89 Astro with a loose tilt steering wheel

[KDRichardson]

I have a 1989 Astro with 527,000 miles. The tilt steering wheel is excessively loose. I have borrowed the steering wheel removal tools from Advanced and opened up the assembly under the steering wheel but am unable to access any loose bolts that might tighten the wheel. The manual is less than specific on accomplishing this procedure. Any ideas?

[Blue Bowtie]

Since you're in Missouri, I'll show-you:

Your car will be a little easier since there is probably no VATS wiring and no 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.



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 screw that hold 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.



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.



Reassemble in reverse order. If you’ve noticed that the steering column has been a little less than stable, you may want to continue reading.

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.



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.



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. It will look similar to this:



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.

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 your's 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.