So I removed the steering wheel off my D100, and the steering shaft moves up and down. The steering was a little harder than normal to turn and also had a clunk when turning hard to the right or left. Is there some kind of bearing toward the top of the column? Anybody have thoughts on this?
Steering Shaft Movement
- Thread starter TF360
- Start date
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Yup. It's a small ball bearing. Sounds like it's worn out. The factory service manual shows a nice exploded diagram of the steering column.
If it's like an A body.....and I'm pretty sure it is.....it has a rubber insulator that fits around the bearing. That rubber insulator probably has a staple in it. That staple, believe it or not is what grounds the steering shaft to the column. You can find them new. Most times the staple is included, but sometimes not. Unless they changed how the shaft grounds, it'll be like that. Once you get the wheel off and the turn signal switch out, there is a snap ring on the shaft. Remove that and the three? screws that hold the upper housing on and the housing "should" slide off with the bearing.....most times the bearing is stuck on the shaft. If that's the case, you'll need to disconnect the shaft from the gear box. I think trucks use a rag joint like GM? At any rate, move the shaft out of the way of the gear box and go in and screw the steering wheel nut down till it's flush with the end of the threads on the shaft. Now take a brass hammer.....even a good heavy rubber hammer will probably work and smack the shaft a time or three on the end and it will pop the bearing right off. Then you can take the bearing out. That's how A bodies are and I don't think the design changed much.
No. And it's not a difficult job. A little time consuming and tedious. Just go slow with it. Do what I told you to do dammit. lol Get you a factory service manual and you'll see a nice exploded diagram. There might be one available over on mymopar.com for a free download. I don't know how much truck stuff they have but it's worth a look.
cudamark
Well-Known Member
Assuming it's not a tilt column, not a BIG deal, but, you'll probably need a puller for the steering wheel, and a good pair of snap ring pliers for the circlip holding the bearing in place. The rest should be simple hand tools. A tilt column adds a bunch more possible problem areas that can cause slop in the column.
If you get hung up on something, take plenty of well lit pictures, post um up and we'll do our best to walk you through it.
What do you guys think about this bearing? My old one was bad and I removed it and put this new one in, but I I don't see the groove for the little C-clip. Would it be ok to tale a PVC pipe and knock it in a little? Anybody done it?
mopowers
Well-Known Member
If you don't see the groove it may mean the shaft is slightly collapsed or has slid down, so you may have to pull the shaft out a little. Nothing wrong with gently tapping the bearing, but you shouldn't have to hammer it.
mopowers
Well-Known Member
Looks like it to me - or very close to it at least. How much further down is the groove for the snap ring?
mopowers
Well-Known Member
You can pull the bearing to give you an idea of where it's at.
cudamark
Well-Known Member
It looks real close. Get a helper to pull up on the shaft while you tap the inner race of the bearing farther down the shaft. A small diameter punch helps with that. Put the nut back on to help pull on the shaft if needed.
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