Pulling My Hair Out!! Damn Steering Joint!

[bomp]

do you recommend plugging all the stalks back on, re-fitting the cowling and the steering wheel before getting the UJ back on?

Well, from my previous experience, I'd say no, wait till you've done the UJ first. It'll save the frustation of having to undo it all again if there's some other piddly thing.

[Conker]

Right, what a f##king day. My missus is well pee'd off as I've been working on the golf all day and I'm going to a show in it tomorrow.

Anyway, its fixed. I pulled the telescopic part of the column in two, dropped the lower bit down the plastic column holder, then shoved a bar down it and used that to hammer the column into the universal joint. Went it very nicely. Then you can reattach the upper part of the column by sliding it down the holder to meet the lower part. I also removed the drivers seat to give me more room to work in.

The only risk doing it this way is that if the lower part of the column wasn't sitting in the UJ correctly, it would have been difficult to get it out to have another go.

The only problem after that was I had damaged the thread on top of the column that the steering wheel nut attaches to. I had to hacksaw off a few mil of the column before the nut would screw on - took bloody ages and was a real brown trouser moment.

[JC]

if ya damage the LEAD of a thread use a very small file to recut the start of the thread

then slowly wind the nut on and it will finish off re-cutting the damaged thread 

[Conker]

if ya damage the LEAD of a thread use a very small file to recut the start of the thread

then slowly wind the nut on and it will finish off re-cutting the damaged thread 

I actually rounded off the end of the column from stupidly hammering away on it without noticing the damage I was doing, i.e. it had a very tiny lip around the edge of the thread. I tried filing it down first but the nut still wouldn't go on as the thread was completely knackered for the first few mills of the column.

As I'm sure you can imagine, this wasn't a good part of the day.

[JC]

all be worth it tomorrow, stood in the rain , looking at a filthy car 

[cняis]

if ya damage the LEAD of a thread use a very small file to recut the start of the thread

then slowly wind the nut on and it will finish off re-cutting the damaged thread 

I actually rounded off the end of the column from stupidly hammering away on it without noticing the damage I was doing, i.e. it had a very tiny lip around the edge of the thread. I tried filing it down first but the nut still wouldn't go on as the thread was completely knackered for the first few mills of the column.

As I'm sure you can imagine, this wasn't a good part of the day.

the advice is to wind the nut on so it protects the thread.... oh and use a block of wood.

[bomp]

Thread files are good for repairing damaged threads http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kastar-3-Pc-Thread-Restorer-File-Set_W0QQitemZ150229324542QQihZ005QQcategoryZ30917QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Your lucky to get away with hamering a steering column, because they fold rendering them usless when a certain amount of peressure is put on them.

But yep, as said nut back on with a bit of wood on top so the impact is not so sharp.

You live and learn.