I’m trying to change my steering wheel and cannot budge the chrome cap to access the nut. It has a nylon washer between the cap and the wheel. It is shaped like a nut but has slightly curved faces on the nut. 2008 adventure. Any ideas out there?
Steering wheel cap removal
- Thread starter Zephyr
- Start date
Capt Bill
GreatGrady Captain
I'd like to know, too. My wheel has slight end play; e.g. if I pull up on the wheel, it moves about a thirty-second of an inch. It's not the shaft moving, it is the wheel moving on the shaft.
Maybe that cap just pulls off?
Maybe that cap just pulls off?
wrxhoon
Well-Known Member
Take a look at the current Grady online brochure for the 208 and see if the wheel shown is the same. If so, call Grady and ask who makes the wheel. Go from there.
Om my 330, that nut screws off. I used a rag to accommodate the rounded edges and a large crescent wrench.
Turns out the cap is actually the bolt that holds the wheel on. Finally got it off and now I’m having to find a puller to get the wheel off. Tried hitting the shaft with a hammer but this thing is tight.
Try firmly bouncing opposite sides of the wheel with your hand - you might get lucky and crack it free. Maybe.
Be careful hitting the shaft with a hammer. You can damage the steering box. A puller is your best bet and even with the puller the wheel may be tough to free up.
wrxhoon
Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention that if a 'tapping' with a hammer is needed, screw a nut just about flush with the threaded shaft. If you tap the shaft itself, you may damage the threads.
When you use a puller, you may need to tap the center bolt after tightening it. When I do that, I try to keep outward pressure on the wheel so that the impact of the 'tapping' goes to the wheel and shaft and not through the shaft towards the the steering box.
On a funny to some folks but not all, there are many stories of people knocking them selves silly or knocking a tooth out when they pulled really hard on a stuck steering wheel and it suddenly came loose.
If you are going to pull with your hands, leave the nut on a turn or two so that it stops the wheel from flying off.
When you use a puller, you may need to tap the center bolt after tightening it. When I do that, I try to keep outward pressure on the wheel so that the impact of the 'tapping' goes to the wheel and shaft and not through the shaft towards the the steering box.
On a funny to some folks but not all, there are many stories of people knocking them selves silly or knocking a tooth out when they pulled really hard on a stuck steering wheel and it suddenly came loose.
If you are going to pull with your hands, leave the nut on a turn or two so that it stops the wheel from flying off.
Capt Bill
GreatGrady Captain
There is actually a special nylon box wrench that is supplied by the company who makes the wheel. Without that tool, I'm going to try pull a rubber strap (think strap-wrench) tightly around the nut, and closing a large crescent wrench over the rubber. I'm hoping that will work. My wheel seems loose on the shaft (missing the nylon washer?), so I shouldn't need a wheel puller, but if you are trying to remove one that is likely very tight on the tapered shaft, it would be the way to do it.
wrxhoon
Well-Known Member
You may find that the wheel is not loose on the tapered part of the shaft. The shaft that comes out of the Seastar helm has a nylon type of sleeve and that could be warn out and the movement is on that shaft.
Capt Bill
GreatGrady Captain
update on wheel nut removal:
The reason I needed to remove my wheel was it was loose; fore and aft, on the shaft. e.g. you could pull it toward you, which made a metal to metal click. Gap was probably close to 1/16".
Today, I got the (missing) nylon spacer/washer that should have been under the stainless steel nut. I wanted to remove the nut without buggering it up any more than it was, by whomever removed it before me. (I have no idea why it was removed, but I know that it was).
I tried a variety of strap wrenches; they didn't even begin to grip. Measured across the face, and it looked close to 1-5/8". I have a set of large 6 point sockets, 3/4" drive, so I checked, and sure enough, I had a 1-5/8. Checked it for fit, it was (thankfully) a bit loose.
I wrapped 3 turns of green painter's tape around the nut, and checked again. OK, a snug fit. With a breaker bar, and quite a bit of effort, the nut began to turn. It was pretty tight until about the last turn, when it became easy. The nut has a nylon insert, make it a kind of lock nut.
Wheel pulled right off with no effort at all. Tapered shaft was previously greased, as was the woodruff key. I cleaned everything, added the nylon washer, and re-installed. Wheel is now tight with no play when pulled back or pushed.
The reason I needed to remove my wheel was it was loose; fore and aft, on the shaft. e.g. you could pull it toward you, which made a metal to metal click. Gap was probably close to 1/16".
Today, I got the (missing) nylon spacer/washer that should have been under the stainless steel nut. I wanted to remove the nut without buggering it up any more than it was, by whomever removed it before me. (I have no idea why it was removed, but I know that it was).
I tried a variety of strap wrenches; they didn't even begin to grip. Measured across the face, and it looked close to 1-5/8". I have a set of large 6 point sockets, 3/4" drive, so I checked, and sure enough, I had a 1-5/8. Checked it for fit, it was (thankfully) a bit loose.
I wrapped 3 turns of green painter's tape around the nut, and checked again. OK, a snug fit. With a breaker bar, and quite a bit of effort, the nut began to turn. It was pretty tight until about the last turn, when it became easy. The nut has a nylon insert, make it a kind of lock nut.
Wheel pulled right off with no effort at all. Tapered shaft was previously greased, as was the woodruff key. I cleaned everything, added the nylon washer, and re-installed. Wheel is now tight with no play when pulled back or pushed.
Capt Bill
GreatGrady Captain
update #2:
Per the previous post, I removed the nut, which had been scratched-gouged on the sides, by a previous owner or dealer), and installed the nylon spacer. Everything works as it should, and you can't see those scratches unless you look closely at the edges of the nut. But it kept bothering me. So, the wheel is coming off again, this time to install this:
Per the previous post, I removed the nut, which had been scratched-gouged on the sides, by a previous owner or dealer), and installed the nylon spacer. Everything works as it should, and you can't see those scratches unless you look closely at the edges of the nut. But it kept bothering me. So, the wheel is coming off again, this time to install this: