1985 PA Steering Column

[jase386]

What would make a 1985 Park Ave need a steering column replaced?

im looking at one for sale with 179k miles on it, the body is good, has one faded spot on a rear fender. But it has an oldsmobile steering wheel from a previous steering column replacement. Is this a sign of more things to come if i buy this thing?


im only buying it to put miles on. and dont want anything im going to have to work on.

[parkavenuechrome]

The car was probably Stolen at one point and the drilled or damaged the ignition switch damaging the steering colomn. Definetly a stolen issue, or just could have been a problem internally. Bets on being stolen.

[pirho451]

That or it could have had a problem with the turn signal switch, ignition lock, or tilt mechanism... The junkyards around here won't let you buy parts out of a steering column, just the whole thing. And quite honestly, you can remove an entire steering column in under 15 minutes. Sure beats the heck out of disassembling your old column just to replace a #*&@ switch. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience.

[parkavenuechrome]

Originally Posted by pirho451

That or it could have had a problem with the turn signal switch, ignition lock, or tilt mechanism... The junkyards around here won't let you buy parts out of a steering column, just the whole thing. And quite honestly, you can remove an entire steering column in under 15 minutes. Sure beats the heck out of disassembling your old column just to replace a #*&@ switch. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience.

Oh i agree, it is easier. spray paint it and make it a decent color if it looks awful..

[jase386]

i hope to drive this thing this weekend, but the guy left the oldsmobile steering wheel on the column. im hoping he still has the buick wheel that i can put back on, is that tough to do?


also, everything ive read about these cars, and my past and current experience with buicks 3800 v6, i have all the confidence in the world that its a good car. These early ones, like dodge caravans had some transmission issues around 100k and once replaced, no more problems...normally. any thoughts?

[pirho451]

Well even if he doesn't have the original wheel, it's not that hard to replace it with one from a junkyard. I'm sure they are fairly easy to find still.

All you have to do is remove the horn pad from the front of the wheel (there are 2 or 3 screws holding it on) then take the nut off the column. Once you do that, use a steering wheel puller to remove it from the column. You can rent a puller from AutoZone for a $15 deposit, and you get your money back when you return it.