My column has been groaning whenever I turn the wheel at low speeds. I found one on Ebay for $10 and bought it, same problem even with it out of the car. I set out to get new bearings for it and had no luck. So I set out to dissasemble and repair the column . Here is the procedure so far:

With the column out of the car and all switches and accesories off, place column steering shaft side down ans press down hard on the body of the column to relieve pressure on the spring at top of column. Remove the snap ring retaining the spring assy.

Now slide the shaft out the bottom of the column enough to get the tip of the shaft under the upper bearing and pound it out. Unless God hates you and you are a loser, you should be able to remove the bearing in one piece. Set all of this aside, as the problem usually lies in the lower bearing.

Get a long steel rod, or othe such tool and do the same with the lower bearing, once again unless God hates you and you are a loser it should come out fine

Now, the really fun part. The upper and lower bearings arent really bearings. What? thew look like a bearing right? Well a funny thing I have learned in the automotive world is that if it can be taken apart, it is usually considered an assembly, not a single part. Get a small flathead screwdriver with a fairly sharp edge and carefully remove the retaining ring from either bearing.

Carefully seperate the bearing halves and clean the inner and outer races clean the ***** if you want or buy new ones, as far as I can tell they are 1/8 inch diameter. If you have R/C cars, you probably have some extra diff ***** for a pan car or 1/8 scale car, these should work.

grease the inner race lightly, put all the ***** back on it and slide the outer over it. Place snap ring on, then lots more grease! Installation is reverse of removal. A bearing driver or big socket will aid in the installation of the bearings.

Its nice to finally contribute to the forum. Go to www.towerhobbies.com for bearings the part number is: lx2747 type that into the search bar in the R/c car/truck section.

 

Thats a good bit of info. These bearings are pretty old on these cars and old parts are hard to find. So inexpensive alternatives are always helpful. Good writeup. I'm guessing this eliminated your problem right? If so then definitely good writeup.

 

I have this same issue.... If i follow the process and use wheel bearing grease to lube those "bearings" will this fix my issue?

Thanks

 

and another classic from 2005. please check dates before you post.

 

You would probably have better luck with new *****, but cleaning your old ***** and greasing them will help

 

OK, I understand all of that, but how do you get the spring and snap ring back on top of shaft and bearing when putting it back together?????
Thanks,

 

I am sorry but I took that the wrong way. lol I am in a goofy mood right now, pay no mind.

 

You have to press the other end of your shaft hard against the ground or a block of wood to get the spring and snap ring on again from what I can remember. I still have my column out of the car, just kept making the rest of it louder.

 

Did you also lube the pin and circular contact for the horn button?

They make some strange sounds when dry.