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wobbly steering wheel


bgifford751
08-31-2008, 07:58 PM
:tongue: my 1988 park avenue has a loose steering wheel wobbles left right up down..I just cant find where bolts or screws are to stop this problem,my son is now driving this car,and I am worried,that he might lose control totally..

knelson276
08-31-2008, 11:53 PM
:tongue: my 1988 park avenue has a loose steering wheel wobbles left right up down..I just cant find where bolts or screws are to stop this problem,my son is now driving this car,and I am worried,that he might lose control totally..

Very good posibility, is just the wheel wobbleing or is the whole assembely above the tilt point? While i've never had this problem on my PA, it did happen to my moms Lincon, the screws that form the hinge for the tilt steering had backed out and eventually fell out and the wheel flopped down towards her lap while driving. fortunatly the universal joint on the shaft itself had stayed intact and she was able to pull the car off the road safely. if this had happend on a curve she may not have been so lucky. since its never happend to my park avenue cant give specific instructions on taking the steering colume apart. Also keep in mind that i'm doing this from memory from the last time i did it about 4 years ago on a friends car. But generaly speaking, should be some screws behind the wheel that will let u take the front covers off, recomend disconection the battery first, especialy if you have an air bag in center of the wheel. once you get to the center nut and remove it you may need a gear/wheel puller to remove it from the splined shaft. after u get that off there will be a plate under that to remove. this plate is usually held in with a clip, and has a strong spring behind it. you may have to use something to push down on the plate and try to use a pick to get the clip out of the grove. you may need to remove the ignition lock, usually there is a specific position it has to be in to pull out in combination with an internal keeper, last car i did there was a small button under the mechinizem that i pushed in while i was turning/pulling on the key, hit the right spot and it came out easy. turn single lever for me just unscrewed, some are held in with a retainer and can use a pick to lift retainer and then just pull straight out. once all that out of the way you should find some screws that hold in the turn single switch. oh and dont forget the hazard lights switch too. you may not have to remove the switch entirely, just enough slack to get to the screws that hold the outer cover on so that u can slide it up to inspect the tilt hinge. hope this is helpful, if i left anything out sorry and maybe someone else can fill in.

Blue Bowtie
09-06-2008, 09:02 AM
It goes a little like this:

Your car will be a little easier if there is no VATS wiring and SIR coil/wiring/gas bag. If you have VATS, there are only two more wires that need to be handled. With SIR, you have an entire additional procedure to remove and reassemble the system. You really should have a service manual in hand for that procedure.

Start by centering the steering wheel, so that the wheel can be replaced in exactly the same position on the shaft easily. The steering shaft is both marked and keyed, but centering the wheel makes the job easier to "eyeball", and keeps the turn signal canceling cam out of the way in later steps.

Next, remove the hazard flasher knob on the lower right side of the steering column. There should be a small (#0) Phillips screw holding the knob in place. Find the release clip or bolts for the horn sounder pad and remove it. As the pad is removed from the wheel, unplug the horn wire from the connector on the pad. Remove the horn sounder wire and the insulator that guides the wire through the steering wheel. The insulating sleeve needs to be pushed inward slightly, twisted ¼ turn anticlockwise, and removed from the wheel. There is a light spring in the sleeve, so make sure all the parts are removed together.

Remove the safety clip from the steering shaft, then remove the nut. You might have to have an assistant help hold the wheel while you turn the nut loose. Install the bolts from your steering wheel puller into the tapped holes in the wheel, and turn the puller screw to release the wheel from the steering shaft.

Depress the notched wheel locking plate and remove the locking ring located at the center of the plate. There is a special tool for holding the wheel locking plate while the snap ring is removed, and it will be worth the $15.00 you'll pay for it. It can be done without the tool, but it is an exercise in frustration unless you are an octopus. I've done it several times using the "Armstrong" method, now I have the tool and use the "Brainstrong" method instead.

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/ColumnLockPlate.gif

When the wheel locking plate is removed, you can look at the left lower side of the turn signal switch and see a pan head Phillips or Torx screw that holds the turn signal lever in place. Remove this screw and plate, then move the lever out of the way. There are three more pan head screws that hold the turn signal/hazard lamp switch to the upper column. Remove those and lift the turn signal switch out of the way. You may need to feed some extra wire from under the column to allow the switch to clear the steering shaft and move out of the way completely.

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/TurnSignalSwitch.gif

Once the turn signal/hazard switch base is out of the way, you should see another pan head screw on the upper right side of the column. This screw holds the lock cylinder in place. Before you remove the lock cylinder, make sure you hold the plastic/metal foil contact assembly in place so you don't lose it down the column when the lock is removed. This switch assembly is what actuates the key warning buzzer/chime. If you have VATS, there should be an additional pair of wires to unplug and feed down along the column.

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/LockCylinder.gif

Remove the column tilt release lever by unscrewing it. Set it nearby since you will need to reinstall it after the upper bowl trim jacket is removed. Remove the turn signal / multifunction lever shaft by carefully pulling it out of the switch. Unplug the cruise control wire harness (if equipped). Remove the remaining upper bowl trim screws and lift the upper bowl off the column. Find the column tilt release lever and thread it back in hand tight for now.

Remove the upper steering shaft bearing nut and retainer clip. Remove the upper bearing set. Remove the actuator rod link from the rack/sector that operates with the lock cylinder. Disconnect the link from the clip in the lower column.

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/TiltColumnLock.gif

Remove the balance spring cap with a #2 or larger Phillips driver or larger square drive. This will allow the upper column fall to the lowest tilt position.

Remove the pivot pins from either side of the upper column using an 8-32 screw and nuts as a puller.

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/PinPuller.gif

Once the pins are removed, operate the column tilt release lever and remove the upper column half. Note the routing of the ignition switch linkage rod(s) when you remove the upper column half. Tilt the upper stub shaft and universal joint to allow the joint to be separated.

At this point, you should be viewing the top of the lower column half and four Torx cap screws. Remove these screws one at a time, clean the threads, and apply a light coating of LocTite 242 or an equivalent medium strength removable thread locker. Tighten the bolts by hand until all four are reinstalled. Torque these bolts to 80 in/lb.

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/94steer3.jpg

Reassemble the upper column half in reverse order. Take time to clean and grease all the moving parts so you can have another ten years of reliable operation. Every moving part, including the turn signal switch and cancelling cam, should be cleaned and lubricated with white lithium grease.

When assembly is complete, torque the steering wheel nut to 35 ft/lb. There are already enough loose nuts behind steering wheels on our roadways....

There is a possibility that some of the pan head screws are Torx instead of Phillips. I believe this was more common on 1985 and later cars, but yours may have them as well.

There is also a very remote possibility that your car has an inflatable restraint, in which case you'll need to disconnect the battery and insulate all connections before you start. You should also have a service manual to detail the proper procedure for removing and re-centering the triggering coil and pickup for the SIR. You don't want to have that done incorrectly.

(Before anyone starts to argue about having an air bag on an older car, I know that some GM vehicles had SIR systems as early as 1977. My mother had a '77 Toronado with an air bag, but back then GM called it the "Air Cushion Restraint System" - almost 15 years before the SIR was standard on many cars. GM knew that the air bags sucked eggs back then, and they know that they still suck. But no one can reason with the government when they get involved in our personal lives. Gimme a five point any day. )

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