Steering Wheel Removal

Raising the dead here. Posting to this thread because I have an 89 SpN also, and basically i have/had the same problem as the OP.

While trying get the cap screws seated better, i snapped all the heads off the screws




Vice grips on the screws only lead to the vice grips spinning, and I even had my wife tighten the vice grips . The next plan was to just remove the hub so I could stick it in the vice to work on the stuck screws in the house. Reading through as many posts as possible on this site, After i removed the center nut, I tried the back pressure with a hammer blow to the center bolt...no movement. So i figured I would just get a puller from an auto store. I tried every single puller that Advance Auto, Autozone, O'Reillys, and NAPA had and not a single one would get the hub off. I even tried mixing parts from two different pullers. I tried heating it up with a torch and cooling it...still no movement. So I gave up and just drilled out the screws, re-tapped the holes to put the wheel back on. But in the process did a number on the paint. Also, I tried Liquid Penetrant and WD 40 to help free up both the screws and the shaft, neither proving to be very useful.

The problem with the pullers were either that they were too narrow and would not allow the hooks to stay behind the hub when tightening, or the hooks had too much material on the bottom that they couldn't fit in the space behind the hub. Of course, there are no screw holes for a true steering wheel puller.

I would still like to try and get the hub off for a few reasons: 1. repaint the hub and the plate behind, 2. Free up the corrosion that has it obviously stuck. 3. I did break off a drill bit in one of the screws, so having it out of the boat would help fix that last screw.

I have one last idea, which i have not tried afraid it would be a bad one and I should get the advice of you smart folks first. Can i loosen the steering mechanism from behind and use the hammer to hit center shaft backwards (similar to the back pressure method, but now the shaft would move and not the hub).

Can anyone post a link to a puller that is known to work or another idea to free up the hub, that would be great.

That is true.....snowed friday and rain and sleet on saturday. Then it was in the 40's on Sunday so I got outa town ok. Glad to be back down south but it was a nice visit. Nice to know the guys ain't forgot me yet.
Mandatory ot??!! They used to haveta make me go HOME. Hated working anywhere except "my" area. Wow a whole day of missed commitments...bet the subs were glad to see you but I bet your dispatch foreman wasn't to happy.

john

Hey Gary: How ya doin'? Haven't seen ya on in awhile. Figured you were making all that ot. Was home to Ohio this past weekend and stopped at the garage. Saw a couple of the guys and had breakfast with the young boss I was the IC man for. Said he wished I was back...I said I didn't!

john

OK you got me there. I should have said neglected boats!

Hey Pete is an 89 an old boat? I can still kinda remember 89 I think.

I cant really imagine those being a big problem removing on an 89.   Get an Allen head bit for your rachet and have at it, the blaster wont hurt shouldnt be needed. YOu pull the screws and the cap and I believe on that one you will be able to get the wheel and spokes off the hub without removing the hub from the tapered shaft, and that should be enough for stereo installation.

On my 88, you can remove the wheel w/o the hub by removing the 7 cap screws.
Here is a pic of my stock wheel:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/rj3series/Boat%20interior/picture021.jpg


Pretty sure you have to install the headunit from the front. Both the sleeve and HU have lips on the front that will prevent it from sliding in from the back.

Adam, You will have a big nut under the center cap. A puller is needed because the wheel fits the helm shaft on a taper.

Hey guys. Is there a trick to removing the steering wheel? There are about 8 hex bolts that appear to be holding it on, but when I tried to turn them, they did not turn and I felt like they were about to break. Have not hit with PB Blaster or any lube yet, but wanted to make sure I was on the right track before I break or strip them out.