Help! Steering Wheel Won't Come Off

richard_masa_4200

Junior Member
Messages
195
I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but my steering wheel will not budge. It is a 2003 4200 CC.

I have removed the airbag and tried to just pull the steering wheel off. No luck.

I removed the wheel and have just the BOSS to remove. I used a steering wheel puller and actually stripped the top off the thread for one of the 4 bolts that secure the steering wheel to the BOSS ( I still have enough thread to screw the bolt back in thank god )

Yes, I have removed the big nut securing the BOSS to the steering column.

I WD40'd the area between the BOSS and the steering column.

I've tapped the BOSS and the steering column with a hammer to try and crack the seal without any luck.

I'm about to crack open the angle grinder if I don't get any useful suggestions. Please help.

The reason I need to get the wheel off is to install a cruise control enabled stalk that I got from the UK.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
No its not easy I gotg the Maserati dealer to do mine..Charged me £25 to remove and put a new one on..For Maserati I thought that wasn't bad...
 

richard_masa_4200

Junior Member
Messages
195
Thanks Parisien and AndyK. Maybe taking it to the dealer is a better idea than taking tout with an angle grinder. The only other idea I had into get a bigger bearing puller and see if that would do the job. My bearing puller is too small.
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
This is from the 3200 workshop manual, it should be the same, steering wheels are notorious for being a pig to free:

SW01.jpg

SW02.jpg
 

breakeronly

Junior Member
Messages
90
Get one of these fella`s.....three prong bearing puller, you local garage will have one tucked in a old draw somewhere

There is just enough room on the back of the boss to lap the three grips

Centre the main shaft into the middle of the Steering shaft, very lucky as the shaft has a small indent to keep the shaft from slipping

Tighten with a socket making sure the main shaft of the puller is nice and straight

Few more turns with the socket......hey presto she is off

they are stubborn little blighters
 

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Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
Great tip Breaker......every little helps...plus the tool for the job, tried and tested


P
 

hodroyd

Member
Messages
14,150
I have that tool and you have to be careful of slippage, make sure you protect the back of the wheel leather, unless you are just trying to get the boss off.
 

breakeronly

Junior Member
Messages
90
I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but my steering wheel will not budge. It is a 2003 4200 CC.

I have removed the airbag and tried to just pull the steering wheel off. No luck.

I removed the wheel and have just the BOSS to remove. I used a steering wheel puller and actually stripped the top off the thread for one of the 4 bolts that secure the steering wheel to the BOSS ( I still have enough thread to screw the bolt back in thank god )

Yes, I have removed the big nut securing the BOSS to the steering column.

I WD40'd the area between the BOSS and the steering column.

I've tapped the BOSS and the steering column with a hammer to try and crack the seal without any luck.

I'm about to crack open the angle grinder if I don't get any useful suggestions. Please help.

The reason I need to get the wheel off is to install a cruise control enabled stalk that I got from the UK.

ermmm The question was to remove the boss

Guys I am sure you all know, but please do not ever try to remove the boss by using this tool braced against the steering wheel still attached to the boss, you will do untold damage to the steering wheel.......
 

abyss

Junior Member
Messages
108
Richard, you need the steering wheel puller.

I used it once on my Alfa GTV. You can get it in Supercheapauto or you can borrow mine.
 

richard_masa_4200

Junior Member
Messages
195
I have the steering wheel puller and actually ripped out some of the thread from the BOSS holes. It gave before the BOSS would budge. I do to have a 3 prong gear puller, I am using a 2 prong gear puller. I tried it last weekend and had an almighty amount of pressure on, but still no budgy. I'm going to have another go over the weekend with some strategic "tapping" to see if I can get it to, in the immortal words of Freddy Mercury, "Break Free".
 

Geofflyn

New Member
Messages
560
I have the steering wheel puller and actually ripped out some of the thread from the BOSS holes. It gave before the BOSS would budge. I do to have a 3 prong gear puller, I am using a 2 prong gear puller. I tried it last weekend and had an almighty amount of pressure on, but still no budgy. I'm going to have another go over the weekend with some strategic "tapping" to see if I can get it to, in the immortal words of Freddy Mercury, "Break Free".

Why not call the RACV? Worst that can happen is they laugh but on the other hand they might have a tool in the van that will do the job. Also might be more interesting for the man than refilling the car of some halfwit who ran out of petrol. It's the cheapest way I know of getting the mechanic to come to the car rather than the reverse.
Geoff
 

hodroyd

Member
Messages
14,150
Sounds like you have a heck of an issue with this, I wonder if someone has used something like loctite on it at sometime in the past. You could try sharp taps around the circumference of the boss to see if that will break free any material possibly holding the boss on to the shaft. Failing that, you could try gentle heating of the boss, ensuring that nothing is in the way that could be potentially damaged. Tapping whilst heating sometimes does free things off, but obvious care should be taken. Best of luck.
 

richard_masa_4200

Junior Member
Messages
195
All sorted now, the wheel is finally off. In the end I had the gear puller on it and used a flat screwdriver in between the steering column and the BOSS. A few hard taps with the hammer on the screwdriver and it gave way. Woo Hoo!
 

Geofflyn

New Member
Messages
560
All sorted now, the wheel is finally off. In the end I had the gear puller on it and used a flat screwdriver in between the steering column and the BOSS. A few hard taps with the hammer on the screwdriver and it gave way. Woo Hoo!

Well done Richard, hope mine isn't this hard, that is if my cruise ever turns up.
Cheers
Geoff