Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:29:04 -0700
Reply-To: John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: How do I know my new aftermarket steering wheel is safe?
In-Reply-To: <dad0e8a40606201357l36a0f229j47f6e3836954a39a@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
On 6/20/06, Florian Speier <groups.florian@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi group,
>
> I recently bought and installed a sports steering wheel in the westy. I
> bought it as a complete kit on german ebay from a seller who assembles
> kits
> for vanagons in a way they are german tuv approved (the blinkers stop
> automatically).
> installation would have been a bliss if in the detailed info one would not
> have been required to take off the aluminum casting that holds the key
> lock
> and the plastic washer piece underneath and put an addtl spring on the
> steering column underneath it, to "make it safe". thenn i screwed the
> wheel
> back on.
> Now I just dont know if the upper and lower steering column still
> interlock
> enough to be safe or if they might be able to pop out if the spring
> compresses more? or something. how much should they interlock, and has
> anyone else experience with this mod when adding an aftermarket steering
> wheel?
>
>
I experimented with a VW steering wheel (off a Jetta I believe) that had
what I think was the same issue as your aftermarket steering wheel. The
Vanagon wheel has the splined socket deeper in the wheel than usual, so when
a wheel designed for "regular" VWs is installed it sits too high and neither
the horn contact nor the turn signal cancellation tab can "reach". The
steering column can be pushed down so the wheel comes in contact, but I
found this caused the column to rattle loosly in the upper housing
somewhere. I assume you have a wheel originally designed for "shallow
socket" VWs and the additional spring is a fix to let you shorten the
Vanagon steering column without it being "loose".
As far as sliding the steering column down, you probably still have plenty
of contact at the intelocking flange near the floor. You may need to remove
the plastic housing from the steering column to see it, but you should
inspect the interlocking flange thing down near the floor, if for no other
reason than peace of mind. Given that once the steering wheel is fastened on
the shaft cannot be pushed father down, if the two pins extending through
the holes in the flange aren't about to fall out, you should be fine. As I
recall they have quite a bit of "extra" length to them, so they're probably
good.
--
John Bange
'90 Vanagon - "Geldsauger"
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