I'm down to this point. Looks like a pin of some sort that needs to come out. Is that right? Just pushes out? From the other side it looks like someone has beaten that thing with a hammer. I assume if this pin comes out I will be down to the tilt point. While taking it apart there was some ball bearings in a ring that fell apart. Are they available?
Thanks, Dean

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That pin does not have to come out in order to remove the bearing housing from the support.

Screw the tilt lever back into the tapped hole in the lever right under your screwdriver blade. Now pull the lever toward you. This will release the tilt shoes. Pull the housing upward until it stops. Move the housing to the right and left to disengage the rack from the pin on the ignition switch rod. Pull the housing up and off the steering shaft.

There are two bearings located in the bearing housing. They are seated back to back in the housing with one inch between them. They consist of an outer race, a plastic ball separator, and ball bearings. The bearing outer races are press fit into the housing, one toward the driver and the other one in the other side of the housing pointed in the opposite direction. The ***** ride on inner races. One race is permanently pressed onto the steering shaft yoke. The other inner race, the one closest to the driver, is a loose fit to the shaft. This one is preloaded by upper bearing inner race seat that is pushed by a 100 lb spring, and secured with that shaft lock retainer c-clip.

The column upper bearing service kit is GM part number 26001827. It contains one bearing with an inner and outer race.

However, one of the wonders of GM Service Part Operations is that you can buy GM kit #7844651 which contains two bearings along with a rack, sector, lock bolt spring, and screw for almost the same price as the single bearing service kit. Just save the extra parts or replace your thirty year old rack, sector, and spring while you have the housing apart. You should be able to purchase either kit from any GM dealer.

One other suggestion. One enthusiast found very similar bearings at a bicycle shop! I would guess that they were probably a lot cheaper than going through a dealership.

Now that you have the housing removed from the column, place it on a terry cloth surface. You now need to take a small screwdriver and pop the individual ball bearings out of the separator. You will soon understand why I recommended a terry cloth work surface. With all of the ***** removed, it is now possible to inspect the plastic separator.
If it is brittle and broken, replace it by reaching into the housing and popping the separator out of the outer race. If it is in good condition, leave it alone.

Inspect the outer race. If it is in good condition, leave it alone. Otherwise, you need to reach through the back side of the housing with a thin punch and using the notches that are in the housing bore to assist you, work the race out of the housing. Press the new
outer race into place. Caution: Do not press the race into the housing by pushing on the *****, this will cause them to damage the race and rotation of the steering shaft will feel rough. Snap the new separator into the outer race. Individually snap the ball bearings into the separator. Make sure that you lubricate the bearing with the grease that comes in the service kit.

Caution: When you purchase replacement upper bearings you should receive the *****, a plastic separator, and the outer race as a set. It has come to my attention that the bearing separator in the kit may rub on the original outer race that is pressed into the bearing housing. This will cause objectionable friction when turning the steering shaft. Snap the ball bearings into the new separator and make a trial fit to the outer race in the bearing housing. Check if the new plastic separator rubs or not. If it rubs you will need to replace the outer race with the one supplied in the kit. Follow the instructions in the previous paragraph to remove and replace the outer race.
Jim

 

Thanks Jim...I have it off now. The main knockle looks in one piece so I guess its good. Will the new bearing kit stop the side to side and up and down looseness? Any other step by step pictorial you can steer me to? I'm starting to panic about getting this back together correctly. BTW it looks NOTHING like the other GM steering columns that some refer to on youtube...as you well know.

Pics added...anything look bad?

 

You are there!!!! Using a 1/4 inch socket you need to remove each one of the four bolts in your picture. You need to take them out one at a time, add Loctite, and then tighten all four of them to 20 inch-lb. Then increase the torque on all four in 20 inch-lb increments to 88 inch-lbs max. Most likely the looseness you experienced were those four bolts loosening and the support moving around.

Jim

 

I'm in a pickle, I tore my column down 82 C3 tilt telescopic, and the bottom bearings are ....ok... but I have ordered a new set, as the plastic cage is sort of toast. They are difficult to place and not have the ***** fall out on the lower one. MY Dilemma came primarily on the top bearing. I can see the race, I have a bearing, and then there's a black nylon/plastic race-like piece and I don't remember the placement and orientation of it. I'v tried the blow-up pictures on the Jim Shea site, but for me their's not quite enough definition to the pic. Not complaining, just that it's not of alot of help to ...me.. Can someone provide ma a picture or link to a picture of thetop bearing assembly orientation please.

As far as tearing down the tilt columns to tighten the four torx bolts, it's not novice friendly, but an experienced motor-head should get through it with only a bit of cussin.

 

I searched a little more and found the name of this piece giving me the problem in knowing where it goes on the bearing. It's called Tilt Housing Bearing Race Retainer

 

Replace the Upper Bearings – Missing *****/Broken Separator -
There are two bearings located in the bearing housing, they are seated back to back with one inch between them. They consist of an outer race, a plastic ball separator, and ball bearings. The bearing outer races are press fit into the housing, one toward the driver and the other one in the other side of the housing pointed in the opposite direction. The ***** ride on inner races. One is permanently pressed onto the upper steering shaft yoke. The other inner race, the one closest to the driver, is a loose fit to the shaft. This one is preloaded by upper bearing inner race seat that is pushed by a 100 lb spring, and secured with that shaft lock retainer c-clip.

The column upper bearing service kit is GM part number 26001827. It contains one bearing with an inner and outer race.

However, if you need both bearings, I have found that it is cheaper if you purchase GM kit #7844651. The kit contains two bearings, along with a rack, sector, lock bolt spring, and screw. Just save the extra parts or replace your thirty year old rack, sector, and spring while you have the housing apart. You should be able to purchase either kit from any GM dealer.

One other suggestion. One enthusiast found very similar bearings at a bicycle shop! I would guess that they were probably a lot cheaper than going through a dealership.

Now that you have the housing removed from the column, place it on a terry cloth surface. You now need to take a small screwdriver and pop the individual ball bearings out of the separator. You will soon understand why I recommended a terry cloth work surface. With all of the ***** removed, it is now possible to inspect the plastic separator.
If it is brittle and broken, replace it by reaching into the housing and popping the separator out of the outer race. If it is in good condition, leave it alone.

Inspect the outer race. If it is in good condition, leave it alone. Otherwise, you need to reach through the back side of the housing with a thin punch and using the notches that are in the housing bore to assist you, work the race out of the housing. Press the new
outer race into place. Caution: Do not press the race into the housing by pushing on the *****, this will cause them to damage the race and rotation of the steering shaft will feel rough. Snap the new separator into the outer race. Individually snap the ball bearings into the separator. Make sure that you lubricate the bearing with the grease that comes in the service kit.

Jim

 

Thank you Jim, very much appreciated.

 

Your suggestion that there might even be a bicycle bearing intrigued me. I then got to looking up bearing suppliers in my area and came across 'Graingers'. Graingers as most people know, has about anything a 'Mad Scientist' or motor-head could ever dream of, and is a source for just about every kind of 'widget' ever made in the mechanical world. I bet they would have bearings with the id & od that would fit, and be sealed to boot. And if just loose enough for the steering shaft to slide into without a press, yet still tight enough it could be spaced with any number of kinds of pipe or tubing like PVC or some sort of tubing sufficient as a spacer and strong enough to support the spring pre-load pressure of the retainer plate and spring affair. Sort of getting around having to press the bearings to the housing, you know, not quite a interference fit, just an 'Nth' of tightness to prevent any shaft bearing slop. I'v already sent off for the bearing, the proper one, but I still would consider Graingers as a source.