Special steering column tools needed?

[ejrempel]

My steering column is loose at the tilt. Need to take'er down and tighten up the 3or 4 bolts holding her together. The G.M. manual says I need three special tools: a harmonic balancer puller, a plate depressor to get a snap ring out, and another gadget that I don't even know what it is. It is the third tool shown in the '86 manual in the 'steering column' section. Any thoughts or advice appreciated. BTW, the help I recieved here for my power antenna was fantastic, and the repairs have been made and the antenna works like new. Many thanks. Oh, and get this, 24 bucks Canadian. Is this site great or what?!

 

[69MyWay]

The telescopic steering will give you trouble...unless.

You need to cut a bolt down the same thread size and pitch as the one that goes in the end of the steering shaft to adjust the tension on the tele shaft.

Cut the head off the bolt, then grind a screw driver blade slot across the top of it.

You can now screw this in, and lock the tele in place while you pull the steering wheel. The other tool makes life sooooooo easy on removing the horn ring. Again, without the shaft locked by your trick cut down bolt, you can't pull the next portion of the column down.

Get it apart and you will see what I mean.

You will find either the little torx head bolts deep in the column are just loose, OR, the two tilt pins are worn out.

Sometimes you just need to tap them back in place as they tend to wiggle out a bit.

The other tool is like a dent puller, sort of. It screws into the tilt pins and allows you to use a slide hammer action to pull them out.

Again, you really need to tear it down to see what I am talking about.


Good luck!

 

[JonM]

Here are a couple sites to hel[ you...also I know here in the states AutoZone will let you use tools for this job...ask around maybe they have a program like this up north.

http://www.chevyasylum.com/column/tiltcol.html

http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/suspension/t_steering.html

 

[Bluevette85]

You can buy the pivot pin removal tool from Harbour Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=43072