My Willys 3A and 3B Community
TECH FAQ SECTIONS => Chassis, brakes and suspension. => Topic started by: PES on December 29, 2025, 08:58:45 PM
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I may have messed this up and am hoping you can steer me to a solution. I overhauled my drag link and replaced a steering box seal that leaked. To do so I needed to remove my old steering wheel and decided to replace it with a similar reproduction wheel. Play has disappeared so I am pleased.
I had to bang a lot on the steering shaft with the nut installed. It did damage the threads which I dressed with a thread file.
My problem now is stiff steering where portions of the rotation take more effort and it does not straighten out on its own. Initially the steering wheel rubbed the tube ani I sprayed wd40 which helped. I could hear it rub and squeal. Now, it is less stiff but is harder to turn than I recall.
My question is if others have had problems with repro steering wheels dragging on the steering column tube or if I damaged a bearing ? When I had the box out the worm gear looked fine and I recharged it with 160 weight with no leaking. Not sure if some bearing is susceptible or if the repro wheel continues to rub n steering tube.
This is one of my winter tasks to resolve a I hope for some guidance.
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PES,
It is possible to buy a steering wheel that doesn't match the diameter/splines on the shaft. It is also possible to mis-align the splines during install too.
I do understand upgrading the steering wheel (I did) but choosing a known quality vendor helps to avoid poor fitment. If the steering wheel wouldn't fit easily, the best thing would be to return the wheel for a refund.
Forcing anything over/on threads is dicey as damage is easy to occur.
There is supposed to be a bearing assembly under the steering wheel. It is possible you may be dealing with mis-alignment or worse. You'll definitely want to see what that bearing set looks like - in case it's possible to salvage the race being off center. That top bearing assembly just sits at the top of the column (study the lip of the lower cup and you'll see tabs that should sit on the top edge of the column. If the steering column has been stretched or the lip bent, it will be an additional challenge to coax the bearing race to sit where it should.
WD-40 is good on squeaks, i.e. hinges, etc. It won't fix a bad bearing. Hopefully you smeared grease in that bearing assembly at the top of the column.
Either way, you'll need to go back in and un-fix what the hammer did. Steering isn't something you want a pop-up surprise in the middle of traffic, e.g. binding or non-response. A little play in the steering system is normal but it should turn freely without rubbing or binding.
To your question, yes trouble with a replacement steering wheel is very possible when you use a hammer to install.
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Resolved!
Steering is back to normal. This started when I pulled the steering box to replace an oil seal and to try to fix looseness in the linkages. I replaced the draglink components, replaced the seal and used the proper 160 wt fluid and put it all back together. At some point the adjusting screw and nut must have been moved. I mistakenly assumed it had not and did not check that adjustment. After setting it following the manual the tightness and disappeared - amazing how that works. I now have steering with minimal play and no leaks from the steering box so it is much happier driving. I appreciate the input from this forum - thank you!
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Glad you got it worked out!