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MG Midget and Sprite General - Steering wheel removal

Can one of you clever guys help me please.
I can't find the steering wheel puller that's shown in the handbook anywhere. Item 18G 1181. There must be an equivalent made somewhere in the uk surely? I'm having great difficulty removing original wheel.
Your help would be very much appreciated.
Regards
Stu
Sr Guest

Losen the nut
Pull the wheel back
Hit the steering shaft witha hammer

2 or 3 well placed taps should lossen it

Otherwise any universal puller can be used
Onno Könemann

be very careful with the hammer if you've got a later car as they have a collapsable column

put some proper releasing fluid like Plus Gas (not WD40) down the spines preferably a day or so before or at least a mug of tea wait

tap the wheel from behind all round a few times then grab it and rock it forward with your arms locked to your side using your body and shoulders

if it doesn't work first time then another spot of releasing fluid and mug of tea wait and try again or leave until next day

this system has never failed me

with my BGT I just hit the shaft with a hammer and the column collapsed - no one warned me

PS I think you might mean the Workshop Manual rather than the Handbook - the owners (Driver's) Handbook is what you got with the car when new, it's a great publication :)
N Atkins

timed out

I also meant to put

keep the nut on, loose, so that when you pull the steering wheel off it doesn't hit you in the face
N Atkins

I recently had to remove a Mota-Lita wheel and boss to change the indicator stalk. I found that a hammer damaged the thread, so beware of doing that. However, removing the entire column made the job much easier, as you can then get a better swing with a hammer on the underside of the boss, rather than clouting the thread on the column. If need be, you could also try applying heat to the boss (eg with a hair dryer?). But whatever you do, try to avoid having to chase out the thread with a needle file ;-)

And when you put the wheel back, I suggest using a smear of copper grease on the splines to make it easier next time.

Jonathan
Jonathan Severn

As Nigel says, a hammer is not a good idea unless you want to buy a new steering column...assuming that you CAN buy a new steering column!

Also, trying to 'shock' the wheel off by hitting it from behind can also damage the column.

A puller is the only safe way to do it.
Dave O'Neill 2

yes perhaps I should have put gentle taps from behind with a small hammer but you wont have much room other than to use shallow taps with the side of a small hammer

a little copperease goes without saying, also checking nut tightness before each journey for the first few after

if the steering wheel hasn't been off for many years then possibly only a puller will get it off but a spot of releasing fluid the day before then try then if required a spot more releasing fluid and leave another day and try again - releasing fluid and patience has always worked for me

a word of caution about a puller if you use one - go easy - I had a r/b B roadster with a good original, softer, steering wheel but when a MG garage used a puller to remove it they bent the steering wheel and had to replace it, with one that was almost but not quite as good, have I ever mentioned my bad luck with cars :)
N Atkins

Thanks guys. I will try the plus gas method as I used wd40 at the weekend with no joy. Anyone know where I can purchase the correct puller though should I need one?
Sr Guest

One tip that I once heard - although I haven't tried - is to pour boiling water over the wheel boss. The theory being that the alloy boss expands faster than the steel column. You obviously need to put something underneath to catch the water.
Dave O'Neill 2

put some Plus Gas on each night and try and after a couple or nights or so I bet you don't need a puller or hot water

forget the WD40 get the right chemical for the right job

as well as Plus Gas get a can of each - spray lubricant, silicone lubricant, electrical contact cleaner - 3-in-one or Halfords or similar

also a small tin of copperease and small pot of silicone grease

a small cheap set of of artist brushes are good for applying copperease, ordinary grease and silicone grease
N Atkins

oh and of course a can of light oil like 3-in-one
N Atkins

I always use BFH, never bust a column yet. To expand a couple of details on Onno's post, undo the nut until it is exactly flush with the end of the column (this saves the thread). Exert force on the back of the wheelrim in 3 equidistant places - use your knees/thighs at 4 and 8 o'clock, one hand at 12 o'clock, and hit *hard* on the nut with the big hammer. If it doesn't come off first time, hit harder.
David Smith

It was explained to me once what happens when you follow David (and Onno's) suggested technique. The impact from the BFH axially compresses the shaft where it passes through the steering wheel splines. This results in the diameter of the shaft instantly expanding and then bouncing back so that for a moment it contracts. If you have pre-loaded some tension on the wheel then in that nanosecond it will release and come free. Its the same process as the two-hammer method of releasing ball joint tapers. Sounds plausible to me.

Obviously the key to it is to be pulling firmly on the wheel as the metal bounce occurs. No good at all hitting first and pulling later! And the essential is that the nut is still on the threads or you are liable to loose some teeth or modify your forehead as the wheel comes off. As Nigel mentioned!
Guy

Stu,
Any 3 legged puller will do the job, that's what I used cos I didn't want to kill the collapsable column. Machinemart or Halfrods have appropriate pullers. The one I've got was a 3 part set so don't remember which one I used. useful set to have anyway.

Here's the link but its part CHT270 if the link fails.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cht270-3-pce-gear-puller-set/path/pullers-and-seperators

Hope that helps,
-Craig
C Robertson

Sorry not to have included Guy's addition
That is how I do it but I though that was common sense.

Colapsable steering columns are for sisys ;)
Onno Könemann

Here's a demonstration by John Twist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwf2BDC5DMo

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

I'd forgotten that video - easier to co-ordinate with a second person doing the hitting and it probably helps if you're longer legs than mine

if releasing fluid has already been applied by Stu then his wheel might just pull off using thighs and one hand

still a good thing to get into the habit of using releasing fluid and leaving to soak in rather than rushing or brute force with the possibility of damaging anything including yourself


let the chemicals do the hard work

clean area before starting - possibly with chemicals,

have the correct tools,

apply releasing fluid if required - leave to soak in,

try to release,

if required repeat and/or leave longer
N Atkins

Boiling water with a puller worked for me
gusangora

This thread was discussed between 26/07/2011 and 29/07/2011

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