Steering Wheel Removal

I wanted to replace the goofy steering wheel the PO had put on, so today I decided to get it taken care of. I had a donor steering wheel that I needed to remove from an old column, remove the goofy one from the Jeep, then replace the donor wheel onto the Jeep.

I chose to try the method I had read about using a bearing seperator and a wheel puller. While this method worked, it did cause some damage to the wheel.

Here is a pic of the setup from the front, getting ready to pull:


Here is the view fron the underside:


In this photo you can see the damage left behind from the bearing seperator:


Other damage included a hairline crack on the main body (where my finger is pointing:


A pic of the steering wheel removed and awaiting the replacement:


The replacement wheel installed:


Conclusion: This method works, but it does cause damage to the wheel. I chose this wheel because it only had a split on one of the spokes. By the time it was removed, the stress had caused cracks in all three spokes. Damage to the bottom of the wheel as seen in the photo above. Also, because I was trying to protect the horn button with a socket, the threads on the donor column were damaged, so a better protection method is needed.

Jim

 

Very informative post. Nice job!

 

Jim, I put the FLAT side of the bearing separator against the wheel, not the dished area of the separator. I didn't have any damage to my wheel, but it's old and funky and getting replaced anyway. It also may not have had enough rust on the splines to offer much resistance, I don't know. Worked good for me anyway.

What do you think about putting a little Anti-Sieze on the splines for reassembly? I'm going to wire-brush the area real good with a Dremel first.

 

You can leave the nut attached to the top of the column shaft. This will leave about a holf inch or so of pulling room. The not will protect the threads & give your socket a wider & hopefully more stable base.

 

Doh! I should have known that.

Jim

 

How funky is it? If you're going to throw it away, throw it my way. I still can't find my original wheel and will probably have to restore one for Shaggy.

tommy b

 

It's not that bad. It's just that there's new ones available from Walck's, so I don't want to bother with restoring the old wheel. I think Eastwood sells some kinda goop to rebuild the cracked out areas. You're welcome to it!

Don't think I have any photos of it, and it's currently buried pretty deep. How soon do you need it?

 

Restoring it will be a good winter project, once I get my lights wired up in the garage, so there's no hurry. No need to spend time right now digging it out. Any time in the next couple of months will be fine. Being retired, I seem to have more time than money, so that's why I'd rather spend the time restoring an original than paying for an aftermarket one. Thanks, Ron.

tommy b

 

That would make a great tech article, with pictures, of course.

 

You got it.

tommy b

 

Just my .02c, you could slip some slit water hose or tygon tubing on the bearing seperator to prevent damage to the parts. I've even used a buildup of masking tape as well.