The title says it all.

I used a large gear puller and it didnt budge. (did bend the wheel a bunch)

Am i missing something here?

Jay
1984 FB

 

Did you take the nut off the middle of it first?

You might want to try a steering wheel puller. That's what it was made to do.

I've always had luck by just pulling on it really hard and rocking it around.

 

You're missing a hammer. Tighten down and start by lightly hammering the bolt on the gear puller. Increase the blows with the hammer until you get some slight forward movement on the steering wheel, the gear puller will probably come loose when it happens. Just repeat until the steering wheel pops off.

 

I did take off the nut....

and isnt a "steering wheel puller" and a "gear puller"
the same thing?

Jay

 

I tried the hammer too......

no luck

 

Then hit it harder. Last year I helped another member remove his and had to pound on it pretty hard before it would budge. It slightly distorted the wheel if I remember but a real steering wheel puller will avoid this.

 

I just took mine off with a puller. It took a lot of tightening on the puller, and when it finally popped off, it really popped off.

And any time you try to remove a steering wheel by "pulling on it real hard" or by hitting it on the back side with your hands, make sure you leave the nut on a couple of threads. I learned the hard way many years ago after I almost knocked myself out when it popped free!

Rich

 

I pulled on mine real hard after the gear puller did not work and the whole steering column came out!

I guess that's because the bracket under the dash was removed.

 

watch out for your nose man! - that steering wheel packs more punch than tyson! (from experience)

 

My way may tale a while but it works. First get a gym membership, workout out 4-5 times a week for 3-4 years and you will have enough strength to pull it off.

 

Careful...I took the one off of my Chevy Truck, to replace it with a fancy one. I used the steering wheel puller, I beleive a gear puller is the same thing...It got it off to almost the point of popping, and stopped.....soooooooooooo.....Yank, Yank, Yank....it came off...And resulted in nice bruises on my chest....

 

A steering wheel puller and gear puller are not the same thing. A gear puller has 2 3 or 4 arms with a centre tightening bolt. Any steering wheel puller I''ve ever seen has a centre bolt through a plate, and an assortment of other bolts to bolt to the hub. The centre bolt pushes against the very centre of the steering column. Since you are attached to the thick metal of the hub, its almost impossible to bend the wheel.

Since you are in such a desperate situation, I'll give you an idea to try. WARNING - there is a good chance you may collapse the safety section of the steering wheel when you do this. Put the nut back on until it is just flush with the end of the column. Wedge your knee under the wheel and exert force up/back. At the same time, put one hand on the top of the wheel and pull towards you. Take a hammer and bang squarely on the centre nut. One of the following will happen - the wheel will eventually come off, the wheel will come off and nail you in the face, the wheel won't come off, or the collapseable section will break and the whole column will pull out. I say once again - this is a last resort method and not recommended under normal circumstances.

 

hmm, i didnt need any kind of puller, undid the nut and it came off, on a 79 S

 

Ya ummmm doesn't pulling on the steering wheel that hard result in wrecking the injected plastic that is put into the steering column to make it collapsable???

Use the right tool for the job, a steering wheel puller is something like 10-20 bucks, you thread 2 bolts into the holes on the wheel, and the final bolt presses against the shaft. Like others have said, this thing comes off with alot of force, so be careful and be prepare for the loud bang when it lets loose...

 

Might try a little P B Blaster and let it set for a while. I find that alternating the pulling force from left to right usually works best. If you are pulling by hand, leave the nut on a few threads. If you are using a puller, snug it up tight, then tap one the center nut of the puller with a hammer.

 

as dan said, be carful you dont wreck the column.. kinda dangerous if you wreck it,, (if you just jam it back in... )

 

I slammed on the wheel like a madman... and it got loose...

 

All the advice you have gotten here is BAD.

Just grab the wheel with both hands and rock it back and forth, pushing with one hand, pulling with the other, and just keep rocking it until it breaks loose. THIS WILL WORK, no tools required and don't pull too hard or you will in fact shear the plastic insert. My friend showed me this trick. He worked on RX-7s for 15 years said he NEVER found one that this would not work. I have done this several times myself.

The reason this works is the spline is very small and it is tapered, so the force required is not very high if properly applied.

 

It more like a YES and NO. The steering column consists of 2 parts and are held in place by a clips. you break those clips, you will have a telescopic steering.

 

ha! see I knew the steering column was adjustable..even for an 84