ive noticed my steering column can move up and down a bit and now it its so loose the key doesnt want to come out and when i make turns the horn is beeping by itself. The bolts under the dash are tight, so is my colum shot or is there something in the tilt that i can tighten, cause it looks like the play is comming right from where the steering column tilts. Any input is appreciated, thanks.

 

my guess would be that the 4 inverted torx bolts have came loose. can you also move the steering wheel left and right. its a pretty big job if you have never been in a column before. if you fix it yourself, remember to use locktight on the 4 bolts. best of luck, tom

 

To get the key to turn you will need to nudge the wheel up while you turn. Same thing with blinkers.

It cost me 290 to get it done at a shop. Figure about 3 hours of labor, but well worth it. They even hooked up my grant steering wheel in the trunk for free!
--Dan

 

I can only guess as to why you would want to drive your car from inside your trunk!

LOL!

 

$290!!!!!! I had the same thing done for $80 at a shop here! I would have done it myself, but I don't have the special tool required to take the tilt mechanism apart.

 

the labor rate at the gm dealership where i work is $49.00 hr. (out in the sticks of Tennessee) what is your labor rate in your area? thanks, tom

 

if it's lose at the tilt joint, it's a very common problem. Do a search and you'll find some step-by-step instructions complete with pictures.

 

could be the bearing in the column...

 

Look at these four bolts:



I've got explicit instructions if you need them.

 

vader you think you could email me those instructions?? i got a friend with a blazer that is in dire need of this work but we could never find good enough instructions, pics would be good too

thanks in advance

guffer3@mchsi.com

 

vader please send me the instructions, i want to fix this asap, thanks again.

Famioso15@aol.com

 

I think I found most of the text:


Your car will be a little easier if there is no VATS wiring and SIR coil/wiring/gas bag. If you have VATS, there are only two more wires that need to be handled. With SIR, you have an entire additional procedure to remove and reassemble the system. You really should have a service manual in hand for that procedure.

Start by centering the steering wheel, so that the wheel can be replaced in exactly the same position on the shaft easily. The steering shaft is both marked and keyed, but centering the wheel makes the job easier to "eyeball", and keeps the turn signal cancelling cam out of the way in later steps.

Next, remove the hazard flasher **** on the lower right side of the steering column. There should be a small (#0) Phillips screw holding the **** in place. Find the release clip or bolts for the horn sounder pad and remove it. As the pad is removed from the wheel, unplug the horn wire from the connector on the pad. Remove the horn sounder wire and the insulator that guides the wire through the steering wheel. The insulating sleeve needs to be pushed inward slightly, twisted ¼ turn anticlockwise, and removed from the wheel. There is a light spring in the sleeve, so make sure all the parts are removed together.

Remove the safety clip from the steering shaft, then remove the nut. You might have to have an assistant help hold the wheel while you turn the nut loose. Install the bolts from your steering wheel puller into the tapped holes in the wheel, and turn the puller screw to release the wheel from the steering shaft.



Depress the notched wheel locking plate and remove the locking ring located at the center of the plate. There is a special tool for holding the wheel locking plate while the snap ring is removed, and it will be worth the $15.00 you'll pay for it. It can be done without the tool, but it is an exercise in frustration unless you are an octopus. I've done it several times using the "Armstrong" method, now I have the tool and use the "Brainstrong" method instead.



When the wheel locking plate is removed, you can look at the left lower side of the turn signal switch and see a pan head Phillips screw that hold the turn signal lever in place. Remove this screw and plate, then move the lever out of the way. There are three more pan head screws that hold the turn signal/hazard lamp switch to the upper column. Remove those and lift the turn signal switch out of the way. You may need to feed some extra wire from under the column to allow the switch to clear the steering shaft and move out of the way completely.



Once the turn signal/hazard switch base is out of the way, you should see another pan head screw on the upper right side of the column. This screw holds the lock cylinder in place. Before you remove the lock cylinder, make sure you hold the plastic/metal foil contact assembly in place so you don't lose it down the column when the lock is removed. This switch assembly is what actuates the key warning buzzer/chime. If you have VATS, there should be an additional pair of wires to unplug and feed down along the column.



Remove the column tilt release lever by unscrewing it. Set it nearby since you will need to reinstall it after the upper bowl trim jacket is removed. Remove the turn signal / multifunction lever shaft by carefully pulling it out of the switch. Unplug the cruise control wire harness (if equipped). Remove the remaining upper bowl trim screws and lift the upper bowl off the column. Find the column tilt release lever and thread it back in hand tight for now.

Remove the upper steering shaft bearing nut and retainer clip. Remove the upper bearing set. Remove the actuator rod link from the rack/sector that operates with the lock cylinder. Disconnect the link from the clip in the lower column.



Remove the balance spring cap with a #2 or larger Phillips driver or larger square drive. This will allow the upper column fall to the lowest tilt position.

Remove the pivot pins from either side of the upper column using an 8-32 screw and nuts as a puller. Assemble the parts as shown, fully bottoming the screw by hand (to get the maximum thread bearing strength), then back it off a turn or two in case the bolt snaps later. Once the screw thread is set, run the nut down with a wrench to jack the pivot pin out of the column die casting. It the screw snaps, there should be adequate material to back it out by hand (which is why you didn't bottom it out to begin with). Usually, the pin will pull easily once it starts moving and deforms the stakes that were retaining it.



Once the pins are removed, operate the column tilt release lever and remove the upper column half. Note the routing of the ignition switch linkage rod(s) when you remove the upper column half. Tilt the upper stub shaft and universal joint to allow the joint to be separated.

At this point, you should be viewing the top of the lower column half and four Torx cap screws. Remove these screws one at a time, clean the threads, and apply a light coating of LocTite 242 or an equivalent medium strength removable thread locker. Tighten the bolts by hand until all four are reinstalled. Torque these bolts to 180 in/lb.

Reassemble the upper column half in reverse order. Take time to clean and grease all the moving parts so you can have another ten years of reliable operation. Every moving part, including the turn signal switch and cancelling cam, should be cleaned and lubricated with white lithium grease.

When assembly is complete, torque the steering wheel nut to 35 ft/lb. There are already enough loose nuts behind steering wheels on our roadways....

There is a possibility that some of the pan head screws are Torx instead of Phillips. I believe this was more common on 1985 and later cars, but yours may have them as well.

There is also a very remote possibility that your car has an inflatable restraint, in which case you'll need to disconnect the battery and insulate all connections before you start. You should also have a service manual to detail the proper procedure for removing and re-centering the triggering coil and pickup for the SIR. You don't want to have that done incorrectly. Come to think of it, a manual is a good idea, anyway.

 

This sounds alot like my problem. My column also moves up, down, left, and right. Its very frustrating.

I've no experience with this, and I"m not sure of my ability to not screw my car up. Though I guess its time to study vaders instructions until I have them memorised. *Glad I searched for "Tilt Wheel." Seems the search button actually works! ^_^

 

One thing you probably won't have to deal with is the SIR coil and wiring. That should save you some time. Two supplies you'll need are a medium strength threadlocker (like LocTite 242) and white lithium grease (like Lubriplate 107). A small torque wrench would be helpful, but if you can guess at 15 ft/lb, you should be O.K.

The lock plate depressor and wheel puller are almost a necessity. Just clean and grease everything when you reassemble. You'll appreciate it later when the column operates smoothly for a long time. This should keep you busy this weekend.

 

How much do these parts cost? Would I be better off buying them, or should I rent them. I can't see myself pulling the wheel very often.

 

go to lowes and buy a 4 ich pvc pipe clamp, it will be aluminuiam in color has a rubber gasket type thing in the clamp and one of those clamps that u tighten the screw and it gets tighter (like on the tpi intakes) its about $2 for the clamp and fixes it, just paint it black, i did it to mine its hardly noticable and saves time and money

 

I fail to see how this fixes my loose tilt column. I don't want a quick fix, I want a permanant, quality fix that doesn't cause problems later on down the line.

If your talking about using a 4" PVC pipe clamp as a lock plate depressor, or a wheel puller then I appologise. It just sounds like the 4" clamp is intended as a temp fix.

 

ive had mine on there for 2 months now, u clamp it around where the tilt part is, it hasnt gotten loose on me yet and a i barly notice it ever, saved me a lot of money that i didnt have to spend, if u got the money go pay the $200 some to get it fixed right

 

But thats just it, it hasn't FIXED the problem. Only postponed it. And I'm not going to a shop to do this. I'll do it myself. Vader, and several others have provided nice, detailed instructions on how to fix this issue on a pretty much permanant basis. You just have to set aside some patience, and time.

I firmly believe in the phrase, DIOADIR.

Do
It
Once
And
Do
It
Right.

 

its fixed in my opinion cause its tight, key says on, turn signal stays on...and i dont wanna mess with takin it apart if theres any doubt that i cant fix it, and i have alot of doubt about that

 

yeah, defently fix it while ya can though, mine was like that and i just kept puttin it off and puttin it off.. then one day it just fell apart around a turn which was kinda scary ... ended up spendin 40 bucks for a new tilt column at the junk yard

 

Arrggh! Went to quite a few different stores and NO ONE, not a single one carried a Lock Plate Depressor. Can anyone please list a few places that SHOULD carry this part. I don't want to attempt this job without the proper tools.

So far I've gone to a:
NAPA
GM Dealer
Sears Hardware.
__________________

I still have yet to go to pepboys, or Autozone, but I really want to do this job with the proper tools.

 

You don't need it. Find a buddy. One of you can push on the lock plate while the other removes the retaining ring.

By far the biggest ***** of the entire project is reinstalling that ring. That tool would make life MUCH easier. In my case, I pushed on it with a 2x4 while my father put the retaining ring back in. It took a few tries, and had I know that there was a tool available, I probably would have bought it. But... if you can't find it, it's not absolutely necessary to have.

 

Unplug the battery first.. I shorted out my GTA radio controls Now i can't get the radio to even turn on

 

I wrote a tech article on this subject... it has step by step instructions....

 

advance auto parts carries them

 

Bruce, I already printed it out. ^_^

 

Fruity,

Sorry, I didn't answer these questions earlier..

Autozone has both the lock plate remover and the steering wheel remover for loan.. I think one is $15 and the other $25. You'll get your money back when you return them..

You can muscle it out with a friend but the right tools make is really easy.. like you said, "do it once and do it right."

I'm surprised NAPA didn't have one.. =o' They usually have everything or know where you can get one....

Apparently Pep boys has the tilt steering pin puller for $9. At least that's what I was told by another person who used my tech article to fix his tilt steering..

Good luck,

-Bruce

 

If you are having difficulty locating the pivot pins, they are shown in this diagram (Item #39):

 

Well, I was only able to tighten 1 torx bolt because i couldn't get the tilt section off the column, but that one bolt was enough to really tighten things up. It should hold for a few more days so I can make some time to do this right. Once I get the parts it should be easy as pie.

Both You and Vader were right, assuming you take your time and clean/degrease/locktite the parts that need it it should only take about 2 to 3 hours.

It took us around 4 1/2 hours because we didn't have the pin puller, and we still didn't get to the other 3. I'll really have to fix it sometime this week. Honestly though, Both Vader, and Bruce provided excellent directions and with the 3 right tools this job is easy as can be. Unfortunately if you don't have the right tools you'll spend days on this project.

Since I pulled it apart twice in one day I expect that it'll only take about 1 to 2 hours if I'm lazy when I fix it permanantly next time. I'll also take pictures so that they can later be added to the article that bruce submitted to the board.

 

Does anyone else know where I can get a tilt steering pin remover? Is there an online place I can get one at?

So far, I've been to:
NAPA
CarQuest
Autozone
Pep Boys
...
...anywhere else I can go?

 

F-One and the Tilt Krew,

If you go back and read my post with the instructiojns, you'll find that all you need is an 8-32 bolt and nut. That should set you back a whole 50¢ - if the hardware store is overpriced.

I use a screw, nut, a ½" 12-point socket with ¼" drive, and a washer or two to jack the pins out without damaging anything. If your car happens to have a metric thread in the pivot pins, you'll just have to find the right bolt and nut combination. My '94 still has an 8-32, however.

 

MWahahahaha!!! I have successfully fixed my tilt column!! And even come up with a small, cheap and easy way to get the locking plate retainer clip off! I used some nice strong thread and tied it into a slip knot. Then I looped it on the ring. Using a small flathead screwdriver I pulled on the string so I could get the flat head underneath the ring. Once it was under the ring it was easy as pie.

 

If anybody wants to try this.Ive done it myself for removing/installing the lock ring.First you will need 2 sockets a 1/2 & 9/16,a large dia washer(not too thick)w/a hole big enough for the steering shaft.Put the 2 sockets side by side,but seperated by the steering shaft.Put the washer on the shaft over the 2 sockets.Then use the steering shaft nut to push the washer/sockets/lock ring plate down.This will give you room to remove the lock ring using to small flat head screwdrivers or ?..Its a little tricky,but its worked for me many times over.Installation is in reversal of removal.

 

I'll just go rent a lock plate remover for free..thats much easier. Thanks for the tip though. Perhaps I may need it in the future.

 

okay can someone please help me,ive torn apart my column as in the steps above,everything has been easyier than i thought so far. Im at the point where i have to pull out the pivot pins, ive made the tool as decribed above and everysingle time ive snapped the bolt! This really suck,over a period of 2 days ive got through 39 bolts now!!! This is terrible,is there any other way to get these out!!!??? please help!

 

How have you snapped the bolts? The pins are in there pretty tight but not enough to twist a bolt and snap it. If thats your case buy the tilt steering pin remover from a Mac man, or a snap-on man. It'll cost about $20.

The pivot pin puller works just like a steering wheel puller, and exerts pressure on the side to pull the pin out.

Is the socket big enough to clear the diameter of the pivot pin?

 

.

 

here are the tools for the job......

 

Don't forget the steering wheel puller, very important I must say.

 

hehe,well,yes it was big enough to clear the pin. And long story short,i bought a snap on pivot pin puller for $50 (canadian) and broke it! The pin was in so tight it mushroomed the collar on the tool and stripped out all of its threads!

I did finally get it out with wd40,prying at the pin with a screwdriver from the inside of the column and using the first ghetto rigged tool! It was coated in loc tight! thats why it wouldnt come out
and guess what,snap on wont even warranty the tool!
**** me off!

 

Wonder if someone was in the column before you. I found no evidence of locktite on the pivot pins. Just lots of old dirty grease.

If GM had locktited the damn 4 torx bolts then none of us would have to do this at all.

 

Bruce, I have the same problem and I already have Vader's guide but I can't seem to find yours. I need as much background info as I can find about this problem before trying to fix it.

 

You can find bruces guide here.

 

I've tightened the 4 bolts that where loose. now i'm having installing the steering wheel houseing so i can put the pins back into place. how did everyone evlse do it.

 

It's a lot easier to install the upper column housing if the spring is removed from the tilt mechanism. Installing the spring is easy once you have the upper column in place, as long as you have a large Phillips screwdriver to compres/turn the retaining cap.

 

Ouch, I wouldn't even want to TRY doing this job without removing that spring. I had enough trouble my first time around when the spring was off.

One thing I found difficult about reasembling the column was getting the hi-beam switch set correctly. It just didn't want to stay in place while I put it back together. Took me a few tries but I got it eventually.

 

I did it with the spring installed (until I realized you could take the retaining cap off) and it wasn't too bad, just had to engage the cogs for the tilt steering mechanism and using the leverage of the tilt part of the steering wheel, you can compress the spring. I agree however, that removing the cap and the spring will make the job a lot easier and you won't have to worry about getting the spring centered on the pin.

-Bruce

 

thanks guys
I got it on there, just now having a few other problems.

 

i xcan't figure out how the bearing go back together
i mean i have the bearing, the inner part, the spring and that other pice i dunno what and where they ago