Currently have my steering wheel off and tightened the 4 infamous bolts that come loose. trying to put it all back together and having problems.....

to the point of putting the lock assembly back in and i can't get it back in properly...i did have issues with the switch actuator rack and the spring....they came out ...not sure i have them back in correctly

would appreciate some urgent help ...PM me or give me a phone number and I'll gladly pay for the call.....

 

thanks for all the replies......

finally got it working.....


8 and 1/2 hours for that stupid loose steering wheel fix.....just to tighten 4 stinkin' bolts.....

 

IVE BEEN THERE BEFORE. I DROVE FROM NJ TO FLORIDA, WHEN I HIT GEORGIA MY WHEEL STARTED TO GET REAL LOOSE. BY FL. WHEEL WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF. I WENT TO A BUNCH OF GM DEALERS IN THE AREA, WHERE I WAS ENLIGHTENED ABOUT THE 4 BOLTS. I GOT TO AN ADVANCED AUTO PARTS AND SPENT 10 HOURS IN THE PARKING LOT FIXING IT WITH TOOLS I BROUGHT AND RENTED FROM THEM. I FINISHED THE WORK AT 4;00 AM. WHAT A SON OF A BITCH OF A JOB. HOPE YOU REINSTALLED WITH THREADLOCKER. GM PEOPLE TOLD TO USE IT. CONGRATS ON A PAIN IN THE *** JOB.....

 

Absolutely with the loctite


pulled one screw at a time and loctited it and put it back....2 of them were already all the way out...

Thanks for the condolences....

 

what 4 bolts are you guys talking about and why are they so hard to fix?

 

I would also like to know what so bad about the fix too, mine shakes like a mother when i hit a pothole or any bump.

 

THE BOLTS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ARE THE ONES IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL ON. THEY FASTEN THE WHEEL TO THE TILT STEERING KNUCKLE. THEY ARE NOTORIOUS FOR COMING LOOSE. THEY WILL BACK THEMSELVES ALL THE WAY OUT IF LET GO LONG ENOUGH. ALL THE GUYS AT THE GM DEALERSHIPS KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM. . THE JOB SUCKS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PULL OFF THE WHEEL (USEING WHEEL PULLER helps) AND THEY YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR WAY THROUGH THE COLUMN REMOVEING THINGS LIKE THE IGNITION KEY CYLINDER, BLINKER CANCELLING SWITCH, SPRINGS, SOME PLASTIC STUFF, ECT UNTIL YOU CAN EVEN GET TO THE BOLTS WHICH BY THE WAY YOU CAN SEE BUT NOT TOUCH WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS BECAUSE THERE IS A BUNCH OF METAL CASEING IN THE WAY. YOUR REDUCED TO USEING NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS AND USEING QUARTER TURNS. IF YOU ARE ON THE ROAD WHEN THIS OCCURS YOUR IN HELL, IF YOUR IN A SHOP WITH THE RIGHT EQUIP AND HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE THAN MAYBE YOU WILL ONLY SPENT 5 HOURS DOING IT AND MAKE SURE TO USE THREADLOCK.

 

I went by a NAPA parts store in my town. I 'bought' a wheel puller kit that also has a 'lock plate depresser' tool in it. I also bought a 'pivot pin remover' which you will need. Also buy an E8 Torx socket.

There is an article on this board in the tech section that I used PLUS my Chilton manual plus whatever else I could find on these message boards...do a search for 'loose steering wheel' and you will get tons of hits. Read all of the threads that say loose steering wheel, steering wheel loose, etc. and you'll get the idea.

My problem came about in not being careful when i pulled pieces apart to be sure I knew HOW they went back together. There is a spring on the left side under a metal piece with gear teeth on it. Took me an hour to realize it had to go back in, where and how...Also had REAl issues with the back side of the turn signal cover and the little sliding bracket that pushes down on the metal lever that switches your high beams. I'd get it all together and that bracket would slip off, or the lock pin and lock assembly wouldn't go together correctly. Then realized I hadn't put another spring in so had to pull the pivot pins again, then had earlier problems again, just one thing after another. The real operation was easy ...just trying to get it all back together and working right....real PITA


When you get down to where you can see the reverse torx screw heads,tighten them down just snug...then pull them one at a time and put loctite 242 (medium strength) on it and replace it TIGHT then pull another. I found 2 of mine were already so loose that they came off in my hand by just pulling. Could be an extremely dangerous situation if they all came out.

When my older son came home, he got out and helped me. A fresh mind and set of hands...I was so damn frustrated by that time I was ready to burn the car....together HE managed to figure out a 'different' way to attack it than what i was trying to do and it worked....

Tools you WILL need:

Steering wheel puller
Lock plate depresser tool
Snap ring pliers
pivot pin puller
E8 torx socket AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, my local NAPA dealer had ALL of these.......

You will also need a T20 and a T27 TORX plus assorted screwdrivers and pliers. Oh also might need a 13MM socket to pull the bracket loose on the bottom of the steering column so you can get some slack in the turn signal mechanism cable

 

SOUNDS RIGHT TO ME. GOOD DETAILS. LISTEN AND PROSPER FROM THE MAN... MY TIME IN HELL OCCURRED THREE YEARS AGO. I WISH IT ON NO OTHER.....

 

Holy s***. Yall are scaring the crap outta me. I just bought a 91 z28 and the steering wheel is loose. I had no idea i was in for this. Well thanks for the list of tools.