hwyengr

In the spirit of having too many projects going at once, I tore down the interior to remove the dash while there was also a front suspension refresh planned.

If the steering wheel is already removed, is there any issue with needing to precisely line-up the U-Joint from the shaft into the steering rack, or can it kinda just be close, and just make sure the wheel is centered when it gets time to rebuild the dashboard? I do have the rack centering bolt.

Or should I do interior first so that the wheel can be used as a a point of reference for the rack install?

Mrmerlin

there is only one way the shafts will line up with the rag joint ,
once thats done put the centering bolt into the rack then put the steering wheel on

hwyengr

Awesome. With my luck, I’d have taken it apart without asking and it would have been, “Now you need a new steering column.”

Lawrencejuliano

Sorry to revive an old one here, but did you have any issues with the steering shaft falling into the column with the wheel removed? I pulled my rack last week for a replacement, and stupidly removed the steering wheel after the fact (needed to get the horn ring off because it was cracked). When I tried to put my steering wheel back on the shaft had moved into the column and I can't even get the wheel to engage the spline. I'm hoping that once I put the rack back in it pushes it back up...

Kiln_Red

Nothing to fret. If you need peace of mind, just go underneath to be sure the shaft is still moving freely. You'll want to wait until the rack is reinstalled to replace the steering wheel of course.

Lawrencejuliano

Thank you - it freaked me out a bit because I can't push the shaft back up. Hopefully just the rack being back in place will sort it out.

Kiln_Red

Hmmm.. Will it turn by hand?

Lawrencejuliano

Yeah, the steering shaft turns freely but won't push back up toward the driver seat far enough to provide threads for the wheel (if that makes sense).

Kiln_Red

Makes sense. The column is still secured, right? What doesn't make sense to me is why the shaft isn't moving in the fore & aft directions.

Lawrencejuliano

Yeah, the column is still in place. It moves fore and aft ever so slightly, maybe a quarter inch but nowhere near enough to push the splines back as they were. I know that there's a spring in the upper shaft behind the column, maybe the force of that is stopping it. We'll see what happens when I try and get the rack in place.

Mrmerlin

Based on your report the E clip that secured the inner collar to the upper shaft bearing is missing.
This means when you remove the steering wheel the shaft will drop down.

OR the upper bearing has failed and is letting the shaft fall through the remains of the upper bearing ,
with the preload collar and the E clip still installed.

NOTE the shaft is preloaded with the E clip and thrust collar installed. ,
the only way to install the collar and the E clip is to install the shaft nut,
then use vice grips on the nut to pull the shaft upwards against the spring,
while your helper presses down the collar and installs the E clip.

NOTE posting pictures of the top of the steering column shaft and housing will greatly assist in a proper diagnosis

Lawrencejuliano

thank you - here you can see how the shaft has fallen in. I’ve just grabbed it and it does move left and right (though very slightly). Do I need a new shaft bearing?

Mrmerlin

its hard to tell with the nut in the way,
BUT the shaft appears to be sitting lower than it should with the collar and the E clip installed.

have a look at PET to see what the assembly is supposed to look like.

Lawrencejuliano

Yeah, the shaft has slipped quite a bit into the column. From what I can gather this is also potentially the spring at the bottom. I do have lateral play so it's probably time to just replace the bearing. Thanks for your insight!

Mrmerlin

NOTE when replacing the old bearing the metal used in it is thin and very brittle so it is possible to chip it out,
Stuff a small sock or rag around the bottom of the bearing to prevent the pieces from falling to the bottom.
The old ***** will have probably already have fallen down to the bottom of the housing and they will stay their.

NOTE use some grit paper to refinish the bearing seat so no burrs or edges can be felt ,
as these can chip and fracture the new bearing.
Pay attention to where the outer flat edge is clocked on your new bearing.