Having a very hard time replacing the EVO sensor - need suggestions!

[pnut333]

I have disconnected the lower steering shaft, and pushed it toward the steering box as far as it will go, but it will not clear the column.

I've pounded, jiggled, cojoled, and it won't budge any farther. I even pulled the shaft boot back in the engine bay to look for something holding it up and can't see anything obvious.

Looking for help. I've been at it over 2 hours now, no luck yet. It took me 30 minutes just to get the connector accessible.

Any ideas? This was supposed to be easy, but so far it's one of the hardest jobs I've even done (and I've restored 2 vehicles).

[pnut333]

Follow up to my original post:

The rubber boot from the intermediate shaft to the firewall is rather stiff, and it was stuck to the firewall VERY firmly. I used a long scredriver on the cast collar, i was able to free it, and then it moved easily a few inches out of the way.

2 other notes:
I did not pay attention to the orientation when I took it off. So for those doing it, the wires fact toward the steering wheel, and come out of a slot near the TOP of the column.

Also, the wire connector was originally routed above the column. Unless you drop the column, you have to route the connector below the column. There was enough slack in my case, but I had to pull the wire on the column side free of a rubber band bundling it with other wires.

phew.

I gotta say, the posts I read that said this was a quick 15 minute job were wrong in my case. Access is very limited under there. I could do it again in 15 minutes, but the first time took quite long.