Steering Shaft Woes

[jwest]

Hey guys, need some help.

I've got some play where the steering yolk #39 clamps onto the upper splines of the intermediate steering shaft #630 (just in front of the firewall). Not alot of play, but enough to make me want to take care of it.

Anyway, is there a fix other than tearing it apart? Maybe something you can pack in there like the way you use a speedy sleeve?
I've already sheared off the clamping bolt #82 trying to tighten the yolk around the shaft splines.

If it means replacing parts, would it mean dismantling the entire steering column assembly and replacing the shaft, the yolk, or both? Can you just remove the intermediate section?

Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[jwest]

Anybody else having trouble posting pics?
A 62kb jpeg isn't uploading.
???

 

[60wag]

Are you sure the play is at the clamped end of the shaft? Usually the slip joint wears and can feel loose. If the clamp is truly loose, you could add a thin piece of shim stock to tighten it up. It might be tough to assemble it and get the shim to fold down into the grooves of the spline. Are you sure that the sheared bolt wasn't just seized and failing to clamp? Either way, resist the urge to spread the clamp open with a screwdriver. The casting is brittle and will become a two piece broken clamp with just a little force in the wrong direction. Don't ask how I know this If you do have to remove the whole steering column from the truck , don't worry, its easier than you think.

 

[jwest]

[quote author=60wag link=board=29;threadid=16339;start=msg156889#msg156889 date=1084545165]
Are you sure the play is at the clamped end of the shaft? Usually the slip joint wears and can feel loose. If the clamp is truly loose, you could add a thin piece of shim stock to tighten it up. It might be tough to assemble it and get the shim to fold down into the grooves of the spline. Are you sure that the sheared bolt wasn't just seized and failing to clamp? Either way, resist the urge to spread the clamp open with a screwdriver. The casting is brittle and will become a two piece broken clamp with just a little force in the wrong direction. Don't ask how I know this If you do have to remove the whole steering column from the truck , don't worry, its easier than you think.
[/quote]

Should mention it's an '87.

I can see slight free movement at the clamp with respect to the shaft when jiggling the steering wheel side to side. Holding the shaft against the yolk seems to get rid of it. So that's the extent of how certain i am. Otherwise, it's hard to tell since there's such little play.

The sheared bolt was a new one. I removed the old one before trying to tighten it.

Great if it could somehow be shimmed, but I see the point about it folding down into the splines which would make it hard to assemble.

Is that shaft #630 a true telescopic slip joint? Meaning, can you loosen the lower clamp at the steering box, compress the shaft, and then pull it down from the top?

If replacing, do you change the shaft or the clamp (yolk and u-joint) or both?

 

[Cruisergreg]

FYI: the slip joint in 87 and later 60s is different than the earlier ones, which did tend to wear and cause a "click." The later joint doesn't seem to have that problem. I'd check the u-joints if the clamp is not your problem.

 

[jwest]

Both of you doubted it was a clamping problem.


It's the upper u-joint.