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Removing Steering Wheel


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Hi All,

I'm out of ideas...

I am trying to install a new signals switch on the steering column, but I can't remove the steering wheel.

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I have a little pulley tool (in the picture below) that, as I understand is supposed to pull the wheel up using two M6 bolts. The pulley's shape is such that the bolts turned out to be quite long, so when I tried to rotate the pulley's middle bolt, the two long thin M6 bolts got all twisted. I was even afraid of breaking them with the ends stuck inside the holes.

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I thought I might try to enlarge the holes on the steering wheel and make thread for a bigger and stronger bolt, but I'm not sure if that would work.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Jaroslav

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I've always managed to get it off without any puller. Just luck? Maybe..

First, leave the center nut on and try by beating by hand on both sides from behind. Might work and the nut prevents a cracked eyebrow. :lol:

This has never worked for me, but with the nut level with the steering column end I pull on the steering wheel and give the column a couple of blows with a hammer. You're not supposed to do this according to the manual, but I didn't know the first time. :rolleyes: Been doing this several times since with no negative effect.

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Guest diesel_jim

As above, leave the nut in place (but loose obviously), i just grab the wheel at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions and wiggle it like mad whilst pulling it up :moglite: and it usually releases pretty quickly.

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As above, leave the nut in place (but loose obviously), i just grab the wheel at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions and wiggle it like mad whilst pulling it up :moglite: and it usually releases pretty quickly.

I've always done it like that, but last time I broke my steering wheel :(

So now I'm going to fabricate a puller...

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The best way is to make your own puller.

A piece of flat bar or angle iron, drill 2 6mm+ holes in it at the same spacing as the holes in the steering wheel. Wind 2 lengths of 6mm stud into the threaded holes in the wheel, as far through the wheel as you can get them. Place the bar/angle over the studs and wind on a couple of M6 nuts until they nip the bar square against the end of the steering column. Tighten each nut in turn about half a turn at a time - you'll be amazed how little pressure it will take for the wheel to start moving.

Hope this makes sense !

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Wind 2 lengths of 6mm stud into the threaded holes in the wheel... Place the bar/angle over the studs... Tighten each nut in turn ...

Well, this makes a lot of sense. Actually, this is similar to what I've decided to try after typing this post. I wanted to get to bolts of the right length and wind them instead. Using studs is obviously much more elegant. Thanks a lot!

Jaroslav

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The best way is to make your own puller.

A piece of flat bar or angle iron, drill 2 6mm+ holes in it at the same spacing as the holes in the steering wheel. Wind 2 lengths of 6mm stud into the threaded holes in the wheel, as far through the wheel as you can get them. Place the bar/angle over the studs and wind on a couple of M6 nuts until they nip the bar square against the end of the steering column. Tighten each nut in turn about half a turn at a time - you'll be amazed how little pressure it will take for the wheel to start moving.

Hope this makes sense !

Careful with any hammering as you can damage the delicate bearing in the steering shaft.

I actually used 3 holes. A bolt and nut for the middle one which took up the strain. Also my steering wheel had imperial thread, UNF i think. Close to metric but not quite right.

Mind your jaw!! Leave the large nut loose as suggested.

Cheers.

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I bought one of these steering wheel puller fits the 2 threaded holes & the centre bolt bears on the column, easy to use & a very nicely made bit of kit.

Nice. Its one of those tools that you dont need or see any worth of having.... until you need it for a specific job and makes an extremely frustrating job, as jaroslav is finding, quite easy. If you see what i mean.

Pity other Landrover/aftermarket steering wheels dont have the bolt attatchment.

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took mine off today

as has been said loosen nut feet against footwell abd push with your legs whilst wiggling side to side and it will come off

oh and iff removing your wiper switch it WILL explode sending springs and th litTle brass pin flying and costing you £10 for a new one, guess how I know :(

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I've made my own puller today. One piece of scrap iron 10mm thick with just two 6,5 mm holes in it. I didn't put a hole in the middle, because it only needs a little movement before it comes loose.

Took 2 minutes to make, works superb. I'll make a picture of it tomorrow..

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Also my steering wheel had imperial thread, UNF i think. Close to metric but not quite right. Mind your jaw!! Leave the large nut loose as suggested.

Could it be that mine is also UNF - whatever the hell does this mean. The M6 bolt I got in the hardware store is too loose. It doesn't hold and pops up when I start tightening the nuts.

:-(

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Unified National Fine

Jaroslav if you can't find what you need your best bets are Valley Hardware on Bentley or OFS (Ottawa Fastener Supply) on Robertson

I prefer Valley, it's an old fashioned over-the-counter place (be prepared for some gentle abuse about your ornery English vehicle and its ornery hardware requirements)

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Sorry, forgot about the imperial ones - I think they are 5/16 UNF if memory serves, I have a metric puller and an imperial puller, both knocked up from scrap when I suddenly found I needed to take a steering wheel off. I'm guessing the metric one was made for Pam's 90 as that has the later "soft" steering wheel on it.

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Unified National Fine

Jaroslav ... your best bets are Valley Hardware on Bentley or OFS (Ottawa Fastener Supply) on Robertson.

That's where I got the M6 bolt. The thread on it was about an 1.5" long, so I had to thread it all the way to the top to make it into a stud. I don't remember seeing anything with UNF on it.

Perhaps I can buy on the internet a set of dies and make the stud myself?

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I did it!

I just cut two openings in the plastic shroud and pulled the wheel using the regular gear puller.

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The plastic is really soft (polyethylene?) and bears no load, other than the wheel cover box. The cuts are limited in scope and won't spread (I believe and hope).

Thanks a lot for the suggestion to leave the loosened central nut in place, otherwise wheel would shoot straight in to the air.

Huraaah!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Gents

Can anybody refresh my memory.

Having problem removing the steering wheel as per other peoples posts above.

Made a puller from a piece of 20*20*4mm angle with 6.5mm holes and an 8mm jacking bolt in the centre (very much like the photos above).

However this ended up just bending the angle section so moved up a grade to a 10mm thick bit of plate with a 8mm jacking bolt again - thread stripped (put this down to poor tapping). So added a 8mm nut welded on. Same result.

Now am going to move up to a 10mm nut. But am concerned has anybody experienced anything this stuck? As far as i remember the steering wheel to shaft interface is just a splined shaft (above 30+splines). Rust could potentially hold it in place - but i had it off a couple of years ago. So am a bit bemused about what would be holding it on,

Any thoughts.

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As said before, belting the shaft is a no-no. Never stopped me from doing it, though... Anyway, try tightening the puller up, pull on the steering wheel with one hand and give the centerbolt a few whacks with the 'ammer. It might just be what's needed to break it free.

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took mine off today

oh and iff removing your wiper switch it WILL explode sending springs and th litTle brass pin flying and costing you £10 for a new one, guess how I know :(

To remove the wiper switch, take out the right hand screw, remove the washer and refit the screw, then remove the two left hand screws. You'll notice the right hand hole in the mounting plate is bigger than the other two and the head of the screw(without washer) that's now holding the switch together will pass straight through. Fit to the new indicater switch, two left hand screws first, remove right hand screw and refit with washer. Job done. ;)

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Gents

Can anybody refresh my memory.

Having problem removing the steering wheel as per other peoples posts above.

Made a puller from a piece of 20*20*4mm angle with 6.5mm holes and an 8mm jacking bolt in the centre (very much like the photos above).

However this ended up just bending the angle section so moved up a grade to a 10mm thick bit of plate with a 8mm jacking bolt again - thread stripped (put this down to poor tapping). So added a 8mm nut welded on. Same result.

Now am going to move up to a 10mm nut. But am concerned has anybody experienced anything this stuck? As far as i remember the steering wheel to shaft interface is just a splined shaft (above 30+splines). Rust could potentially hold it in place - but i had it off a couple of years ago. So am a bit bemused about what would be holding it on,

Any thoughts.

My mate tried the bolt pully thing but with little sucess. What he did was similar to Jaroslav did only that he used a bearing splitter instead. Drilling two holes in the plastic to allow bolts through and fit pully base under steering wheel.

Gave little trouble coming off!

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