Some time ago I asked how to remove my S2 plastic steering wheel, since I didn't wish to break anything by
attempting to popp / pry anything thing. Huib informed me that there are 2 small screws to be removed from the back of the horn ring; which I did today...sensa problems.
I removed the retaining bolt & the washer under it. So far so good. My super-human strength didn't move the wheel itself off the shaft. I borrowed a crab like tool with a long bolt & 2 adjustable claws - for lack of a better term I'll call it a hub-puller-tool from my neighbors shop, that should have worked when fastened & tightened.
It certainly appears to be the proper tool for the job. So far I've accomplished nothing. Semi-gentle taps with a hammer seem to have also accomplished zero.
What am I doing wrong ? I see no more items to remove. The replacement leather wheel hasn't revealed any secrets. Is the answer patience & WD 40 ? Any help will be appreciated.
steering wheel removal
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tim
Re: steering wheel removal
sometimes they are on really tight.
I used a two leg puller which was so tight a thought something was going to break and then pop off it came. Suggest you do your puller up tight and tap hard on the end of the "pushing" bolt of the puller to spring the wheel off. You should keep the nut on the steering shaft (loose) to protect the shaft thread,
Good luck.
Tim
I used a two leg puller which was so tight a thought something was going to break and then pop off it came. Suggest you do your puller up tight and tap hard on the end of the "pushing" bolt of the puller to spring the wheel off. You should keep the nut on the steering shaft (loose) to protect the shaft thread,
Good luck.
Tim
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Huib
Re: steering wheel removal
Another good reason for leaving the nut on is to prevent the steering wheel hitting you in the face when it pops off by pulling
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gamma as in goat
Re: steering wheel removal
I contorted my body like a pretzel last night trying to prevent getting killed; will tackel problem again today.
If I don't report back to the forum, I have put myself in the hospital !
If I don't report back to the forum, I have put myself in the hospital !
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gamma as in goat
Re: steering wheel removal
gamma as in goat (US Army Lingo) & jogo48 are the same person, with the same Fulvia Z
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jogo48
Re: steering wheel removal
Good News: we didn't break anything nor get injured.
Bad News: we didn't manage to move the wheel off the shaft. We didn't manage to move it at all.
Neighbor (body / paint shop) says that there must be a special tool that he has never seen that is needed.
Does this tool exist ?
Any more recommendations ?
It isn't desperate; I can drive with the plastic wheel forever, but the new 1is much nicer, smaller & grippier !
It would be a shame to not fit it.
Bad News: we didn't manage to move the wheel off the shaft. We didn't manage to move it at all.
Neighbor (body / paint shop) says that there must be a special tool that he has never seen that is needed.
Does this tool exist ?
Any more recommendations ?
It isn't desperate; I can drive with the plastic wheel forever, but the new 1is much nicer, smaller & grippier !
It would be a shame to not fit it.
-
tony kovacevic
Re: steering wheel removal
A technique I have used successfuly for many years, is to loosen the steering wheel nut (do not remove) and I then stike the steering wheel rim, smartly, on alternate sides, using my fists as hammers. I then pull the wheel on alternate sides to work it loose. I repeat as necessary. Its low tech, but effective.Obviously, some common sense must be used, to avoid damage to the wheel and to your hands.
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jogo48
Re: steering wheel removal
1st I - in my innocence - & with past experience on 100's of other steering wheel swaps - did exactly what you said (ok - i tried it without the shaft nut in place, initially, expecting it to be very easy).
1st tugging & rocking gently & then (while bending backwards like a reverse banana) under the wheel, with a good size hammer & a sturdy piece of wood, tapping on R, on L, on R etc... & then, while sitting in seat like a non-reverse banana, hammering my balled hands in syncopated rythym, pulling R & pulling L & pulling R&L together - all rather gently & achieving nothing. It was late at night & I left it.
Came home & posted a message here & on Lancia Gamma Forum & got lots of good suggestions, very quickly . Next day, went to work early to get this easy task done. Installed steering-shaft nut & repeated above procedures, with more verve. Nuffin !
Went next door. Neighbor / owner of body/paint shop laughed at me & came to my rescue. He did all you & others said to do = Nuffin.
He gave me "hub-removal-tool" & told me to smack it good with the hammer when it was bolted in place (steering shaft bolt still on) = Nuffin.
Rolled car next door - he said "come back in 2 hours; I'll lube/spray it to death & smack it myself = Nuffin.
This is actually quite funny, because Nuffin has worked.
Tomorrow I will phone Auto Theil to explain the "dilemma" I'm no doubt going to have to drive the 100km to their shop.
If they can't do it...nobody can. I trust them to do no damage.
I envision chaining the car frame to a lift, chaining the steering wheel to the back of a tractor & ......... Actually, I hope they have a smarter solution.
Mr Theil Sr is 20 yrs older than me & (appears to be) 4x stronger. He appears to be 2x as strong as Mr. Theil Jr....
Individually or together they should have a solution. They have - combined - about 60 years of experience with Fiat & Lancia...so if there is a "trick", they will know it.
I decided to not use the "universal military solutution" - """get a bigger hammer""" !
Jure, a Gamma Driver from Slovenia said "try the old heat / cold" method. Hmm, I don't have welding equipment & my friends who do would not even think about tackling this task..
Placing a bag of ice on the shaft might cause the steel shaft to shrink a bit, but what if the steering-wheel teeth also shrink !
Jeff, UK Gamma griver said "it has been "lock-tighted" in place. Thanks Jeff, very reassuring!
Now, all I have to do is come up with an excuse to go to Rudersheim am Rhein* during business hours (*Home of Auto Theil).....but, I'm getting ahead of myself. 1st I'll call them.
Thankz everybody...I'll get back to you! Soon ? I donno !
tony kovacevic wrote:
>
> A technique I have used successfuly for many years, is
> to loosen the steering wheel nut (do not remove) and I then
> stike the steering wheel rim, smartly, on alternate sides,
> using my fists as hammers. I then pull the wheel on alternate
> sides to work it loose. I repeat as necessary. Its low tech,
> but effective.Obviously, some common sense must be used, to
> avoid damage to the wheel and to your hands.
1st tugging & rocking gently & then (while bending backwards like a reverse banana) under the wheel, with a good size hammer & a sturdy piece of wood, tapping on R, on L, on R etc... & then, while sitting in seat like a non-reverse banana, hammering my balled hands in syncopated rythym, pulling R & pulling L & pulling R&L together - all rather gently & achieving nothing. It was late at night & I left it.
Came home & posted a message here & on Lancia Gamma Forum & got lots of good suggestions, very quickly . Next day, went to work early to get this easy task done. Installed steering-shaft nut & repeated above procedures, with more verve. Nuffin !
Went next door. Neighbor / owner of body/paint shop laughed at me & came to my rescue. He did all you & others said to do = Nuffin.
He gave me "hub-removal-tool" & told me to smack it good with the hammer when it was bolted in place (steering shaft bolt still on) = Nuffin.
Rolled car next door - he said "come back in 2 hours; I'll lube/spray it to death & smack it myself = Nuffin.
This is actually quite funny, because Nuffin has worked.
Tomorrow I will phone Auto Theil to explain the "dilemma" I'm no doubt going to have to drive the 100km to their shop.
If they can't do it...nobody can. I trust them to do no damage.
I envision chaining the car frame to a lift, chaining the steering wheel to the back of a tractor & ......... Actually, I hope they have a smarter solution.
Mr Theil Sr is 20 yrs older than me & (appears to be) 4x stronger. He appears to be 2x as strong as Mr. Theil Jr....
Individually or together they should have a solution. They have - combined - about 60 years of experience with Fiat & Lancia...so if there is a "trick", they will know it.
I decided to not use the "universal military solutution" - """get a bigger hammer""" !
Jure, a Gamma Driver from Slovenia said "try the old heat / cold" method. Hmm, I don't have welding equipment & my friends who do would not even think about tackling this task..
Placing a bag of ice on the shaft might cause the steel shaft to shrink a bit, but what if the steering-wheel teeth also shrink !
Jeff, UK Gamma griver said "it has been "lock-tighted" in place. Thanks Jeff, very reassuring!
Now, all I have to do is come up with an excuse to go to Rudersheim am Rhein* during business hours (*Home of Auto Theil).....but, I'm getting ahead of myself. 1st I'll call them.
Thankz everybody...I'll get back to you! Soon ? I donno !
tony kovacevic wrote:
>
> A technique I have used successfuly for many years, is
> to loosen the steering wheel nut (do not remove) and I then
> stike the steering wheel rim, smartly, on alternate sides,
> using my fists as hammers. I then pull the wheel on alternate
> sides to work it loose. I repeat as necessary. Its low tech,
> but effective.Obviously, some common sense must be used, to
> avoid damage to the wheel and to your hands.
-
jogo48
Re: steering wheel removal - final episode
see my posting of 08.12 - I hereby correct myself. Jeff is a Gamma Driver & not a Gamma Griver.
See my smiling face. Task done, mission accomplished. But 1st some funny stories of todays events.
At 0800 I went to look at my Iveco Truck, which was up on blocks at the truck-shop. I said to myself m"oh, shi-, this is gonna be XXpensive". A conversation with shop-boss & mechanics went like this:
why R the brake discs unused after 128,000 km & R being replaced because they are rusty ?
why R the new-looking / unused-looking pads falling apart after 128,000km, due to lack of use ?
why are the calipers being replaced after 168,000 km, because they don't open & close like they should, because of non-use !
Doesn't anyone in your company use the brakes ? How can we make money if we can only replace them every 4 years ?
for heaven sakes (or words to that effect), step on the brakes sometime ! Hard ! even if you don't have to !
we R replacing them because they R unused. If you had used them sometimes, they would've lasted another 128,000 km !
I said "OK" & left. I figgered that they didn't care to get their very dirty hands all over the inside of a Fulvia, so I didn't mention the real reason I visited driving a little red car.
at 0830 I called Mr Theil, who said "come any time & leave the car - maybe for some weeks & maybe for some months" (or words to that effect) until he discovered a "new-removal-solution" & found time to tackle the task. & that they would use that time to see what else needed to be done to the car, since no 1 could justify driving so far just to have a steering wheel removed. I said "OK, if I don't come up with a better solution myself, I'll bring the car.
Somewhere in the middle of the day I remembered I used to have a friend located much closer that Rudesheim, who has many lovely Alfa's & other Ital-Exotica in garages he built around his (very large) auto shops - in a "outer-perimeter" configuration. When he decids to keep a car, he built another garage.
I'd not visited him for quite some time & this would be a good excuse to !
So I phoned & explained. He said "tonight at 1900". When I arrived there was a 4 man crew waiting to tackle the task. Lotsa muscle. The biggest person limped over to that car, saying "If I'da lost 50kg 30 years ago, my knees wouldn't be shot" & "I've been workin on Fiat, Lancia, Alfa for 30 years & I never saw a Lancia like this before". He sat in the car & said "I'll be finished in 1 minute " ( I said, to myself - if he is finished in 1 minute, I will pass out)
Another one opened the hood (bonnet) & said " you need some new hoses, the carb is sucking in air someplace". Another said "neither carb is set quite right & they aren't sycronized & this brake vacuum hose is collapsing & needs to be replaced with a steel one & your are only getting 1/2 the power you should & using too much fuel " (Yes, I was impressed !!!!!!!!!!) .
Mr Big got out of the car without a word.
They we all went to work.
The "usual.proceedures" acheived - (you guessed it) - "Nuffin".
Mr Big said "well, I am outta ideas, so someone else sit in here & I'll look at what else this car needs".
An aluminum hammer appeared & I was told "always use a alu or copper hammer when smashing steering shafts, they are softer than steel & won't damage anything. I rocked on the right, some 1 else the left & the hammer half-strength smacked the shaft = Nuffin !
I said "iffin we ever get this 1 out, I hope the new wheel fits". We looked at the teeth on the new 1 & every1 said - more or less at once - "it looks like it might fit".
Mr Big said, "you need non-pitted door handles"
Mr Very-Tall went to get some "heat"; reappearing with an industrial strength hair-dryer pistol & proceeded to heat the shaft.
Mr Big said "you need a new dash-cover - such a nice car & you taped over the cracks - you are lucky because we have a new dash-cover; its been in stock for 20 years & now we get to sell it"
We were told to rock R & L; the hammer reappeared & tapped 1 or 2 times lightly. The wheel gently popped free after years of entrapment.
Lotsa smiles all around. The new (black leather) wheel fit. & - according to everyone - "looks-right".
I was told "wrap up all the small bits / the original wheel & keep em", so I will.
On Saturday the car returns to Bad Durkheim (Bad = Baths / Spa - Heim = Home - I've no idea what or whom Durks are / were , but that is where "Auto Geneiser*" is located) The German word "Geneiser" means (lets see if I can spell this word) "Connisseur". That doesn't look right. Lets try Conniseuer. Still wrong, I am sure ... but you know what French word I mean. The Hammer Mann of today is Mr Geneiser.
He told me he would lend me his Fulvia 4 door, since he will have my car for some days, so the brakes don'r rust ! (ha ha). Nice man.
He also agreed to tackle the task of installing the 4 point seat harnesses so that they are not wrapped "all over the place" in a poor attempt to make them shorter.
& to install the rear side window lower chrome trim so it doesn't fall off anymore
& re-adjust the electric back hatch lift that hasn't worked since my garage wall & my left rear bumper met
last year. The wall was the winner, but I'Ve posted that story before.
Everyone there warned me that I'd have to relearn how to drive without the truck-size steering wheel.
I wasn't sure what to expect with the new wheel, but now I know. It is a real pleasure.
I don't need to go hand over fist before, during & afta every corner.
It makes driving my steel (no alu anywhere) Fulvia Z (40km back home, highway & country road) an entirely different experience..
it now feels much more like a modern car than before.
Although I am not a Mr. Big, it also make gettin in & out much easier.
It looks like ( & is) & 'brand-new'-old- black Lancia leather steering wheel in a car with a black interior. Maybe I'd better put some leather-food on it tomorrow, since it is (or so I was told) from the early 70's & was never mounted before.
I more, no - 2 more reasons I like it:
it doesn't clash with the light blond wood on the dash like the brown plastic wheel did.
i don't feel stupid for paying (I can't remember what I paid, I think Euro 130) for a steering wheel that I can't mount in my lovely car.
Oh yes, a separate button will be mounted (somewhere) on the dash, since the horn isn't connected to the (Lancia Blue) horn button.
JoGo.
tim wrote:
>
> we all await the next episode!!!
>
> Tim
See my smiling face. Task done, mission accomplished. But 1st some funny stories of todays events.
At 0800 I went to look at my Iveco Truck, which was up on blocks at the truck-shop. I said to myself m"oh, shi-, this is gonna be XXpensive". A conversation with shop-boss & mechanics went like this:
why R the brake discs unused after 128,000 km & R being replaced because they are rusty ?
why R the new-looking / unused-looking pads falling apart after 128,000km, due to lack of use ?
why are the calipers being replaced after 168,000 km, because they don't open & close like they should, because of non-use !
Doesn't anyone in your company use the brakes ? How can we make money if we can only replace them every 4 years ?
for heaven sakes (or words to that effect), step on the brakes sometime ! Hard ! even if you don't have to !
we R replacing them because they R unused. If you had used them sometimes, they would've lasted another 128,000 km !
I said "OK" & left. I figgered that they didn't care to get their very dirty hands all over the inside of a Fulvia, so I didn't mention the real reason I visited driving a little red car.
at 0830 I called Mr Theil, who said "come any time & leave the car - maybe for some weeks & maybe for some months" (or words to that effect) until he discovered a "new-removal-solution" & found time to tackle the task. & that they would use that time to see what else needed to be done to the car, since no 1 could justify driving so far just to have a steering wheel removed. I said "OK, if I don't come up with a better solution myself, I'll bring the car.
Somewhere in the middle of the day I remembered I used to have a friend located much closer that Rudesheim, who has many lovely Alfa's & other Ital-Exotica in garages he built around his (very large) auto shops - in a "outer-perimeter" configuration. When he decids to keep a car, he built another garage.
I'd not visited him for quite some time & this would be a good excuse to !
So I phoned & explained. He said "tonight at 1900". When I arrived there was a 4 man crew waiting to tackle the task. Lotsa muscle. The biggest person limped over to that car, saying "If I'da lost 50kg 30 years ago, my knees wouldn't be shot" & "I've been workin on Fiat, Lancia, Alfa for 30 years & I never saw a Lancia like this before". He sat in the car & said "I'll be finished in 1 minute " ( I said, to myself - if he is finished in 1 minute, I will pass out)
Another one opened the hood (bonnet) & said " you need some new hoses, the carb is sucking in air someplace". Another said "neither carb is set quite right & they aren't sycronized & this brake vacuum hose is collapsing & needs to be replaced with a steel one & your are only getting 1/2 the power you should & using too much fuel " (Yes, I was impressed !!!!!!!!!!) .
Mr Big got out of the car without a word.
They we all went to work.
The "usual.proceedures" acheived - (you guessed it) - "Nuffin".
Mr Big said "well, I am outta ideas, so someone else sit in here & I'll look at what else this car needs".
An aluminum hammer appeared & I was told "always use a alu or copper hammer when smashing steering shafts, they are softer than steel & won't damage anything. I rocked on the right, some 1 else the left & the hammer half-strength smacked the shaft = Nuffin !
I said "iffin we ever get this 1 out, I hope the new wheel fits". We looked at the teeth on the new 1 & every1 said - more or less at once - "it looks like it might fit".
Mr Big said, "you need non-pitted door handles"
Mr Very-Tall went to get some "heat"; reappearing with an industrial strength hair-dryer pistol & proceeded to heat the shaft.
Mr Big said "you need a new dash-cover - such a nice car & you taped over the cracks - you are lucky because we have a new dash-cover; its been in stock for 20 years & now we get to sell it"
We were told to rock R & L; the hammer reappeared & tapped 1 or 2 times lightly. The wheel gently popped free after years of entrapment.
Lotsa smiles all around. The new (black leather) wheel fit. & - according to everyone - "looks-right".
I was told "wrap up all the small bits / the original wheel & keep em", so I will.
On Saturday the car returns to Bad Durkheim (Bad = Baths / Spa - Heim = Home - I've no idea what or whom Durks are / were , but that is where "Auto Geneiser*" is located) The German word "Geneiser" means (lets see if I can spell this word) "Connisseur". That doesn't look right. Lets try Conniseuer. Still wrong, I am sure ... but you know what French word I mean. The Hammer Mann of today is Mr Geneiser.
He told me he would lend me his Fulvia 4 door, since he will have my car for some days, so the brakes don'r rust ! (ha ha). Nice man.
He also agreed to tackle the task of installing the 4 point seat harnesses so that they are not wrapped "all over the place" in a poor attempt to make them shorter.
& to install the rear side window lower chrome trim so it doesn't fall off anymore
& re-adjust the electric back hatch lift that hasn't worked since my garage wall & my left rear bumper met
last year. The wall was the winner, but I'Ve posted that story before.
Everyone there warned me that I'd have to relearn how to drive without the truck-size steering wheel.
I wasn't sure what to expect with the new wheel, but now I know. It is a real pleasure.
I don't need to go hand over fist before, during & afta every corner.
It makes driving my steel (no alu anywhere) Fulvia Z (40km back home, highway & country road) an entirely different experience..
it now feels much more like a modern car than before.
Although I am not a Mr. Big, it also make gettin in & out much easier.
It looks like ( & is) & 'brand-new'-old- black Lancia leather steering wheel in a car with a black interior. Maybe I'd better put some leather-food on it tomorrow, since it is (or so I was told) from the early 70's & was never mounted before.
I more, no - 2 more reasons I like it:
it doesn't clash with the light blond wood on the dash like the brown plastic wheel did.
i don't feel stupid for paying (I can't remember what I paid, I think Euro 130) for a steering wheel that I can't mount in my lovely car.
Oh yes, a separate button will be mounted (somewhere) on the dash, since the horn isn't connected to the (Lancia Blue) horn button.
JoGo.
tim wrote:
>
> we all await the next episode!!!
>
> Tim