Steering wheel/column removal?

eunospeed

Registered
Guys, my steering extension and tilt is broken on my 98 LSC. I have located and purchased another wheel/column from a wrecked 97 and want to just swap the entire assembly and not pull the wheel. Is this cool? Anything I need to know?

Thanks,
John
 
You will need to pull either the wheel OR the driver's seat. The wheel will hit the seat when you try to remove it.....I already tried.
 
OK, the wheels are exactly the same, color and all. As far as having to remove the seat and/or wheel I would have never guessed this would be required. I buying a working seat track soon so I guess I will just wait and do both at the same time. Also, I saw somewhere that is the wheel is turned too many times the clockspring can be damaged..... any feedback on this? Hey Sax, thanks for your "thoughts and prayers" I can use all the help I can get, I'm a fair mechanic at best!
 
Well you shouldn't turn the wheel while the rack is off. It messes up the clock spring.
I didn't need to do anything with the seats when i raplaced my gen 1 rack.
 
This isn't the rack, he's replacing the complete column and steering wheel. Once the column is dropped down and the firewall bolts are removed, you need the clearance between the steering wheel and the seat cushion to pull it out so you DON'T turn the wheel and screw up the clockspring.
 
Maybe I should pull the wheel afterall, I'm sure the junk yard techs didn't worry too much about NOT turning the clockspring when removing the column/wheel assembly. Its likley a wash either way, I plan to do the swap in the next couple of weeks.
 
I didn't take my seat out when I removed my column. I think I did tape the wheel to the column to keep it from spinning though.

I wouldn't be sure about the junk yard monkeys either.:)
 
I've never had to remove my wheel or my seat to get the column out. Between my 2 mark viii's I've probably had the column out 10 times. Just make sure the seat's back all the way.
 
remove the wheel and take the clock spring off, because you will need to re-center it. chances are the one you bought has been turned and putting it on as is will surely end in a broken clock spring. just pull the wheel off, remove the clock spring, install new column, make sure the clock spring is re-centered and install it back on, and re-install the wheel.
 
Can't you re-center it with the wheel on? Just turn it carefully from lock to lock and divide the number of turns by 2?
 
Can't you re-center it with the wheel on? Just turn it carefully from lock to lock and divide the number of turns by 2?

Sorry, but, no, it's a clock spring. It's coiled in one direction only. It breaks very easy also.
 
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Jamie can vouch for me, I've had mine out like. 6 times & replaced the cloxk spring 3
 
Tomorrow the wheel/column comes out. Dash too, gonna do the blend door fix while I've got it all apart! I'll let eveyone know how it goes ;-)

John
 
the seat doesnt have to go anywhere, but, i would take the wheel off both of them, because i gaurantee that the column you bought, has been rotated and now you'll never find center on it, and you will surely break the clock spring when you install it in the car. take your current wheel off with the front tires straight, remove the clock spring and zip tie the center ring so it doesnt turn on you, pull the column out, put the new column in, remove the wheel off that column, remove the clock spring, then cut the zip tie on your clock spring and install it back onto the new column, this whole procedure sounds like a lot, but it really isnt, and worth doing, unless you want to do the whole swap and then break the clock spring and have to pull half of it apart again!! doing things twice sucks!
 
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