Steering Column Problem

J

joemark8

Registered
The other day the steering column in my 98 Mark came loose. By that I mean that there is excessive play in the column - like a half inch side to side and up and down. The telescoping mechanism works fine and it steers ok. Is there some kind of bolt that broke in the column. Do you think that this is a big job to fix? I have to take it to a local Ford dealer for repairs. Any help truly appreciated.
Joe
 
My car is having the same problem....

My car is having the same problem....

I just purchased a 98 Mark VIII and my steering column is loose as well. I currently have the car at a dealer and they're telling me the whole column needs to be replaced. They have told me the bearings are "shot."

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
well, on either side of the shaft there are nylon runners that house ball bearings that allow the shaft to slide in and out. It sounds like you may have applied too much weight on it getting in and out of the car. Or it is also possible that your particular car does not have the "travel limiting cables" installed - in which case your car should be repaired under warranty - per a TSB.
 
I had the same problem. Be careful, as it is a very dangerous condition when they are loose. You might end up with that column in your lap. Whiplash15 has explained what usually happens, and how it happens quite well.

I replaced my entire column with a used one purchased on ebay. It works great. I suggest you search on this subject, as there are postings with pictures that illustrate the R&R of the column, and how to repair it. There are a couple of us on the board that have done this by either replacing just the bearings/glides, or the entire column like me, and with great success.

edit: Here are some links to some threads that should be helpful:


http://mark8.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2448&highlight=steering+column

http://mark8.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2700&highlight=steering+column

http://mark8.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2715&highlight=steering+column




Good luck :)
 
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Part numbers...

Part numbers...

I would like to get ahold of the plastic rails that have the bearings in them. The dealership is telling me that the bearings are completely missing. They also don't know where to get individual parts. Does anybody happen to know the part numbers for any of the parts - or simply where to get the parts?

I read through the other posts and didn't see any part numbers. Also, does anybody know the TSB for the travel-limit cables? The dealership told me they no longer can get ahold of older TSBs.

Thanks.
 
My 98 LSC was doing that, so I took the whole thing apart and found that one of the curved sleeves that the ball bearings slide in had come loose. This normally keeps the steering column nice and tight due to the small clearances, but with that sleeve loose, it was able to wobble around everywhere. At one end of it is a sort of "set pin"--just a little pin that goes through a hole in the sleeve to keep it in place. On mine, the pin had broken.
All I did was find a small nail and hammer it into place and then cut it off at the right height with a pair of snips. I put everything back together and it was perfect.
I don't know if this will work for you guys, but I figured I would post what I did, just in case it will help. I hate giving the dealerships money.

Good luck!
 
had the same problem when I started here,. the column is actually not too difficult to get down and put back, just go slow. My thread was here but they all linked you to the right ones to get you through. You just need those ball bearings and once it is done you will be golden. Mine have been great ever since I replaced the bearings
 
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