What's wrong with my steering column?

[Clarky_X]

I had a problem with my self cancelling not working on my indicators. I couldn't seem to get the studs on the indicator ring aligned with the Momo boss holes. The car went into a garage for some welding and to get my horn working for the MOT and they fitted my replacement indicator stalk. When they did the steering wheel up they crushed the indicator ring inner sleeve. So I got another one last week, and I've just knackered it myself.

I put the replacement on yesterday and it was all working fine off the car, nice and smooth, but when I put the wheel back on and did up the nut (not too tight) and took it out for a run, the wheel came loose. So I went home and nipped it up a little tighter, and snap, the black bits inside the purple ring, crushed. B0ll0cks.

So something isn't right, is there supposed to be a washer under the centre nut, cos the garage binned it? I think the correct torque is only 42NM so not much, but my torque wrench starts at 80NM so I just nip it up with a regular ratchet.

Here are some pics of my steering.

Here is the steering column, the thread is a bit rough at the end, but the nut still goes on fine.



Here is the column with the indicator ring pushed right back


Here is the back of the momo boss, look how far down inside the splines start, so it has to go on quite a way before they even engage.


This is what the boss looks like, it's got crud round the top edge because it goes inside the cowling if the cowling is fitted, and if I don't file enough off the cowling to open the hole up then the boss files its own hole.


This picture shows how much gap there is when the splines have only just engaged, the ring has already been pushed in a little way.


And this is how much gap there is when the nut is done up tight enough to stop it coming loose when driving, it has already crushed the black inner sleeve as the ring has gone back as far as it can and exposed the black guides, then the boss just crushes them.


So what is wrong with my car? It is a genuine momo boss for a mk1 MR2 that I paid a fortune for direct from momo about a year ago. Please help.

It annoyingly squeaks and creeks too, it did that before I tightened it down and broke the bush/guide. Presumably plastic rubbing. When I took the previous indicator assembly off it had started wearing down the brass sprung pin already and it had only been on a couple of weeks.

[greglebon]

Steve.

This is EXACTLY the problem I had with the 2 x Ebay bosses: I narrowed it down to the angle and depth of the taper on the boss.

This is why I had to modify the brass pin on the VX200 wheel / boss assembly. I replaced the indicator assembly with a decent one after the same "crushing" happened with me. I had to machine the boss to get it to fit.

I actually bought an OEM steering wheel to compare everything, and found that the taper was basically too deep on one of the bosses: this resulted in a crushed purple bit when the centre nut was tightened.....

On the other one I had, the taper was a different angle to stock: end result...the same..!

My final solution was to cut up the OEM wheel, and basically fabricate a new 6-hole boss from scratch...this obviously HAD to work...and did (I sold it to a Swedish rally driver).

However, I decided Ilike the VX wheel in the meantime, so had to go through the "modding" process with the 2nd Ebay boss.

I have posted about this before, somewhere (either on here, or on the SC forum..?)

Its surprising (and annoying!) how critical the actual measurements are...?

I would have thought a GENUINE momo boss would be good.......?

.......but you can never be sure what you're buying, these days....... Everything seems to be Chinese fakes.....!?

[Clarky_X]

I think I bought the wheel and boss from potn, but the delivery note was direct from momo as it was either made to order or just out of stock. So the boss must be good, not a fake. Did you mod the column at all. The threads look a bit chewed, did you have to dye a new thread on?

[greglebon]

No mods to the column, no....

As these are cast, and for an older car, maybe the tolerances are not as tight as Toyota..?

I recall that the Toyota part had much more definition than both of the copies: the pic of your Momo looks like the copies did, tbh.....

The bottom face of the Toyota wheel boss was machined: the holes for the cancel mechanism were smaller, too, as I recall.....?

Maybe Momo simply buy them in, these days...?

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic. ... wheel+boss

Thats one of the posts: there are defo several other refs to this from around the same time....

[Clarky_X]

I had almost binned the vx220 wheel and boss after I got my momo set up. Fortunately it was still in the garage. I have removed the boss fabrication pieces you made and think I will have to find a way of fixing them to the back of the momo boss unobtrusivly and making a sort of sandwich plate between the boss and indicator stalk. Hopefully, if your narrower splined hole prevents anything going too far down the column but doesn't take up too much extra space I will still be able to get the centre nut on the thread. Just need to put a couple of studs on your piece so it turns with the wheel maybe either that or drill the momo boss and bolt on like you did. Rather not butcher the momo though.

[Clarky_X]

All sorted with a column swap. Don't really know what was wrong, but the replacement column just looked in better general condition. The Momo boss fits and doesn't crush the indicators. It is still quite close in terms of the amount of travel left before the purple ring exposes the inner bush, but it works and is no longer failing the MOT on that bit. (Still iffy rear calipers).