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Date:         Fri, 5 Aug 1994 08:10:10 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         H Steven Dolan <dworkin@netcom.com>
Subject:      Re: Knobs, wheels, etc.

> >How the !@#%$ do you guys get yer steering wheels off of yer busses? > > ok. the way i got mine off was to go down to the local sears store and > order the big mother socket (i think it's 24mm ... or was it 28mm?) that > fit the nut on the wheel. first, you have to get that little horn button > out of the way. that's fun. :) on the vanagon, look around the edges of > the button (or around the back of the arms of the wheel ... can't remember > which year does what). > > once i got the socket, it was no big deal to loosen that nut. i couldn't > get a crescent wrench in there, but a box-end might fit. get the nut off, > and just start thumping the wheel around the outside rim (where you put > your hands when driving) from underneath. after a few minutes of thumping, > it was loosened up enough to come off. > > installation is the reverse of removal. :) > > >have y'all(s) done it in the past? Someone before me put the wheel on > >rotated by 180 degrees, which is fine except for the part about driving > >thirty miles down the road with an uncancelled blinker going %-( ... > > it's possible that someone screwed up the alignment underneath the car. > if they take all the ajustment out of one side, it'll move the wheel like > that. might want to get that checked first, then (with the alignment correct) > move the wheel to where you want it. > > joel > Two suggestions, 1) After removing the nut behind the wheel :-)=, (per joel), if you reverse the nut, hand turn it back on the shaft until the back face of the nut is flush with the end of the shaft and give the shaft/nut a medium whack with a two-pound sledge, this will pop the steering wheel loose. BTW, this trick also works for brake drums , or any other splined shaft removal project.

2) Independent of alignment problems, there is a raised rib on the back of the steering wheel which kicks the turn signals off. during reassembly, the rib goes on top of the kicker on the turn signal switch (as I remember from my cure of the same problem on my '78 loaf). But check it before you tighten the wheel nut.

3) (OK, I don't count so good) To get the wheel back on straight, start the job in a level parking lot (side to side level at least), roll the bus forward ~20 -30 feet with your hands OFF the wheel. Stop it with the parking brake. remove the steering wheel. Do what you gotta do. Put the wheel back on and put a small carpenters level across the spokes, if it's not level adjust till it is.

Good Luck, H Steven Dolan dworkin@netcom.com


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