Removing upper steering column without steering wheel in situ...

[Nick Bassett]

Hi all,

 

I need to remove my upper steering column without having a steering wheel in place (I lost it...long embarrassing story 😳). Reading a few past threads about trying to do this, all reference having a steering wheel in place to facilitate this. Clearly this is a bit of a problem for me!

 

So, am I right in thinking that if tonight I just remove the clamp that holds the upper & lower columns together, removal of the upper column is going to be very unlikely?

 

Why am I trying to do this? I have bought a new steering wheel, but Racetech have said they need to see my steering column in order to match a Q/R boss... aggghhh!!!

[myothercarsa2cv]

Can you not just send them a photograph? How many options can there be? Is it a standard CC QR column? Like this?

 

Should just slide out, unless it's a non-CC setup with a spigot wotsit welded on to a non-QR column, in which case you'll have the steering lock collar which will catch on the bush. Then you need a steering wheel

[Nick Bassett]

 

It is indeed a Caterham fit column/wheel as it is listed in my service book as an upgrade item.

 

I was quite surprised as I thought it would be a straightforward replacement purchase from Racetech, but they seemed to think it would have to be matched due to engineering tolerances...

 

So with the keys in the ignition and un-clamping the two steering column pieces, it should be a "straightforward" removal? Steering column aside, my concern is there is nothing else to hold to assist the removal... Is there anything else I should be un-doing etc?

 

If that doesn't work, I might just try the photo approach you suggest...

[mav]

They had 5 or 6 slightly different bosses and we tried 4 before I got one that was the proper fit when I needed a second boss for my track day wheel.

[Titanium7]

How you take out the upper column can be dependent on the age of the chassis. mine was a 2009 metric chassis and the only way out was downwards for the following reason.

 

The upper column had a welded tube added to it for the steering lock which is situated between the upper and lower bushes.

 

The lower bush had a surround of rubber but the upper bush tightly fitted into the surround sleeve and did not have the 2-3mm added rubber around it. Therefore the upper sleeve in my case is a smaller diameter than the lower one and the column would not come out in the upwards direction due to the upper sleeve being smaller than the steering lock added sleeve. (hope that makes sense)

 

To remove the column downwards is a bit of a fiddle where you have to remove the RHS radiator bobbin nuts and undo the main steering column UJ and then feed out the long column out of the front of the car and then the upper column can be pushed downwards out of the two sleeves. In my case I had to remove the steering lock welded sleeve as I had welded a rapfix top to the column and thus the upper column has to be fed from the car side downwards.

 

 

[Andy Lef]

Nick Hi

 

Intersting thread as I am just in the process of convincing myself to buy the rapfix QR setup with the option of it already welded to the top part of the column.

 

Any info you glean from the work that you do would be very useful to this luddite as I try to do it myself.

 

Almost forgot - I'm in a '92 S3 - if that makes any difference?

 

In anticipation

 

Andy

 

 

 

Edited by - Andy Lef on 8 Apr 2013 11:07:39

[Nick Bassett]

 

So, all fixed with relative ease... in the end I had the disconnect the lower steering column from the universal joint and the whole steering column just pulled through the dash with little effort.

 

Racetech were brilliant - offered my g/f and I a cuppa while they sorted out a new QR boss... approx. 16 attempts later and I now have a shiny new gold QR boss attached to my new steering wheel.

 

All now connected up and car has been MoT'd - only downside is the wheel is slightly off centre but the garage reckon that can 'track that up' for me.