Stuck steering wheel

[McBrain283]

Anyone got any tips on pulling the steering wheel off my 80"?

I've tried various ways of pulling the boss against the inner splined shaft but it's pretty well stuck.

Need the wheel off so I can remove the bulkhead

[Don 130]

I used a gear puller with lots of ancillary bits and pieces to avoid damage to the hub of the steering wheel. Mine was well and truely stuck.
Good luck with it
Don.

[B.S.F.]

Years ago I removed an 8o" firewall with the steering box and steering wheel still bolted to it. I leant (leaned ?) it against a wall, it fell over and smashed the Bakelite steering wheel centre horn push and hi-lo light switch. Lesson learnt.
.W.

[JDNSW]

About all I can suggest is to make a puller if you don't have or able to get a suitable one.

This could be made from a substantial steel yoke that pulls on the hub either between the housing and the hub (not sure there is enough space) or bevelled and padded to fit as low as possible on the hub. Two HT bolts at least 10mm to a very substantial cross bar, with the three holes, the centre one tapped to allow a 12mm bolt as the thrust element. This needs to have a suitable pad to sit on the top of the column.

Use an electric heat gun to heat the hub as hot as you can without damaging the paint, and freely apply penetrating oil.

A very narrow angle wedge could be driven into the slot to expand the spline, but be very careful,it is easy to damage the hub. (been there)

Best of luck!

[B.S.F.]

The underside of the boss of the original 80" wheels, the ones without the tapped holes for the horn contact found on SIIs, are more easily damaged by hitting them from below. Don't be tempted.
.W.

[Tins]

Only thing I can add is to leave the nut on at least a few threads for when it lets go.

[B.S.F.]

Left: SI, Right: Later.
.W.

[B.S.F.]

Only thing I can add is to leave the nut on at least a few threads for when it lets go.

Why, how ? The bolt has to be removed before the wheel can be pulled off.
.W.

[McBrain283]

About all I can suggest is to make a puller if you don't have or able to get a suitable one.

This could be made from a substantial steel yoke that pulls on the hub either between the housing and the hub (not sure there is enough space) or bevelled and padded to fit as low as possible on the hub. Two HT bolts at least 10mm to a very substantial cross bar, with the three holes, the centre one tapped to allow a 12mm bolt as the thrust element. This needs to have a suitable pad to sit on the top of the column.

Use an electric heat gun to heat the hub as hot as you can without damaging the paint, and freely apply penetrating oil.

A very narrow angle wedge could be driven into the slot to expand the spline, but be very careful,it is easy to damage the hub. (been there)

Best of luck!

Thanks for the responses.

I have tried all of the above. Used a large bearing separator to grip around the splined shaft under the yoke (flat side under yoke). Then used two spring compressors to reach up to a t-piece where the horn button would be. This T-piece pushes down on a tube that just fits down the centre hole and bears on the top of the internal shaft (I'll take a photo tonight).

Torqued the Ba$tard up and even applied a bit of heat to the yoke. Plenty of penetrating oil. Nothing.

I took the steering box apart but of course I can't withdraw the internal shaft without removing the top bearing which needs the steering wheel off.

Guess I just have to keep trying.

[B.S.F.]

About all I can suggest is to make a puller if you don't have or able to get a suitable one.

This could be made from a substantial steel yoke that pulls on the hub either between the housing and the hub (not sure there is enough space) or bevelled and padded to fit as low as possible on the hub. Two HT bolts at least 10mm to a very substantial cross bar, with the three holes, the centre one tapped to allow a 12mm bolt as the thrust element. This needs to have a suitable pad to sit on the top of the column.

Use an electric heat gun to heat the hub as hot as you can without damaging the paint, and freely apply penetrating oil.

A very narrow angle wedge could be driven into the slot to expand the spline, but be very careful,it is easy to damage the hub. (been there)

Best of luck!Th

The steering column is hollow and not really suitable for a puller. This is what we're dealing with.
The problem with using a 'narrow angle' wedge is that it will hit and damage the splines before it starts spreading.
.W.

[McBrain283]

Thanks for the pic.

So I have a tube bearing on the top of that splined tube. Other end of puller is bearing underneath the steering wheel boss.

[Tins]

Why, how ? The bolt has to be removed before the wheel can be pulled off.
.W.

Sorry. I wasn't aware the S1 column was hollow with a pinch bolt. I'm used to the type that has a solid shaft with a spline, thread and nut. Stand corrected.

[AK83]

My go too method for removing steering wheels is to loosen the nut, and before any other removal method is attempted, is to bang on the rim of the wheel with your fists like you're the hottest, maddest, meanest drummer in the hardest heaviest thrash metal band ... going hell for leather.
Do it in one area first, not around the rim. I usually smash into the top of the rim(easier).

if you need any 'motivation' ... the first minute of Guns'n'Roses You Could be Mine can help .... [biggrin]

Always works! Smaller stg wheels are a bit harder, but I suspect that the series still has it's bus like steering wheel attached.

The vibrations usually loosen years of built up tension.

[Tins]

My go too method for removing steering wheels is to loosen the nut, and before any other removal method is attempted, is to bang on the rim of the wheel with your fists like you're the hottest, maddest, meanest drummer in the hardest heaviest thrash metal band ... going hell for leather.
Do it in one area first, not around the rim. I usually smash into the top of the rim(easier).

if you need any 'motivation' ... the first minute of Guns'n'Roses You Could be Mine can help .... [biggrin]

Always works! Smaller stg wheels are a bit harder, but I suspect that the series still has it's bus like steering wheel attached.

The vibrations usually loosen years of built up tension.

This was what I was referring to with my comment. You leave the nut on so the wheel doesn't come flying off and make your eyes water. Ask me how I learned this. But this wheel is different. Series 1 have a totally different setup I wasn't aware of, although I have seen it before on an old Daimler. DB18, I believe it was,

[Woolly]

An idea that might work………make up some u-shaped steel packers to fit between the lock nut at the top of the column and the steering wheel boss, then try unscrewing the top nut. If it starts moving, don’t go too far with the nut or you might wreck the thread; back the nut off and add more packers and repeat. Hope you have success from this or some other suggestion.
Good luck,
Woolly.

[B.S.F.]

This is the Series I 48-58 Land Rover enthusiast section
The last few posts are not helpful and will only confuse things.
.W.

[Tins]

Nobody gets to choose who posts what, as long as site rules are followed.

[JDNSW]

I was forgetting early Series 1 have a hollow column. However it should still be possible to use a puller provided you make a seat for the puller that accurately fits the top of the tube. A wedge to spread the split can still be used, as long as it is the right thickness so that it spreads the split before hitting the spline. It does not have to expand it much.

[grey_ghost]

I have an 86” - so I am not sure if my comment ia correct for a 80”.. But here goes -

Yes the column is hollow - thete is a nut/bracket on the end of a rod that is fed through the inside of the hollow tube. The nut has to be removed before you can remove the wheel. It is a completely different setup to a S2/S2A/S3 wheel. I too was trying a puller but the wheel was stuck on fast and it felt like I was going to brake something. I had to remove the hard top in order to get the wheel off!!!

https://www.aulro.com/mobile-gallery/5c60877cf2e2c49c0a7c9a12bdc2704c.jpg

[5380]

Anyone got any tips on pulling the steering wheel off my 80"?

I've tried various ways of pulling the boss against the inner splined shaft but it's pretty well stuck.

Need the wheel off so I can remove the bulkhead


I pulled one off last week that had been sitting out in the weather for many years. It was very corroded and stuck on hard! After removing the pinch bolt, which must be torally removed as it locks into the groove in the column to stop the wheel from coming off if the nut comes loose. But I guess you have already done this. First, I cleaned out all the dirt and rust in the top of the bore of the wheel to expose the splines. Heat and penetrating lube. I heat it until the Inox /Lanox (Lanox seems to work well) starts to smoke and bubble a bit, then I tapped a smooth thin tapered wedge or blunt chisel up into the clamping slot parallel to the column taking care not to bruise the alloy casting. Keep heating, cooling, spraying and tapping and wriggling the wheel and all of a sudden, off she comes! As in previous suggestions, don't hit youself in the face when it finally comes off!
good luck! 5380

[Tins]

As in previous suggestions, don't hit youself in the face when it finally comes off!
good luck! 5380

In the scenario I was talking about it usually isn't the face that gets hit...

[McBrain283]

Interesting. What is Lanox? Are you talking about coating the hub with it?

I was worried about heating the cast aluminium hub too much.


I pulled one off last week that had been sitting out in the weather for many years. It was very corroded and stuck on hard! After removing the pinch bolt, which must be torally removed as it locks into the groove in the column to stop the wheel from coming off if the nut comes loose. But I guess you have already done this. First, I cleaned out all the dirt and rust in the top of the bore of the wheel to expose the splines. Heat and penetrating lube. I heat it until the Inox /Lanox (Lanox seems to work well) starts to smoke and bubble a bit, then I tapped a smooth thin tapered wedge or blunt chisel up into the clamping slot parallel to the column taking care not to bruise the alloy casting. Keep heating, cooling, spraying and tapping and wriggling the wheel and all of a sudden, off she comes! As in previous suggestions, don't hit youself in the face when it finally comes off!
good luck! 5380

[McBrain283]

This is what I've been working with. But going to get something like a harmonic balancer puller today and make something different.

[Tins]

Interesting. What is Lanox? Are you talking about coating the hub with it?

I was worried about heating the cast aluminium hub too much.

Lanox (https://www.bunnings.com.au/inox-300g-heavy-duty-aerosol-lubricant_p6100343) is one of the Inox products. Lanox contains lanolin. The Inox spray is like WD only better, and Australian I believe.

[McBrain283]

Finally got some time to spend on it this week and it came off.

For other's information: it needed a lot more force than I would have thought - I guess that's what happens when you have a cast aluminium part fitted to a steel shaft.

It didn't come off with one bang and then slide the rest of the way, there were a series of noisy movements and it needed the puller all the way.

Here is the setup I used. The base of the yoke is very thin and soft, I guess I could have made a wooden pad or something but it is relatively undamaged.

Thanks for the encouragement!

[JDNSW]

Thank you for completing the story!

[B.S.F.]

Finally got some time to spend on it this week and it came off.

For other's information: it needed a lot more force than I would have thought - I guess that's what happens when you have a cast aluminium part fitted to a steel shaft.

It didn't come off with one bang and then slide the rest of the way, there were a series of noisy movements and it needed the puller all the way.

Here is the setup I used. The base of the yoke is very thin and soft, I guess I could have made a wooden pad or something but it is relatively undamaged.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Just out of curiosity, which wheel shown in post #7 have you got ?
.W.

[McBrain283]

It was the one in photo DSC05109 R.jpg (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/series-i-land-rover-enthusiasts-section/191436d1727741000-stuck-steering-wheel-dsc05109-r.jpg)