Steering bearings? Or something worse

[scouthead]

huh. thats cool. i almost want one just to have on the shelf...

but on the other hand, my full manual K5 blazer is the only Saginaw column i currently own... and it aint the wussy tilt version.

back in my day... you sucked it in, adjusted your SEAT up to the wheel, had a pedal for each foot, and reached for the stick shift... up hill in the snow! -BOTH WAYS!!

 

[scouthead]

back in the before times -before the sissy tilt columns- we appreciated what we had, rarely talked back to our elders and considered ourselves lucky just to go a day without passengers saying stupid things like "the metal next to the window hit me in the head"... or, "why doesn't the air conditioning work??"

 

[pparker]

Got the tool j-41688 on ebay for $4.00

Should be better than fighting tooth and nail for an hour hopefully.

Ordered updated balljoint made with better plastic lol, so hopefully i dont drive into oncoming traffic was $8 on rockauto i should just buy two, gm26026564

New bearings on amazon for $40 gm part 7844651

Hope this helps someone else, it took a bunch of time to make sure these were right parts.

I ordered lower bearing its a dorman part at oriellys dont remember part number but it was $30.

Should have a new steering column by the tome this over with, will definately NEVER use steering wheel to climb in and out. Pretty sure this was the cause. Between the previous handicap owner and my dad who is also pretty old and weak used it to climb in.

 

[scouthead]

I had to tighten the bolts up on a tilt column suburban once, but never even occurred to me you could service or repair this stuff further down the pipe. all interesting.

hope i don't need to remember all of this for some future truck

 

[Wes Harden]

At the agency I was a tech at I loved those loose bolts. Paid 4.5 hours and rarely took me 2.

I put a gab handle above each door, to assist entry. The wife, who will and does drive the burb, has explicit instructions not to grab the steering wheel to get in the truck.

 

[scouthead]

how often do people see them loosen up again after tightening? it took a lifetime for most of them to get annoying the first time??

 

[Wes Harden]

I was doing some under warranty, most were customer pay. So they were several years old. I have only done mine once not long after it came into my possession.

 

[6872xtc]

how often do people see them loosen up again after tightening? it took a lifetime for most of them to get annoying the first time??

I try not to grab the steering wheel to get in, but I have done it more than once. I do pay attention to if it gets any play, but also have another column ready to go in whenever I get ambitious. So far, no problem. Only a matter of time, I believe.

 

[pparker]

Be a couple weeks till all the parts come in, ill post pics when i tear apart.