Steering wheel won't come off
- Thread starter RJ80
- Start date
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
I also have one that won't come off. I've tried plenty of penetrating oil, heat, and a few different types of pullers. But I didn't want to cause damage so I stopped trying.
Mark, are you saying you use the impact hammer on a puller? Otherwise I'm not sure I see how it would help to remove the steering wheel. It isn't the nut that's frozen, but the wheel itself is stuck to the shaft after removing the nut.
motoTrooper
True Classic
Maybe using an air impact hammer with the pointy punch attachment to shock the taper off whilst pulling on the wheel is what Mark is talking about? At this point it couldn't hurt.
RJ80
True Classic
Hmm... I used an impact wrench for the final tightening of the three-jaw puller which has a bit of a shock effect (and also ruined the puller's threads), but maybe I can rent an air hammer from the local big box hardware store? I've also used heat, banged on the shaft with a sledge, banged all over the wheel with a rubber mallet and have used quite a bit of PB Blaster.
What a pain... I've had some reluctant wheels before, but nothing like this. Frankly, at this point I don't care too much about the wheel's well being. I'm "all in," as they say. I like the design of the stock wheel aesthetically, but the thin plastic rim doesn't agree with my hands and it's quite flexy with just two drilled-out spokes. A thicker three-spoke Momo or Abarth from my wheel stash will do just the trick, if I can ever get the old one off!
What a pain... I've had some reluctant wheels before, but nothing like this. Frankly, at this point I don't care too much about the wheel's well being. I'm "all in," as they say. I like the design of the stock wheel aesthetically, but the thin plastic rim doesn't agree with my hands and it's quite flexy with just two drilled-out spokes. A thicker three-spoke Momo or Abarth from my wheel stash will do just the trick, if I can ever get the old one off!
RJ80
True Classic
Interesting. Maybe I'll pick up a can, thank for the tip.
Really, outside of removing the whole steering column and trying to pound the wheel out with a bigger sledge and brute force, I'm at a loss for what else to do.
Currently have the last functioning 3-jaw on the wheel and am periodically spraying more PB Blaster at it hoping it'll just loosen up at some point. I was also looking at bearing separators as an option, but there's nowhere for one to grip with the black plastic cowl on the backside of the wheel.
So, so frustrating when one little thing hangs you up for such a long time.
DanielForest
True Classic
Isn't this always the case with Fiats? Or yes, I forgot, it's a Lancia!
twincam69
True Classic
I think we’ve all been there. It’s been 25 years since I had a Scorpion so I can’t remember how the wheel mounted but I’ve seen other wheels without threaded holes to use a standard wheel puller and I don’t know what the manufacturer was thinking.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
I certainly don't intend to sound contradictory, but I have tried two brands of those "freeze" type products (on other applications) and found them to be completely useless. However that's not to say they don't have a good use somewhere, I just did not find them helpful.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
The one I have that's stuck is on a X1/9. I did pull the entire column after realizing the wheel wasn't going to come off easily. That way I could clamp the shaft in a large vice and really go at it. I did not want to mushroom the end of the shaft so no huge sledge was used, but nothing else worked...the wheel is still on it.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
I'll have to give that a try. 'PBB' has been what I've used for a long time.
There is another penetrant ("Kroil") that works wonders, but it is very expensive so I don't use it (I tend to waste a lot of the stuff).
twincam69
True Classic
I’ve made my own using ATF and acetone. Works well too.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
I've tried that as well. I like the aerosol can stuff you can buy more, not because it is better but because it is easy to spray into tight places.
twincam69
True Classic
I've tried that as well. I like the aerosol can stuff you can buy more, not because it is better but because it is easy to spray into tight places.
When I mix it I put into an empty Dawn dishwashing liquid bottle. Then I can squirt it into tight areas.
RJ80
True Classic
What an ordeal this is. Today, I drilled out the metal horn contact ring rivets, deciding that I wasn't going to salvage the steering wheel at this point. With the ring off, the plastic rear section is able to detach from the wheel and slide down the column an inch or two, revealing three circular holes in the wheel fairly close to the center. This enabled me to use my steering wheel puller by running bolts through the holes into flat washers and nuts and try to pull the wheel off this way. By being closer to the center of the wheel, the goal is less deflection of the metal and more pulling force being used to separate the wheel from the shaft, rather than bend the wheel. Used a combo of the bolts supplied with my kit and some other Grade 8.8 M8 bolts, nuts and washers from the hardware store.
But, in the end I just can't seem to exert enough force on the puller to get the wheel to pop off. I've also applied copious amounts of PB Blaster again today, which is starting to turn the corrosion into gunky sludge at least. I guess I'm back to letting it sit and trying to cinch the puller down incrementally over the course of my days.
Last time I got impatient and broke out my impact wrench on the three-jaw puller when I ran out of arm strength, but mostly what that did was destroy the threaded center rod on the puller which apparently wasn't equipped to deal with the torque. Patience is a virtue, I guess... a virtue I lack sometimes.
But, in the end I just can't seem to exert enough force on the puller to get the wheel to pop off. I've also applied copious amounts of PB Blaster again today, which is starting to turn the corrosion into gunky sludge at least. I guess I'm back to letting it sit and trying to cinch the puller down incrementally over the course of my days.
Last time I got impatient and broke out my impact wrench on the three-jaw puller when I ran out of arm strength, but mostly what that did was destroy the threaded center rod on the puller which apparently wasn't equipped to deal with the torque. Patience is a virtue, I guess... a virtue I lack sometimes.
Dean Scharer
True Classic
Can you get a torch to it to apply heat?