Steering Column Repair: steering column, needle nose pliers, tilt column

Question
i have a 1985 grand prix with tilt steering . took apart tring to fix the sloppy steering
. tried to tighten the three bolts which weren't loose . now can't get plate down far enough to put ring back on ,and i have the tool i rented . tightened it so tight it bent the race under the spring some.

Answer
Hi Steve:

If your column is loose, you didn't go far enough to cure the problem.  There are bolts that loosen up, but there are 4 of them and they are much lower than the 3 you saw and tried to tighten. We have recently uploaded some videos on our company website to give you first hand viewing of how to remove, disassemble, and reassemble the loose tilt column you are talking about. They are broken down into step by step 2-3 minute detailed videos with instructions. Although the videos are for a Chevrolet truck, the column is very similar to yours.

http://www.stolenandrecovered.com/video/index.php

I hope these videos help you.  If not, please contact me again for more information.

Regarding your crushed 'crown'.  You can remove it, and open it up carefully with needle nose pliers so that it will fit over the shaft once again and hold the inner race in place.  The reason the plate will not compress is because the lower bearing is not seated properly.  You will need to manually pull the shaft up to seat that bearing and then carefully install the upper inner race, crown, spring, horn cam, lock plate, snap ring and puller without letting the shaft slide down again.  Then it will compress smoothly.

Lastly, if you need parts to repair this column simply email us on our "Contact Us / Order Parts" page and we will get back in touch with you personally.  We stock just about everything you would need to repair your car properly.


Good luck

Doug

http://www.stolenandrecovered.com