The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Mine won't stay where it is when it has been tightened up. It just drops down to the lowest height position. There is only one flat washer against the adjuster handle. There were 2 but I took one of them out since the car was put back on the road. I've noticed with some others that there is a rubber washer. Will this make any difference?

Put the other washer back.

Dave

The spring there between the column clamp isn't it.

Paul

This is the page from the post-76 parts catalogue.


Matt, I had the problem before I took the washer out.
Paul, I don't know about the spring. I'll have to take a look at James' resto thread. He did his steering column recently so I might glean something from there.

Dave

You need to knock the cottle pin out DS1318 - this will allow you to remove the long bolt 156858 once you have removed the black handle 628400 then the column will drop allowing you access to the steering cloumn clamp to check to see whether the spring is there. Be careful as if is there it will ping out whilst your drop the column.

When you are refitting it make sure the machine slot or groove in the threaded bolt aligns with the cottle pin hole - if you dont the pin won't slide in all the way.
Paul

I stripped a column recently for core so have the complete clamp assembly with spring I can let you have; I'll put it with your wheels!

Many thanks Alun.

Paul, I'll take a look in the morning. I might be struggling to get the pin out. I've never touched it during my ownership. I think I'll need a suitable pin punch. This is something I don't have.

Dave

Slight tap with a panel pin hammer / pin punch and its out - its not that tight.

Its a bit of a crued method - tenner screw driver (chocy block size) and a small hammer and its out.

Paul

I had the problem of the steering wheel moving down when clamped. I just simply spun off the adjuster wheel and removed the steel washer, and put a rubber washer on, then the steel one, and spun back on the adjuster wheel and it has been rock solid since. Looks like I've accidentally cured it but not in the right way!

Edit: Knew I'd seen this in a thread recently:



viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27969&start=195

Matt, you were right! It needed more than 1 washer.

I bought a centre punch set from my local Toolstation and the pin came out without any difficulty. When I got the clamp off everything was present and correct.


I painted the clamp while it was off and I noticed that the wire for the indicator stalk was incorrectly routed so I ended up dismanting half the steering column to get access to the parts so I could correctly reroute the wire. I reassembled everything and I used 3 washers with the adjusting handle and it clamps up nice and tight. Success!

James467's recent work on his steering column in his resto thread was a big help to me in making sure I'd reassembled everything correctly.

Mines the same - nothing wrong with it, all present and correct, but it wont work with only 1 washer...
I think its probably a tolerance issue, the thread is a little too short to allow the clamp to clamp up really tight.
Typical BL

It took it down to my local Asda (half a mile away) and it hasn't moved so it is definitely fixed.

Nice work Dave well done

matt of the vivas wrote:Mines the same - nothing wrong with it, all present and correct, but it wont work with only 1 washer...
I think its probably a tolerance issue, the thread is a little too short to allow the clamp to clamp up really tight.
Typical BL

More like BL used a spacer washer or a extra thick washer rather than a standard washer - mine has only one washer and it nylon which are thicker.

Paul

Even more likely they got the dimensions wrong and a parts supplier made what they asked for and so they fitted it anyway and just put 2 washers on.....................just a factory bodge