleeve. Replacing the bearing is a big job, but I don't think you need it.

 

If the wheel only moves up and down and not left and right it's the plastic spacer between the steering shaft bearing and the shaft. As cal44 stated above, get the Pelican metal repair busing and install it. There's instructions for how to do it on the Pelican web site. It's about a 15 - 20 minute job.

If the wheel moves in all directions it's most like the bearing itself although I've never actually see one of those fail. That is a big job to repair as you have to pull the column and shaft to get to the bearing.

Good luck

 

Jinx Ron, you owe me a coke! ;-)

 

Its does move side to side very little. However, if I hold down the top of steering wheel it does not move side to side(did that make any sense). Im thinking the play it has side to side is just slack. Im hoping im in the clear for the bearing job!
please tell me I am.

leo

 

Go to pelican parts and get the metal sleeve. Like others say its the plastic race around the bearing that breaks away. The sleve that you get from pelican parts is actually a 928 part that you can get at your local porsche dealer as well. its $10-15 bucks.

 

I'm pretty fussy about that 928 metal sleeve. Probably because I drive my 911 more than most. The metal sleeve will eventually rub against the steering shaft (metal on metal contact). We did a thread several months ago about this. I was suggesting that you insert a plastic strip cut from an Edge shaving gel lid in place of the disintegrating plastic. This will allow you to run the steering shaft inside the factory ball bearing. No metal on metal rubbing.

I also mentioned that my friend Mitch made a special bearing holder for my steering shaft. Then low and behold, it turns out that Mitch made more, and sells them for a very reasonable price with shipping included. Anyway, if you are **** like me and think you can hear the metal molecules wearing away from the steering shaft, then the 928 sleeve is not for you.

 

bottom line... easy fix ... look up the thread rus is taling about

 

ah man why did you tell me that!
where can I find mitch's bearing holder?

 

Rusnak,
The bearing sleeve shouldn't move that much within that area enough to cause a problem..and if it did it would take many many years to see it and you and I will be both dead. Oh and I am also very ****.

 

Dammit........I drove mine last night and now I hear a rubbing sound when the turn the steering wheel. I replaced the plastic with steel two years ago. Yet there is no up and down movement.......Its always something. Guess I will be tearing into mine as well.........again

 

Just installed Mitch's part and wheel is quite tight again....jim

 

Thats not the metal insert rubbing..its the bearing noise more than likely. That insert does not really move..plus the steering shaft is hardened steel....your worrying for nothing imho.

 

This is one of those things that people have a hard time visualizing...

If the sleeve moved with the wheel, then it's wedged in tight enough between the steering column and the ball bearing race. The problem with the 928 sleeve is that it indeed does not move relative to the car. In other words, the steering shaft rubs against it. You need to keep it clean and greased at minimum, which means occasionally removing it and cleaning the parts. Do not spray cleaner on the shaft, or you may dissolve the grease that is packed inside the ball bearing.

This is why I like the plastic strip so much. You wedge a thicker, softer material in there, eliminate the slop, and restore the action of the factory ball bearing. If you have been using the 928 sleeve, then you will have machined down the steering column shaft to the point that you will need a very thick piece of material.

The use of a metal sleeve in itself is a good idea, but as we have found the steering shaft is not perfectly circular. This is probably why Porsche designed a soft plastic bearing holder inside the ball bearing. This plastic is designed to crush slightly, and it eventually decomposes.

In the other thread I posted pics of the backside of the bearing with the plastic in place. You can see the ball bearings, as well as the 928 sleeve.