I did the tilt column pin replacement and reassembling the parts. The tilt column pins and spring went in really hard but don't know if that relates to my problem. When I try to install the locking plate, the bearing race and spacer don't seem to go in far enough so the locking plate won't compress down far enough to get the locking ring on the shaft. Should the inner bearing race slide into the bearing easy and the spacer just rides on top of the inner race? Or, should the spacer go inside the inner bearing race? Anybody have this problem before and have a good solution? At this point I am dead in the water until I can figure out how to get this to compress correctly..

Thanks..

 

Are you using a lock plate compressor? If so, take it apart and you may have something under it that shouldn't be there.

 

Finally solved it.... The steering shaft would move forward when I tried to compress the spring and then the bearing race and retainer would bind on the step in the shaft... I had to put vice grips on the lower steering shaft to keep it from sliding together (I have the Astro Van lower shaft conversion so it slides really easy)... I was then able to seat the bearing race and get it compressed....