Struggling to remove steering column

[Jakg]

(I think) my steering motor has failed so I'm sending it off for repair, but I'm struggling to remove it.

I've removed the wheel, stalks etc and all the bolts holding it up



But the knuckle is totally stuck (i've removed the bolts obvs)



I've sprayed it with plusgas and have given it some encouragement with a screwdriver and now a picklefork, but it's not going anywhere, and there's not a lot of space to access



I think I probably should've removed it before the column, but I can't seem to get the column lined up now either to get the bolts back in!

 

[enuff_zed]

Admittedly this doesn't help you much, but why are you removing the whole column?
Following advice and guides on here, I'm about to send mine off too, but I believe it is possible to unbolt the EPS motor and remove it on it's own, without the column coming out. I think you just have to lower it to give clearance to slide the motor out.
All this from someone who hasn't got that far yet.

 

[Jakg]

Admittedly this doesn't help you much, but why are you removing the whole column?
Following advice and guides on here, I'm about to send mine off too, but I believe it is possible to unbolt the EPS motor and remove it on it's own, without the column coming out. I think you just have to lower it to give clearance to slide the motor out.
All this from someone who hasn't got that far yet.

Your right, I don't need to remove the column, but I do still need to solve this problem no matter what.

Specifically, I need to push the column back far enough to get the motor to clear the dash support before I can rotate it - and the knuckle is stopping me from doing that.

I've removed stuff I maybe could've got away without removing (wheel, stalks, cowl, seat) to ensure access was good and to prevent damage (to them or me!). And after all that I think it's one cut of a dash panel and unhooking the wiring and the whole thing comes out anyway.

 

[enuff_zed]

Hmmm, had similar problems with old Capris in the past and it came down to a bigger hammer basically. But you don't have a lot of room and if you've got everything unbolted it's going to move every time you leather it. I can think of nothing really, other than block it up as tight as you can and find a decent long lever to pry the clamp open more.
Just selfishly before I start doing mine.................. do you think it would have been ok to remove the motor without doing all that, just lowering the column?

 

[Jakg]

Just selfishly before I start doing mine.................. do you think it would have been ok to remove the motor without doing all that, just lowering the column?

I don't know, I haven't got it out yet. But it's not as simple as lowering the column - you will need to remove stuff to do that. And I doubt you'll be able to actually get in there to do that without removing the wheel and seat...

I do wonder if it might actually be possible to remove the motor in-situ, the bolts are accessible as I think they are the ones to adjust the ring. But I don't know!

 

[enuff_zed]

Just selfishly before I start doing mine.................. do you think it would have been ok to remove the motor without doing all that, just lowering the column?

I don't know, I haven't got it out yet. But it's not as simple as lowering the column - you will need to remove stuff to do that. And I doubt you'll be able to actually get in there to do that without removing the wheel and seat...

I do wonder if it might actually be possible to remove the motor in-situ, the bolts are accessible as I think they are the ones to adjust the ring. But I don't know!

OK, well I wish you well with yours.
I'm making a start this weekend. Seat out first!

 

[Jakg]

Still stuck on this! I managed to get a crowbar angled just right to drift it out a bit, I can only assume it’s rusted solid.
I still can’t get the column bolted back in, either, it’s like the rod between the column and the UJ has shrunk or something.
I’ve kept spraying with plusgas, now thinking about a little heat to loosen it up.
Or a knuckle spreader tool.

 

[Conrod]

From the photo, it looks as though the tip of the shaft protrudes slightly. Have you tried inserting a screwdriver (or your ball joint splitter if there's room) and, with the tip flat on the end of the shaft, levering against the spider? If that manages to move the shaft flush with the UJ face, you can then lever it further by placing a suitably sized nut over the tip of the shaft and levering against that.

Hope this helps!

 

[Ewazix]

This might be a dumb observation, but what is the part on the bottom of the shaft? It almost looks like a woodruff key, but presume it's plastic, part of a guide. Is this obstructing removal, the strange thing is that it's not showing on RealOEM but a couple of threads on-line talk about a mystery plastic cover/clip also. Intrigued :?

 

[GuidoK]

My guess is that it's plain corrosion.
I've had mine apart, but it just slided off
Maybe a little tap and maybe I stuck a screwdriver in it to open it up slightly, I don't exactly remember as it's 5 years ago, but certainly not a struggle (that I would have remembered).
But mine is a garaged car so no corrosion at all (and it's LHD, but the coupling is the same).
And I did it from the other side, I wasn't removing the steering column, but the steering rack (prior to rodbearing inspection):


Are you sure that the coupling can move? I mean is your steering column loose?
What I mean is, the steering shaft has I think a sliding section (so that it can elongate), but that can be stuck too; that you're not trying to compress that sliding part.

And be sure to mark the position; the toothed fitting is very fine.

 

[Ewazix]

My guess is that it's plain corrosion.
I've had mine apart, but it just slided off
Maybe a little tap and maybe I stuck a screwdriver in it to open it up slightly, I don't exactly remember as it's 5 years ago, but certainly not a struggle (that I would have remembered).
But mine is a garaged car so no corrosion at all (and it's LHD, but the coupling is the same).
And I did it from the other side, I wasn't removing the steering column, but the steering rack (prior to rodbearing inspection):


Are you sure that the coupling can move? I mean is your steering column loose?
What I mean is, the steering shaft has I think a sliding section (so that it can elongate), but that can be stuck too; that you're not trying to compress that sliding part.

And be sure to mark the position; the toothed fitting is very fine.

When you removed yours did it have the black peg that I highlighted on the OP's image of his shaft coupling, just curious as to what it is now? :?

 

[enuff_zed]

Just to compound your woes, I just completed the EPS motor refit on mine.
Apart from the seat and steering wheel out, lower cowl and the foo-twell panel removed, I didn't disturb anything else at all.
About 2 hours to remove and a bit less to put back together.

I apologise as I know this does not in any way solve your predicament. I wish you all the best in fixing it.
I just thought that if anyone else was trying to do the same, they will hopefully see my post and save themselves a lot of grief.

 

[GuidoK]

When you removed yours did it have the black peg that I highlighted on the OP's image of his shaft coupling, just curious as to what it is now? :?

There was no black peg at that spot on mine IIRC, nor is it listed in the parts catalog I think?
I have no idea what's it on that photo.
That photo is really unclear.

 

[Ewazix]

When you removed yours did it have the black peg that I highlighted on the OP's image of his shaft coupling, just curious as to what it is now? :?

There was no black peg at that spot on mine IIRC, nor is it listed in the parts catalog I think?
I have no idea what's it on that photo.
That photo is really unclear.

That's what I thought, very odd