C4 Steering wheel loose
10-14-2019, 02:08 PM
#1
C4 Steering wheel loose
93 C-4 tilt steering wheel. I believe this me a very common problem, I just couldn't find on the Forum.
Didn't find much on You Tube either, sorry I had to go there!
I believe the looseness comes from years of grabbing the wheel to exit car. Or may be common problem.
Assuming I disconnect battery and wait 30 minutes before pulling steering wheel....Then What ??
The steering wheel moves up and down probably 3/4" or more.
Any input is much appreciated.
Didn't find much on You Tube either, sorry I had to go there!
I believe the looseness comes from years of grabbing the wheel to exit car. Or may be common problem.
Assuming I disconnect battery and wait 30 minutes before pulling steering wheel....Then What ??
The steering wheel moves up and down probably 3/4" or more.
Any input is much appreciated.
10-17-2019, 10:08 AM
#2
Safety Car
OK your right pulling on the wheel wears it out it will move .. Do NOT remove the wheel . Hell no ,first you need to know what you are getting into . You need to have it rebuilt or if you can find one that is in good shape and that is hard to do . Rebuilding one is well ,I have been working on these old Corvette for years and I looked at what is involved in the rebuilt NO looks like well heel no . I see if I can find some reading on the deal .. I just last year went through the whole deal replacing my worn out column on my 93 .. Need to leave the rebuilt to the pros .. I'll see what I can find ..
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Shell4rd (10-19-2019)
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Shell4rd (10-19-2019)
10-17-2019, 10:42 PM
#5
Melting Slicks
Before you head off into a column rebuild, I would suggest removing the wheel and going down past the turn signal switch. There are 4 screws that hold the tilt yoke in place. Over time they work loose. number 61 in this drawing Tilt wheel IPB
All I had to do was add lock-tite and tighten them properly. After that my wobble was gone on my 92.
Not saying you don't have worn bushings in the shaft, but before I went that path, I'd take the hour or so it takes to check those bolts. You do need a special tool to release the lock plate but most parts stores will loan you one.
All I had to do was add lock-tite and tighten them properly. After that my wobble was gone on my 92.
Not saying you don't have worn bushings in the shaft, but before I went that path, I'd take the hour or so it takes to check those bolts. You do need a special tool to release the lock plate but most parts stores will loan you one.
Last edited by belairbrian; 10-17-2019 at 10:51 PM.
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Shell4rd (10-19-2019)
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10-18-2019, 10:21 PM
#7
Before you head off into a column rebuild, I would suggest removing the wheel and going down past the turn signal switch. There are 4 screws that hold the tilt yoke in place. Over time they work loose. number 61 in this drawing Tilt wheel IPB
All I had to do was add lock-tite and tighten them properly. After that my wobble was gone on my 92.
Not saying you don't have worn bushings in the shaft, but before I went that path, I'd take the hour or so it takes to check those bolts. You do need a special tool to release the lock plate but most parts stores will loan you one.
All I had to do was add lock-tite and tighten them properly. After that my wobble was gone on my 92.
Not saying you don't have worn bushings in the shaft, but before I went that path, I'd take the hour or so it takes to check those bolts. You do need a special tool to release the lock plate but most parts stores will loan you one.
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Shell4rd (10-19-2019)
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Shell4rd (10-19-2019)
10-19-2019, 02:32 PM
#9
Instructor
I did a complete overhaul of my tilt column using oversized pins. The steering wheel has zero wobble and the tilt mechanism functions like new. Don't get me wrong, this was a huge pain in the ***. It required special tools, was messy (I cleaned and repacked the column bearings and every greased surface), and was super fiddly refitting all the tiny metal and plastic bits and springs in the column assembly. On top of that I had to carefully ream out and polish the steering knuckle pivot holes to give a tight, but not too tight, fit with the oversized pins.
This is about an 8 out of 10 on the difficulty scale of 10 being rebuilding an automatic transmission, and one being replacing an air filter. After doing all this work, I NEVER use the steering wheel as a grab handle when climbing out of the car!😂
10-23-2019, 03:18 AM
#10
Before you head off into a column rebuild, I would suggest removing the wheel and going down past the turn signal switch. There are 4 screws that hold the tilt yoke in place. Over time they work loose. number 61 in this drawing Tilt wheel IPB
All I had to do was add lock-tite and tighten them properly. After that my wobble was gone on my 92.
Not saying you don't have worn bushings in the shaft, but before I went that path, I'd take the hour or so it takes to check those bolts. You do need a special tool to release the lock plate but most parts stores will loan you one.
All I had to do was add lock-tite and tighten them properly. After that my wobble was gone on my 92.
Not saying you don't have worn bushings in the shaft, but before I went that path, I'd take the hour or so it takes to check those bolts. You do need a special tool to release the lock plate but most parts stores will loan you one.
This right here...and rebuilding one yourself isn’t hard. Just time consuming. I have done a few and many Camaro columns also. Piece of cake.
Last edited by ZHammer; 10-23-2019 at 03:18 AM.
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10-29-2019, 10:17 AM
#12
Instructor
I did mine a few years back, oversized pins and reamed out the holes to make them round again and fit the new pins. Take loads of pictures as you go along and take your time, keep everything in order so no mistakes are made.
I've never rebuilt an auto trans but pleased to see I'm only 2 points away on the difficulty/ability scale
http://s687.photobucket.com/user/dm5...Steering/story
I've never rebuilt an auto trans but pleased to see I'm only 2 points away on the difficulty/ability scale
http://s687.photobucket.com/user/dm5...Steering/story
Last edited by dm575; 10-29-2019 at 10:23 AM.
09-15-2020, 09:38 AM
#13
Advanced
I realize this thread is almost a year old but I didnt want to create a brand new one on the topic- just had a couple questions...
I'm having a hard time determining when this actually becomes a problem needing fixing. In my 93, the steering column does not feel loose nor does it move around when driving HOWEVER, with somewhere between a small amount and a medium amount of force, it will move down and to the left but it springs back right away when force is let up. Is this enough to consider addressing or should I be looking for something way worse (i.e flopping around when driving or with minimum effort)? Maybe this is just the beginning stages of the issue? Maybe this is close to normal? I have no clue what should be vs. what currently is.
Car came with 45k on the odo and I do not use the wheel for entering or exiting the car but I have no way of knowing if past owner(s) did or not.
I'm having a hard time determining when this actually becomes a problem needing fixing. In my 93, the steering column does not feel loose nor does it move around when driving HOWEVER, with somewhere between a small amount and a medium amount of force, it will move down and to the left but it springs back right away when force is let up. Is this enough to consider addressing or should I be looking for something way worse (i.e flopping around when driving or with minimum effort)? Maybe this is just the beginning stages of the issue? Maybe this is close to normal? I have no clue what should be vs. what currently is.
Car came with 45k on the odo and I do not use the wheel for entering or exiting the car but I have no way of knowing if past owner(s) did or not.
Last edited by madeindetroit93; 09-15-2020 at 09:41 AM.
09-15-2020, 11:16 AM
#14
Burning Brakes
Yes that is the warning signs of the tilt knuckle beginning to wear. If it is only a slight amount that you can live with put it off until you feel you really need to replace the knuckle. I replaced the knuckle on my 1990 and although it was a pain to do, following the directions on threads here on the forum and some Utube videos I did it myself. If you do not have reasonable mechanical abilities and a lot of patience, have someone else do it for you.
Just do not use the steering wheel as a lever to get into and out of the car and you should be good for a long time.
Just do not use the steering wheel as a lever to get into and out of the car and you should be good for a long time.
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madeindetroit93 (10-13-2020)
09-05-2022, 10:50 AM
#15
8th Gear
Member Since: Aug 2022
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Sorry to dig up this post!! But I'm experiencing a similar issue on my 93 lt1 and I don't know enough about the steering column to know what could be causing it or where to start looking.
My steering wheel is loose when turning maybe 10 degrees to the left or right. It doesn't have any vertical tilt issues and I've never used it as a handle getting in or out, but can't speak for previous owners.
This came about a day before my right turn signal light came on permanently, and no longer blinks, and the headlight doesn't blink. I do have the new LED headlights if this is relevant. In addition, as of the same day, my brights are stuck on whenever I flip up my headlights, and don't respond to the brights button.
I've heard some about maybe a fuse being bad, or wires in the steering column being bare, but I don't know enough about it.
Thank you!
My steering wheel is loose when turning maybe 10 degrees to the left or right. It doesn't have any vertical tilt issues and I've never used it as a handle getting in or out, but can't speak for previous owners.
This came about a day before my right turn signal light came on permanently, and no longer blinks, and the headlight doesn't blink. I do have the new LED headlights if this is relevant. In addition, as of the same day, my brights are stuck on whenever I flip up my headlights, and don't respond to the brights button.
I've heard some about maybe a fuse being bad, or wires in the steering column being bare, but I don't know enough about it.
Thank you!
09-05-2022, 11:53 AM
#16
Burning Brakes
You have two issues here. Separate the these into two different threads and you will get the most help.
First the LED headlight issue. This may all be caused by the headlight being changed to LEDs. The LEDs do not draw enough amperage to have the high/low beam stalk work correctly and is also most likely the cause for your blinker issue. I found the solution here on the forum. It involves wiring in a small bulb (I do not remember exactly the bulb number) or a small resister. All of the information was here on the forum.
Regarding the steering wheel issue, are you saying there is no “wobble” in the wheel but that you can turn the wheel 10 degrees either right or left without it actually moving the wheels?
First the LED headlight issue. This may all be caused by the headlight being changed to LEDs. The LEDs do not draw enough amperage to have the high/low beam stalk work correctly and is also most likely the cause for your blinker issue. I found the solution here on the forum. It involves wiring in a small bulb (I do not remember exactly the bulb number) or a small resister. All of the information was here on the forum.
Regarding the steering wheel issue, are you saying there is no “wobble” in the wheel but that you can turn the wheel 10 degrees either right or left without it actually moving the wheels?
09-05-2022, 01:07 PM
#17
8th Gear
Member Since: Aug 2022
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You have two issues here. Separate the these into two different threads and you will get the most help.
First the LED headlight issue. This may all be caused by the headlight being changed to LEDs. The LEDs do not draw enough amperage to have the high/low beam stalk work correctly and is also most likely the cause for your blinker issue. I found the solution here on the forum. It involves wiring in a small bulb (I do not remember exactly the bulb number) or a small resister. All of the information was here on the forum.
Regarding the steering wheel issue, are you saying there is no “wobble” in the wheel but that you can turn the wheel 10 degrees either right or left without it actually moving the wheels?
First the LED headlight issue. This may all be caused by the headlight being changed to LEDs. The LEDs do not draw enough amperage to have the high/low beam stalk work correctly and is also most likely the cause for your blinker issue. I found the solution here on the forum. It involves wiring in a small bulb (I do not remember exactly the bulb number) or a small resister. All of the information was here on the forum.
Regarding the steering wheel issue, are you saying there is no “wobble” in the wheel but that you can turn the wheel 10 degrees either right or left without it actually moving the wheels?
As for the steering wheel, there is definitely a wobble while driving, and yes I can turn it anywhere from 5-10 degrees either direction without moving the wheels, but there does not seem to be any vertical (or up and down) slack.
09-05-2022, 02:02 PM
#18
Burning Brakes
Regarding the steering wheel. Grab the wheel at the 7 o’clock position and see if there is movement in the wheel. If yes then it is most likely the tilt knuckle that has been worn. How many miles are on the car?
09-05-2022, 02:29 PM
#19
His left/right concern suggests he needs to check tie-rods and steering. Could there be a column issue? An upper column bearing failure can certainly give similar feel left/right but generally not to the extent this poster mentions. In this link this poster maybe needs to consider issues with #11, 23, 21 and only a disassembly removing the directional switch would allow check of the upper bearing. A failed busted cancelling spring in the directional switch could also be an issue here.
https://www.wholesalegmpartsonline.c...category=19404
Last edited by WVZR-1; 09-05-2022 at 02:43 PM.
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