That nut behind the wheel

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gull
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That nut behind the wheel

Post by gull »

I'm going to be swapping out the ignition lock cylinder, so I need to pull the steering wheel. Does anyone know offhand what size socket I'll need for the steering wheel nut? Also, will I need a puller or do they usually come off without one?
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Briano1234
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by Briano1234 »

gull wrote:I'm going to be swapping out the ignition lock cylinder, so I need to pull the steering wheel. Does anyone know offhand what size socket I'll need for the steering wheel nut? Also, will I need a puller or do they usually come off without one?
I don't remember the nut size but it is probably a 21-27mm, but loosen it but do not remove, then a couple of good yanks and the wheel will be backed off to the nut. Leaving the nut on prevents you from being smited in the face by said wheel.

If it is a Air bag or not, disconnect the battery for up to 20 minutes prior.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by CalAltaDubber »

OK I'll speak for NON air bag versions.

The nut is 22 mm and is torqued on good and tight.

You will need a Johnson Bar to ge some good leverage to break the torque.

I like the idea of disconnecting the battery.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by ibennett »

I must like living dangerously! My first new car was a 1988 Fox station wagon and after going to a VW show in Virginia I found an Audi stearing wheel I liked much better than the stock version that came with my car. Never thought of disconnecting the battery.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by Briano1234 »

ibennett wrote:I must like living dangerously! My first new car was a 1988 Fox station wagon and after going to a VW show in Virginia I found an Audi stearing wheel I liked much better than the stock version that came with my car. Never thought of disconnecting the battery.

Naw the first time I removed a steering wheel, I took off the horn button, removed the nut, and after 3 big jerks on the steering wheel, I guess it came off, as 20 minutes later I woke up with the steering wheel in my lap, and a big bump on the head....Leave the nut on loose.... Don't say I didn't warn ya.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by kamzcab86 »

Weird... all it took to get mine off was a couple smacks on the wrench with my rubber mallet; I took the nut all the way off and the wheel just slid off, for the most part. :screwy: Guess she decided to behave that day... :mrgreen:
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by gull »

Briano1234 wrote:Naw the first time I removed a steering wheel, I took off the horn button, removed the nut, and after 3 big jerks on the steering wheel, I guess it came off, as 20 minutes later I woke up with the steering wheel in my lap, and a big bump on the head....Leave the nut on loose.... Don't say I didn't warn ya.
Hah! Sounds like good advice. This is the kind of stuff they never tell you in the Haynes manual. ;)
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by gull »

CalAltaDubber wrote:OK I'll speak for NON air bag versions.

The nut is 22 mm and is torqued on good and tight.

You will need a Johnson Bar to ge some good leverage to break the torque.
Thanks, that's exactly the info I needed. Mine's not airbag equipped.

Figures, though, 22mm is a size my collection of 1/2-inch-drive sockets skips...I have a 21mm and a 23mm. Guess I'll have to make a trip to Sears. Do I need a deep well socket or will a standard one fit?
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by Briano1234 »

Standard should do.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by gull »

Finally got around to doing it this weekend. (Last weekend I took a road trip down the Oregon coast, and I have a rule about not doing non-essential maintenance less than a week before a trip.)

Lessons learned:
- My steering wheel nut was 24mm. Go fig. Maybe there was a changeover at some point.
- The horn ring on the back of the steering wheel is greasy. Unless you feel like cleaning a big grease ring off your passenger seat, do *not* set the steering wheel down on the seat.
- My car had four wiring harness connections on the combo switch. One plug on the bottom right, one plug on the bottom left, one plug behind the turn signal stalk, and a thin hardwired harness for the cruise control. The cruise control harness had enough slack to get the switch out of the way without disconnecting it.
- Pay close attention to the diagram in the Haynes manual. Measurement "A" for drilling is measured from the edge of the casting, not the cast-in line. I drilled my first hole in the wrong spot, drilled into the body of the old lock cylinder, and had a couple tense moments when I thought I'd locked it into its bore.

Everything's back together and working now. The only problem I'm having is, if I'm not careful, about one time out of five that I remove the key it hangs up slightly on its way out and the whole lock cylinder comes with it. It seems to lock in place fine when there's no key in it -- it's only when the correct key is most of the way in that it wants to come out.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by Briano1234 »

Where you drilled the hole correctly you could insert a rolled pin partially to hold it..then leave enough out so that you can remove it without much difficulty.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by gull »

Hmm. I'm not quite visualizing how that would work. The correct hole is drilled right over the retainer spring...anything I insert in there would hold the spring down, making things worse.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by gull »

Now that I think about it some more, and I've looked at the old cylinder a bit, I think I see what you're suggesting. It looks like I could remove the retainer spring, then insert a screw or roll pin into the hole I drilled in the housing. That should engage the retainer spring slot and lock the cylinder in place.
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by gull »

Just to follow up, I ended up taking your suggestion. I removed the retainer spring from the lock cylinder, then used a steel screw through the release hole to lock it in place. Doesn't come out with the key, now. :)
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Re: That nut behind the wheel

Post by Briano1234 »

gull wrote:Just to follow up, I ended up taking your suggestion. I removed the retainer spring from the lock cylinder, then used a steel screw through the release hole to lock it in place. Doesn't come out with the key, now. :)

Cool glad to be of service......................
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You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
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