fitting a non adjustable steering column (how-to)

[Stonejag 10]

No worries, just thought I might be able to get a head start before dismantling mine so it's a bit more of a bolt-off-bolt-on job. I guess you can get them from VW at silly prices though..?

 

Managed to get the rest of the column out of the scrapyard car today, so I now have the inner column with ignition switch and top bearing, the black outer tube with its bottom bearing, the lock barrel and the big spring from the base of the inner column, along with the right kind of trim for my stalks. Other than the immobiliser ring, is there anything I've missed? Since I got it out of a Corrado I'm hoping most of the awkward bits are already sorted, took a bit of swearing and filing (someone tried to take it out before me...with a hammer) but it seems to have gone back together OK :)

 

Cheers

 

Stone

[Jim Bowen 1]

 

Thats all the parts i have so far, from Pat Mcrotch thread, what am i missing and what do use from the car? Am confused about:

Immobiliser ring,

steering lock,

ignition switch,

some metal sleeve that needs prying out,

lock housing.

lock barrel

a spring mentioned from polo setup

 

 

Also what parts of the list with question marks next to them do i have?

[davidwort 0]

Looks like all you are missing is the bottom spring that goes between the bottom plastic bearing and the end of the uj.

you have the shear bolts.

the spline adapter sleeve is the steel spines collar that the steering wheel internal splines sit on, this is pressed into the top end of the internal column.

You have the top spring, that fits between the top spline collar and the ridge near the top of the column.

i don't see the bottom spring though, you should be able to use the existing one, but I found the polo one was slightly different.

the immobiliser ring on the polo column I had just slid onto the steering lock iirc

oh yeah, you need a steering lock! Pattern one from gsf is fine, about 15 quid, lock barrel and switch is same as adjustable column one, so you can reuse them.

[dragon green 4]

If your lock barrel is an original one,you might want to think about changing it !

When I converted my column,I left the original barrel in,6 months later,malfunction,and I had to change it !

I didn't use the shear bolts,I went with normal bolts,just easier to remove,

[Jim Bowen 1]

Can't find the steering lock on gsf site :(

 

Should I go to vw for the barrel? Does that mean a new key?

 

Thanks for the help so far.

 

Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk 2

[davidwort 0]

Gsf have just started stocking the lock body, that's where mine came from, I'd drill the barrel release hole and reuse your existing barrel, if it does fail sometime that will make it easy to swap. A pattern polo barrel will work, less than a tenner if you ever do need to swap it.

[Jim Bowen 1]

Is the lock body also the steering lock?

 

Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk 2

[davidwort 0]

Yep, the barrel and switch fit into it. It slides onto and clamps around the top of the column and contains the top bearing

gen vw : http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=180857316392&index=2&nav=SEARCH&nid=78309012454

 

or pattern: http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=110821798191&index=1&nav=SEARCH&nid=67388596771

Edited May 29, 2012 by davidwort

[Stonejag 10]

Just finished fitting mine, all bar the covers at any rate (that can wait until it's not dark and peeing down with rain!). Got one shear bolt out with an easy-out, but it then sacrificed itself in the second bolt and I had to grind it out :( If you don't mind killing a couple of the weird domed washers VW use on the bolts that nobody seems to be able to identify, grinding them seems to be the easiest way out - it just leaves a stub of thread which you can unscrew by hand once the other bolts are out. I recommend loosening the back two bolts before you start on the shear bolts as it'll relieve a bit of the pressure that keeps them tight. I'm amazed any of you are putting spline bolts back in, do you not remember the hassle of taking them out?!

 

Only driven it very briefly so far but it seems much more sturdy than the old one! There's still a little up/down movement if you yank on it but it feels more like something flexing rather than just the slack in the adjustment I used to get.

 

One question: how far is the spline supposed to engage into the UJ? I got mine in until it bottomed out and I could insert the bolt all the way through with no problems, but there's still a half-inch of spline sticking out of the UJ - looking at the old column I removed, from the dirt marks it seemed the same... Also my spring doesn't appear to do anything since it's just able to freely slide up and down the base of the column, should it be compressed? It's the same length as the old one so maybe it's just the wrong one and too short?

 

Stone

[davidwort 0]

The uj can only fit in one position as the column shaft has the recess for the pinch bolt, so if the bolt is through, then it's right.

the bottom spring should be compressed between the bottom bearing and the uj, usually tight as its a little struggle to compress it and get the bolt through the uj?

[Stonejag 10]

I've got the wrong spring on, then :( What does it actually do? Seems to work fine without it...

[davidwort 0]

Seems to tension the little plastic cased bearing

[Stonejag 10]

Sorted it - the column came from a scrapped car and the outer tube must have telescoped during the accident that put it in the scrapyard! My clue was when the brand new spring I got from VW was the same length as the one that was fitted...Undid the four mounting bolts and gave it a gentle (!) heave and it straightened right out, compressing the spring as it should do. There followed a bit of to and fro getting the bolt holes to line up again but all seems well again now.

 

Definitely a worthwhile mod if you can find the bits, it seems much more firmly planted now, and with less wobble at speed. Lovely! Cheers for putting so much effort into the writeup, it was really helpful :)

 

Stone

[Langsam 10]

Defaintly need to do this to mine. On spirited drives it feels like im gonna pull my steering wheel off.

 

I read this thread a few times now, but im gonna go down the new route. Im just gonna order the corrado specific fixed column instead part no.535419503H. Then I can just reuse all parts from car ie uj, plastic bearings and spring. Am I right?

 

---------- Post added at 1:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 1:23 PM ----------

 

Defaintly need to do this to mine. On spirited drives it feels like im gonna pull my steering wheel off.

 

I read this thread a few times now, but im gonna go down the new route. Im just gonna order the corrado specific fixed column instead part no.535419503H. Then I can just reuse all parts from car ie uj, plastic bearings and spring. Am I right?

[Rob_B 0]

I've got a fixed column set up bought new a couple of years ago and now removed from the car for sale if anyone is interested.

£100 plus postage

[ducooby 10]

Thanks Davidwort for an excellent write up,finally got mine done and the result is amazing.

It is without doubt the best single mod I have ever carried out on it.

Feedback is increadable, takes me back to the mk2 days.

Nice one.

[Jim Bowen 1]

Wondering if i can get some help on this a bit confused with parts. I have ended up buying the bits new rather than a complete 2nd hand unit.

 

Think i now have most bits, except:

 

Bottom Spring 191419343, (i can go to VW and order this)

 

The bits i'm not sure about are:

Contact ring: 811 419 548A What does that look like?

Clamping Washer: N901 824 01 Again not sure if i have this or not

 

Should i just go to VW with those numbers?

[davidwort 0]

Wondering if i can get some help on this a bit confused with parts. I have ended up buying the bits new rather than a complete 2nd hand unit.

 

Think i now have most bits, except:

 

Bottom Spring 191419343, (i can go to VW and order this)

 

The bits i'm not sure about are:

Contact ring: 811 419 548A What does that look like?

Clamping Washer: N901 824 01 Again not sure if i have this or not

 

Should i just go to VW with those numbers?

 

those two parts are the collar and washer that hold the ignition lock in place at the top of the column, if you've got a bare column shaft and lock you'd need the collar, washer and adapter sleeve to fit the lock and then the steering wheel

[Jim Bowen 1]

I think i have a spline adaptor, i took it off the old adjustable column

 

Can see it here, on the top column with original nut and washer from corrado steering wheel.

 

 

Apart from that, i had a new black sleeve bearing that i pushed into bottom of the new black tube, i have a spring about an inch long that i guess goes at the top of the column. Think thats all i have, just ordered a Febi lock housing.

[davidwort 0]

yep, that's right, plastic bearing and longer spring at the bottom, lock housing, spring, then slightly shouldered collar, washer and your adapter at the top, then wheel, another washer and nut :)

 

you can see the shouldered collar in pic 1 on page 1, under my hand in the pic where I'm removing the key/immoboliser ring from the polo lock

Edited November 27, 2014 by davidwort

[Jim Bowen 1]

NIce one, thanks, will be off to VW next week to order these final bits.

[Jim Bowen 1]

Got the extra bits from VW, Just re-read your last comment which i think explains what i'm confused about. Its the order of the washer and the shouldered collar bit.

 

Am not sure if i have polo bits or corrado fixed column bits :lol:

 

[Jim Bowen 1]

Think i've got it right now, a bit of a strange arrangement. I guess its like this so it can deform in an accident maybe?

 

[davidwort 0]

something's not quite right there, I'll try to look back and my pics and dig something out, the should be a large alloy collar thing larger than the spline adapter, holding the top spring in place

[Jim Bowen 1]

Yes, it does look different to your first photo, i also checked on vagcat and it does show two bits like i have. Seems a bit odd though.