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So I recently installed the Steeroids rack steering and the u joints bind a lot. I've since discovered that my steering shaft is very loose and I think that's contributing to the binding. I believe it's loose because the bearing on the steering shaft is not connected to the bracket attached to the firewall. It looks like the shaft should be pulled back to allow the clip to go around the groove in the bearing on the shaft but I can't for the life of me get the column to move back any more. I removed the two bolts that support the entire column and the two nuts that thread onto the studs that pass through the firewall but the bracket always moved with the bearing on the shaft. I can push or pull on the shaft and there's not enough movement to get the clip on. Can someone explain what I need to loosen or how I can move the shaft relative to the bracket?
My car is a 1976 but the steering column is tilt/telescoping and has a hole for a hazard button so I'm guessing it's not stock and I have no idea where it came from.
shaft bearing and bracket clip that should go in bracket and in the bearing groove
While you are at it...check the bearing to make sure it isn't worn out.
Clean off the crud to get a better idea of what may be the problem.
I'm not sure, but the bearing could be a slip-fit on the steering shaft and also inside the column tube.
You may have to pry the bearing out of the tube to see why it won't slide further into the tube.
I think the bearing slides in against a shoulder, but I may be wrong.
Post pics as you work on the bearing so other members can give you better advice.
There should be a piece of molded plastic as a base for the bearing to sit in , it's usually white , but can be black ! It's shaped to fit in the contoured edges of the outer "tube" . That goes in the tube, with the bearing in it , the steel cap goes on top and that goes over far enough to line-up the small slots in both steel pieces so the wire clip engages ( in 3 positions ) evenly around the tube.
Bearing should be snug fit and slide up/down shaft ok
The hazard button just screws in , so they can fall off , the bad picture shows enough detail to say it's a corvette column.
The inner part of the bearing is seized to the steering shaft. Use of blaster several times and see if you can break it loose. The column is correct with the round hole for the hazard tulip.
Thanks to all for the guidance. I ended up pulling the steering column assy out of the car and got the bearing off the shaft. I'll be ordering a new one directly that looks to come with the plastic piece, cap and ring too.
Thanks to all for the guidance. I ended up pulling the steering column assy out of the car and got the bearing off the shaft. I'll be ordering a new one directly that looks to come with the plastic piece, cap and ring too.
Thanks for the update. Please post pics of your work so far, and of the reassembly when you get the new parts. It will definately help someone else in the near future.
I wire brushed the shaft and hit it with PB blaster. The bearing eventually wiggled off. I was afraid those dents in the shaft would cause problems but it was okay. The bearing rolled a little rough and looks to be missing a ball or two. The kit I ordered replaces the bearing, the black plastic part, the metal retainer piece and the ring clip that holds everything together.
Just to close the loop on this...I installed the new bearing and associated parts and it eliminated the binding in my steeroids steering.
If you're replacing this bearing, I recommend snapping the plastic retainer and the bearing together on the shaft before pushing into position. It takes a bit of force to get the bearing into the retainer.
Steering column loose
