Steering column bush - "Bush-in-ell!!"

[nitram]

just to be brief, the lower steering bush has popped out, since replacing all of my subframe bushes as doing a pair at a time (front then back), well pleased with job i had done, when moving onto my next job i had noticed the steering wheel had a lot of up and down movement!
Realising what had happened I then thought I wished I hadn't undone the pinch bolt nearest the rack as this may be the cause of the bush falling out. I thought that this would aid movement in the subframe, the lower steering bush is now resting on the intermediate shaft. I've tried by various methods to push it back in but can't.

What's my next step??? do I need to take the intermediate shaft off to tap it back on or is there another way!

[Carledo]

Someone will no doubt correct me if i'm wrong but I thought the bush was supposed to be fitted with the lip inside the car making your scenario impossible without the bush splitting in half.
Check and see if there's any bush left inside the car - you may need a new bush and yes it is necessary to remove the column from the upper knuckle to do it.

Steve

[nitram]

are you saying the bush is upside down? in other words should it be pressed downwards from inside the car and not put in from the engine side?

[80Sprint]

Chamfered side in the engine bay. I think you have it the wrong way round

[nitram]

Many thanks. will have to turn it the right way up then, was put in wrong then, not by me

i suspose i would have to mark the splines going into the knuckle so that it goes back in the the same postion, keeping steering wheel straight and wheels straight ahead

[Jon Tilson]

Indeed...sometiomes you need to take the mounting pate off to get the bush pressed in. It goes with the flat washer inside the car.

Have the wheels dead staright and you will find it easy to realign the column when refitting.

Jonners

[Mad Mart]

I was going to say that I've never come across a Sprint with the bush fitted from the inside, that was until I looked at VHKs this morning. I've always fitted them from the engine bay side but I don't see a problem fitting them from the inside.

This is taken fron the Sprint repair manual...

[Toledo Man]

Mart, the post-'76 parts catalogue shows it a bit better:


Although this page is for the curved dash cars the bush & plate is the same for all the other cars (except for the 1300 & 1300TC). In the 1500fwd parts catalogue the bush appears to be fitted from the engine side and for some other models the bush isn't shown.

[Essexwriter]

Mine has just popped out. And I did a 180 deg skid going into a roundabout. Scary.

Seems to be fitted from the engine bay side too.

How did you get on when you refitted yours?

Cheers,

Ben

[Jon Tilson]

While it can be fitted from either side I would say its best put in from under the dash, not the engine bay side. The up and down or in and out movement of the
column while adjusting and maybe even driving will push the bush down and out if its fitted from the engine side. Once its out it cant locate the column, which wont help with steering precision.

Obvious if you think about it.

Jonners

[Toledo Man]

Whichever way it was originally fitted, a new one should be fitted from the inside. BL realized this when they rationalized the Dolomite range in 1976 as that page from the parts catalogue demonstrates. Besides, I don't think there's much room to fit it from the outside as there's little clearance between the plate and the ridge at the end of the column where the topmost pinch bolt locates.

[TrustNo1]

Although this page is for the curved dash cars the bush & plate is the same for all the other cars (except for the 1300 & 1300TC). In the 1500fwd parts catalogue the bush appears to be fitted from the engine side and for some other models the bush isn't shown.

The plate may be different on the 1300's but I'm sure the bush is the same.

[Jon Tilson]

All my early cars, one of which still has its OE bush IIRC, had them fitted from inside the car....
I don't think rationalisation had anything to do with it. Probably just a correction to prevent incorrect fitting.

Jonners

[Essexwriter]

Thanks for the advice. I managed with great difficult to push it back in from the engine side. I couldn't take the column off as I have no shear bolts, so will get a mechanic to fit poly bushes all round next month when I get all the pre MOT stuff done.

Steering now much better though - back to where I was before.

[Jon Tilson]

You dont need to do the sheer bolts.....

Just take the column away from the bulkhead (3 bolts) up behind the dash on struts, and maybe the parcel tray brace bar (cant remember) and undo the top pinch bolt on the intermediate shaft and it will just pull out. Then stick the bush in from the right side and put it all back...

1 hour tops.

You dont want any more nasty moments.

Jonners