GutlessSupreme Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Pulled the TGP's old column yesterday.. tilt and turn signal arm were shot on it. pulling it look like two seconds, but then came the fun part: trying to put in the new one. I've seriously spent at least 8 hours trying to get the fucking lower steering shaft back into the intermediate shaft coupling. It definetly SHOULD fit.. but i just can't get it in for the life of me. Not exactly easy to try and bang it in either with all nine thousand different joints/bends etc on the rest of the intermediate shaft. If I could wedge something in the gap on the coupling to open it up, I should have no problem, but I can't get anything for the life of me to stay wedged in there or actually open the gap up at all.. supporting the column and lining it up isn't the problem, just actually getting it in (column's hanging on four zip ties from each of the bolt holes right now, for the record ) help me :(I had the car at the end of the driveway and didn't notice the wheels were slightly turned when I pulled the old one, so now it's sitting diagonally in front of the garage door :? I'm definetly wasting way too much time on this single thing. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 If I could wedge something in the gap on the coupling to open it up, I should have no problem, but I can't get anything for the life of me to stay wedged in there or actually open the gap up at all.. i don't really get what you're saying here. wedge something in the gap? what gap? it only took me a couple minutes to install the '93 Lumina steering column in my Cutlass (with my brother's help). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted November 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 the gap on the side of the coupling where the pinch bolt goes through. right in there.. no better pics right now.. (just to make sure we're at least thinking about the same area) http://members.cox.net/odyssey37/images/tgp/IMG_5877b.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 hmmm if i remember right the end of the column shaft is D-shaped and just slid right in (i had to have my brother support the column and rotate it until it aligned and slid in). after it slid into place i could simply thread that 11mm pinch bolt back in and then install the 4 bolts that hold the column to the dash frame then plug 'er in. i'm going to be doing alot of work on my Cutty Wed/Thurs....i'll try to take a look then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted November 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 stupid post die ignore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp90se Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 AHH my poor car lol like malibu said, rotate the wheel since its D shapped and it should slide right in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted November 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 I went out and got some pics.. hang on.. I think you're talking about the other end of the inter. shaft (of which I can't even see when it's in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 definately need pics....i'm kinda lost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted November 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 The left side is what I'm fucking with. I assume you guys are both talking about the right? (coupling on the right side is definetly D shaped) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 no...i'm talking about the left side of the pic you posted. see where the end of the steering column slides into the U-joint part? it's D-shaped. after you slide the column into the intermediate shaft you can put that 11mm (in top right corner of pic for other's reading) bolt into place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted November 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 no...i'm talking about the left side of the pic you posted. see where the end of the steering column slides into the U-joint part? it's D-shaped. after you slide the column into the intermediate shaft you can put that 11mm (in top right corner of pic for other's reading) bolt into place. well shit then, I don't know what to do. It just won't fucking slide in for me, it needs force, and you obviously can't put much force on that u-joint before it tries to bend every which way :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 I know exactly what you're going through! I had a bitch of a time getting the column's shaft hooked up to that coupling when I swapped columns on my Regal. What worked for me was taking a stubby flat-blade screwdriver and driving it into the split of the coupler by hammering on it. The shaft slid right in after that. I did have to hold the coupling still by clamping it with a pair of channel locks, but it wasn't a big deal... Also be sure you have the bolt completely removed from the coupler ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 wow i didn't have much trouble at all with it. it slid in no problem. i was posistioning the U-joint and the end of the steering column while my brother held the column up and turned the wheel until it was in the right posistion to slide right in....i had to tell him to turn the wheel very slowly until it was perfectly in place to slide in. i did cut away some of the rubber boot for easier access, but mostly just so i could get to that 11mm pinch bolt. i can definatly see how it would be nearly impossible to do it by yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted November 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 finally got it back in.. found a narrower screwdriver that was better fit for prying in there... god damn was it a pain in the ass though. wouldn't have been much better with 2 people, either, imho. I have to replace the turn signal switch on the column though, or at least take it off and bend the contact tabs and grease them. Still have no radio functions on the wheel, either (nothing, not even a light. horn buttons work fine though. by this point I'm a freaken pro at adjusting the stop light switch too, and somehow managed to reach up passed the shaft boot and brake pedal and readjust it again. at least that's fixed now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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