Help.
Any facile way to change out the rubber donut on the steering shaft for the ol' E21?
Splined on the top where it attaches to the steering wheel end, splined at the bottom where it attaches to the rack, each with universal joints (with a knee in the middle, where the donut is).
Seems like I could slide the assembly down and remove, but they aren't moving on the splines at all.
Pics to see what I'm looking at.
On my 2002, which uses a similar rubber coupler, you just remove the four bolts that run through it and slip it out. Yours, however, almost looks like it's riveted. The factory diagram shows nuts and bolts, so I'm not quite sure how to proceed here. Cut off the rivet heads and drive them out, then install with bolts?
Edit: Looking at the diagram again, it looks like there's a shaft that runs through the center of the rubber, so sliding it out isn't going to work here. Hmmm....
The splined couplers are a bear to get off. Have a small prybar you can get in there to spread them? Last time I did the one on my e30 I unbolted the rack (I didn't remove it, just slid it forward a half inch to an inch) to get some extra space.
In reply to 02Pilot :
Yeah, that's the bugger about it. Those pressed in pieces need to be ground and drilled, so doing that on the car is a no go...
In reply to iansane :
I was hoping a little pb blaster would loosen it up, we'll see.
No place to pry without damaging seals.
I think I'm going to have to drop the rack out. I just got it in (what a bear!) after putting some rack bushings in, too.
Ugh.
There's a lot of slop in it, so it should be replaced. As an example, the swaybar bushings were almost dry rotted, so it's time.
Oh man, that was a major bitch on my e30. I was able to finally persuade it to come out with an air hammer ... it came out undamaged in 10 seconds after spending two days trying to remove it.
Also, remove the crossbolts completely out before trying, the shaft is notched where they pass through.
In reply to Slippery :
Nice, I did not realize that.
The lower half came out when I removed the bolt, but I didn't know that was the reason.
A few knocks with a short piece of 2x4 and it came out relatively painlessly. PB Blaster isa great lubricant for that stuff, made getting the axle bearings a lot easier to get off the half shafts when I did that.
And I need to look in to an air hammer....
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