Wibbly wobbly steering wheel

[MikeTeesside]

Hi guys. I've noticed my steering wheel (and the column as a whole) has quite a lot of lateral movement. Meaning I can wiggle it around quite a bit, especially at low speeds because of lack of power steering.

It doesn't stop me driving the car but at the same time I'm sure it wasn't like this before I laid it up for the winter.

Is there a "brace" for the column somewhere on the car that attaches to the main body? Something I've missed or has come loose? Because otherwise it just seems to be vaguely floating in space.

[MikeTeesside]

As an aside, my Mk1 has a thicker wooden motolita (I think) steering wheel and I have an original thinner wheel to go on after it's properly refurbished and recovered.

But it doesn't seem to fit on the existing boss, I'm assuming the original steering wheels used a different boss? The current (motolita) one also seems to use a non-standard horn function.

[Pete Lewis]

The column has a saddle clamp tomfix it to the underside of the dash support rail

pete

[GT6 M]

there is a wee,rd looking device under the dash on my GT,
like 2 long fingers  that bolts to the rack,   and also to some dash mounts.

look to see if they are tite,  OR, if they tite, then the mounts have no split
an opened up. leaving the columm to float aboot.


http://www.canleyclassics.com/images/diagrams/spitfire1500_plate_1h_04l.jpg

M

[MikeTeesside]

796 wrote:

there is a wee,rd looking device under the dash on my GT,
like 2 long fingers  that bolts to the rack,   and also to some dash mounts.

look to see if they are tite,  OR, if they tite, then the mounts have no split
an opened up. leaving the columm to float aboot.


http://www.canleyclassics.com/images/diagrams/spitfire1500_plate_1h_04l.jpg

M

I have a horrible feeling that those are completely missing on mine. Would explain a lot.

Will have to check asap.

[GT6 M]

Its a weired feeling, I had a drive in a GT once that had a Wibbly-Wobbly wheel,
so much so,  me hand was hitt,n the window on one side,  an change,n gear when went the other side.

to the owner of said car,  IS it fixed yet, ;) ;)

the other bit is also needed, 63488 i think,  its the bit that attaches the thingy to the dash, stops sideways movement
M

[don cook1]

Mine is like that and I'll be doing this in a couple of days when I have somebody more able to get under the dash. I will post what happens. Oh, by the way; its never failed an MOT on this??

[Kev W]

796 wrote:

there is a wee,rd looking device under the dash on my GT,
like 2 long fingers  that bolts to the rack,   and also to some dash mounts.

look to see if they are tite,  OR, if they tite, then the mounts have no split
an opened up. leaving the columm to float aboot.


http://www.canleyclassics.com/images/diagrams/spitfire1500_plate_1h_04l.jpg

M

Is that the part that is labelled with a 2 in a circle Marcus? That seems to be for Sweden only, I don't have one fitted, but I do have a wobbly column (ooer!)  :P

Kev

[MikeTeesside]

GT6_Don wrote:

Oh, by the way; its never failed an MOT on this??

Nope! Just went through an MOT the other week with no advisories.

Mind you.. the tester lets me sit in the car and do all the work in there. I know him quite well. Everything above board though. I only take it to him now because the previous MOT tester I visited gave it an advisory that the lights were wired the wrong way around on the column.. except they're not.. and he refused to believe they should go SIDE - MAIN - DIPPED because in his words "that makes no sense" even though the sticker on the side of the column shows that too.

[Richard B]

There are two part No. shown for the bracket, one version for Swedon, and one version for the rest of the world!

[GT6 M]

Kev, its all of the thing above the  U clamp bit,  

So there seems to be a fair few Wibbly Wobbly thingy aboot then,

Heres some Wibbly Wobbly thingys, :)

https://youtu.be/C2hgAsi8Ae4

M

[hyperhale]

Had the same issue on my mk4 spit, it was a mix of worn column bushes and the U clamps top and bottom not holding the column securely.

Replacing the bushes and a piece of bicycle inner tube on the U clamps has completely cured the problem, not movement at all now

[don cook1]

Can't seem to detect where I'm getting the play on the outer column. However, I took off the steering wheel, horn disc and stalk switches and cut the rubber lugs off the existing top bush. Now, how to knock then down the tube? We looked everywhere for a tube that would slide down between the actual column and the outer column. Then my son spotted my daughter's bike and said "What about the seat tube?". This could have been made for the purpose, slides down just right, a bash on the top and the old bush slide down. The new bush was knocked down using the tube and the lugs liners up. Job done. I'll have another go at the outer column...but I'm having to do it by feel. Hhmmm...perhaps a mirror, I'll raid Sarah's make up bag!

[MikeTeesside]

Success! Steering wheel no longer feels like it's about to fall off.

It was two things; first was the outer brace, I'd missed a bolt on reassembly and it was loose and rattling around. Second; the C spring thingy in the upper clamp was missing so I packed some sticky foam pads in there for it to get a better grip on the outer column.

I checked and mine isn't missing the H bracket thingy, it's a very early Mk1 GT6 so never had it to begin with.