Steering Wheel Rattle
Joe Angell
My steering wheel has developed a rattle, and is sitting lower than I expected. It was more annoying than anything else, so I went about figuring out how I could fix it.
Finding the Problem
This isn’t too uncommon in DeLoreans. There area few places to look:
Adjustable Steering Column Knob
The adjustable steering column knob. The column can tilt up and down and telescope in and out. There is a knob under the dash to lock it into place, but it can come loose over time. I got tired of mine slipping, so I tightened it with a wrench 15 years ago, and it hasn’t moved since.
The adjustment knob under the column to change the title and in/out position.
Mounting Bolts
There are two bolts and nylocks that hold the column to the dash. The column seemed to be pivoting around those, so I thought they might be loose, but they were quite tight.
The mounting bolts that secure the column to the dash.
Body Bushing
The steering shaft runs through a bushing that goes through the body before reaching the U-joint. This bushing can crack and cause the column to rattle Worse, a destroyed or missing bushing can lead to the hole in the body widening from the column rubbing on it, making it hard to fit a new bushing.
My bushing was fine, as I’d replaced it with a new Derlin one a couple of years ago when I’d replaced the steering rack. It is still intact.
The bushing that goes through the body to stabilize the shaft.
Cage Bushing
The end of the cage has a bushing to keep the shaft centered. This can break or slip out of the cage. Mine appeared to be in good shape, so that’s not it either.
The bushing to keep the shaft aligned in the cage.
The Cage
The cage is there to collapse in the case of an accident so that you don’t get pinned to the seat by the steering wheel. After a few decades, the cage can break, at which point you either have to weld it back together or replace it. Welding it will change how it collapses, but it will still collapse.
I had welded up a few breaks when I did the rack and new U-joints a few years back, so I didn’t think that was the problem. Up until I grabbed the cage and tried to turn it in my hands, at which point it snapped in half.
The cage broke apart as soon as I tried to twist it by hand.
Disassembly
It’s not terribly hard to get the steering column out.
Remove the kneepads (10mm wrench, a half dozen nuts total). Because of hoe the nuts mount, I find I can push the kneepad against its brackets and remove the nuts with my fingers.
Loosen the top of the upper U-joint. This is behind the front tire near the body, which means taking the tire off. The original U-joint uses a pinch bolt, while the aftermarket Borgeson ones use an Allen-style set screw.
Unplug the three electrical connectors for the ignition, wipers, horn, turn signals, and high beams.
Remove the two nylocks holding the steering column to the dash.
The upgraded U-joints in my car are held place with set screws instead of pinch bolts.
At this point, the entire steering column should just pull out of the car. Mine wouldn’t — the splined end of the shaft in the U-joint wouldn’t come loose. After enough pulling, I did get it free — well, most of it. The interior side of the telescoping shaft separated from the outer side, which was still stuck in the U-joint. Which was fine; I only needed the one side to weld up the cage.
Pulling out the steering column so it can be repaired.
Welding
I taught myself how to weld with oxyacetylene, a flux-core wire-fed machine, and TIG. I’m not very good at any of them, but I can make the equipment work.
I like heating a puddle with oxyfuel and adding filler, but it has limited value in a car due to the open flame and the amount of heat it splashes everywhere.
Wire-fed (which its also known as MIG when you add a shielding gas, which my machine doesn’t support) is supposed to be the easiest for beginners to pick up, but I could not get the hang of it. The way it welds as soon as the metal touches just led to a lot of sloppy welds and a mess of metal everywhere. I use it for the occasional tacks, but for any bigger project a break out the TIG machine.
TIG welding feels like an electrical version of oxyfuel welding: heat the part until there’s a puddle, then add filler as you go. It feels very controlled, especially when using a pedal to vary the amount of power going into the weld. I definitely like it the best, but I’m still not good at it at all, as you can see from my exhaust projects.
Repair and Installation
Fixing the cage was pretty simple. It only took a few minutes to weld the cage back together.
TIG welding the cage back together.
The column went back into the car without too much trouble. I had to tap it onto the telescoping part with a rubber mallet, but that wasn’t too bad. In retrospect, I should have braced a piece of wood against the metal mounting part of the shaft and hit that with the hammer like I did last time, but this worked fine.
A quick test shows that the rattle is gone, and the wheel sits at the proper height again.
Testing the repair for rattles — it’s solid now.