Any tricks for removing an M steering wheel?

Meangreen

Member
Went to remove the steering wheel on my M on Saturday and the darn thing wouldn't budge. I was using a 3 hook puller and ended up elongating one of the bolt holes the first time I tried to pull the steering wheel. Sprayed the sucker with some PB blaster and purchased a new puller, so I am going to try it again tonight. Looks like my steering shaft may have been cut at some point and I'm wondering if it's because they tried to remove the steering wheel before and failed.
 
If not reusing, take a cut off wheel and cut it above the keyway. That way if you get a little low with the cut it only contacts the key. Then chisel and hammer in the cut.
heat can also work but if reusing there's a chance the spokes may loosen in the hub.
Also I try not to cut the last little bit through the hub. Chisel with a long tapper in the cut will usually finish splitting the hub.
 
I usually center punch, the center of the shaft, then drill that with a 3/8 bit to make a center for the puller point to run in, and a little gun grease, and put on the Posi- Lock puller on and they come off.
 
I finally tried patience. Put on the puller, then every day or two, more heat, more PB Blaster, crank on the puller, more hot lubricating words, more heat, crank on the puller.... one day she popped loose.
 
I've had luck with soaking it for a day. Them coming back with a torch and a puller. Heatingit to cherry red and use the puller, just be carefully that the tip of the puller is on the center of the steering shaft. If it walks off center it mushroom the end of the shaft and distort the threads. It will also be useful to chase the threads with a dye, with all the heating and pulling the threads will be pretty well messed up
 
If its held on by one nut, back the nut off until its about flush with the shaft. Hit the nut with a hammer. Make sure the nut is back far enough not to damage threads on shaft. May take a pretty good hit
 
(quoted from post at 10:14:15 04/20/15) If its held on by one nut, back the nut off until its about flush with the shaft. Hit the nut with a hammer. Make sure the nut is back far enough not to damage threads on shaft. May take a pretty good hit

That trick only works if you pull back on the wheel at the same time as you hit with the hammer. Nearly impossible to do and still get a good, solid hit with the hammer. Also, sometimes that trick will have a tendency to mushroom the shaft, even with the nut still on it. When that happens, the nut will not come off, or go back on, so then you have to destroy the nut, file down the mushroomed shaft, and recut the threads.
 
Well final update: I ended up messing up a second puller, so I busted out the angle grinder and cut the old wheel off (I had a new one I was swapping anyway). Took three cuts and a bunch of beating but it's off. Clean things up last night and slid the new wheel on. Thanks for the ideas guys.
 

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