IVA fail - steering stiff

[LewisH]

I've discovered the reason why my steering is stiff and hard work to turn the wheel (one of my recent fail items). The back of the steering wheel boss is fouling against the sierra indicator assembly, so much that it is gradually wearing down the indicator assembly plastic. Has anyone else encountered this? 

Pic below is with Momo boss, but Mountney is the same, if not worse. 

Edited July 1, 2021 by LewisH

[richyb66]

I think you can slacken the steering shaft clamp on the triangular shaft and then pull the steering shaft up away from the switches a bit.

[LewisH]

Okay thanks, I'll give that a go. 

[Sparepart]

This is an odd co-incidence, I am just rebuilding the steering column assembly on my Exmo. When I took it all apart I noticed that the indicator cancellation cam is broken. On closer inspection it seems to me that this cam also acts as a spacer between the bottom of the boss and the top of the small ball race thats at the top of the sterring column tube. You could check the state of your cam ?

[richyb66]

The cam isn't a spacer and if the wheel boss is tightened down on to it, it'll split.

[LewisH]

Cam looks okay. Pulling the shaft further towards me didn't help because the boss stops against the assembly for the lock barrel, so it just ended up giving me more thread through the big centre nut.

I've managed to sort it by using some old plastic lids to cut out disks with a hole in the middle to act as a spacer on the back of the boss. Only 3mm or so but just enough to move it away from the indicators. Problem solved and steering now SOOO much lighter.

Now I've just got to work out how to get the horn buttons on the new wheel to work.

[Sparepart]

Now I need to look at my column more closely, because my cam is broken,  I think that when I put the Mountney boss on the shaft I probably failed to notice the notch that molded into it, so did not put the notch just above the cam, damn!

[richyb66]

If you have more thread through the centre nut then the boss can't have been bottoming out on the tapered area of the shaft.

You might need to pull the shaft out even further. Get the taper bottomed out first and the nut nipped down, then set the clearance to the steering lock assembly.

Edited July 3, 2021 by richyb66

[knights_templar]

Indicator cam is a spacer.

You have to look at the construction of the column, unfortunately I can not find a diagram at the moment.

When you tighten the steering wheel nut you are not tightening the wheel down onto the shaft, but pulling the shaft up to the wheel against a spring on the lower part of the shaft.

The indicator cam spaces the wheel from the top column bearing, there should also be a shaped bearing washer under the cam. the spring pulls the wheel and spacer down to the the top bearing.

Cam, or a spacer of some type, is needed.

Edited July 5, 2021 by knights_templar

[knights_templar]

Found It

[Sparepart]

I agree, I have just put mine back together on the bench, outside the car. As the boss is tightened down more thread appears at the nut (obviously), and the spring at the bottom gets compressed as more of the shaft is drwan into the tube. The two thrust washers slide on the shaft, the top one is pushed down by the cam and the bottom one pushed by the top of the spring. When the boss has reached it's final position, firmly pressed down on the taper there is still plenty of compression available at the spring. So the cam is not crushed it only has the spring tension pressing on it. I lifted up the assembled unit and put the bottom end of the shaft on the floor, grasping it by the outer tube (the part that is bolted to the cross member under the scuttle) I can push the outer tube down the shaft against the spring and then it moves back when I stop pushing. There must be a reason for it to be like this,  possibly to absorb small compressions that try to push the shaft towards the driver ? reducing/eliminating vibrations ?.