I have an 1989 formula and the steering column is loose. It seems it has something to do with the tilt wheel. Does anyone know how to take the steering column apart? Are there some bolts down in the column that i can tighten up? Any special tools I will need. Thanks for any information I recieve.

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Check the tech articles.

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1989 IROC-Z 5.7L
NOS 5151 150HP kit
ProBuilt 700R4, PI Vigilante 2800 stall lockup
Baer Brakes 12" Sport System

 

I had a similiar problem with my 79 Camaro. I had to replace bushings which are in the actual joint for the tilt mechanism. It was a real pain, and it still isn't perfect. You can go to a dealership and talk to them, and they should be able to show you a blowup of the column. You might be better off just pulling the column and putting in another.

 

There are 4 bolts that attach the tilt mechanism to the column. GM didn't use a thread locking compound, so they tend to loosen up over time. You will need special tools too. A lock ring compressor, and a puller for the pivot pins in the tilt itself. The bolts have a 6-point head that looks like the end of a Torx driver. I forgot the name. Anyway, I found that a nut driver that grabs the walls of a standard bolt(like Metwrench) worked since it was narrow enough to fit in the recessed bolt holes. There should be a tech article that goes into more deatil than I did. If you don't feel comfortable with this job, any GM dealer can do it for you.

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89 Transam GTA, 350TPI, auto, 3.27 rear, dual cats, gray.
Magnaflow cat-back,
K&N open element,
Best E.T. 14.63@95mph

 

I just finished doing two of my 91's last week. In both cases the typical bolts that generally come loose were normal hex head bolts, and they weren't loose. In one car the pivot pin on the drivers side had completely backed out, the other the pin had backed out a little ways.

I wouldn't suggest ripping into the column unless you're absolutely sure of what you're doing. I started on my beater and only destroyed a few parts, when I got to the other car it was much easier. Also if your interior is nice, I'd suggest laying down a towel to lay greasy parts on, and keep several rags handy.

When you go to pick up the specialty tools you'll need, I'd suggest picking up a turn signal cancel cam. They're extremely brittle, I've broke 2 in the past, and on the second column I opened up the cam was already broken. Much better to have it before you have grease on everything and the suns going down.