Steering Column
 

Ok so I went away to replave the steering column to hopefully get rid of that awful judder in idle. But, I can't get the bolt off of the universal joint. Any ideas? I haven't stripped the dash off etc as can be seen in Hayes so I don't have a lot of room but the job was done to that point. In the end I've had to put everything back until I can figure out how to get the bolt off. It just span and span and span.

The only part of the dash I removed was the lower cover.
Good luck. The result was well-worth the effort. Vibration totally gone.

How did you get the bolt off at the bottom of column? Am assuming maybe mole grips to hold the shaft? Mine is all blind apart from the nut at the end.

If memory serves me right, the bolt head is captive with a lug held in a slot. I could be wrong, memory not as good as it used to be. I certainly had no problem removing the nut, except the limited space under the dashboard and me not being little.
Have you read Rich17865's marvellous How-to? There are some very good pictures there.

what is the cause for the vibration?

In my case, it was excess play in the lower bush of the steering column.

Which hopefully is whats setting the dashboard to buzzing every so often. Incidentally the bolt as Rimmers describes it is 'Bolt-flanged head'. Its got a blank head like an oversized nail at the end, mine just spins and spins when I try to free the nut. From the mark on my steering wheel someone's attempted this already and gotten probably to where I got to and stopped as the mark on the steering wheel maybe coincidentally is where Rich's amended LHD mark is. The steering column however is still the blue tabbed RHD one though.

So, if the bolt is spinning the head is no longer captive. If the bolt is not spinning the thread is stripped. Any idea which?
I don't suppose there is a lot of room for mole grips. Any chance of getting a nut splitter in? Junior hacksaw? I am no expert, just trying to offer suggestions.
Good luck.

The bolts spinning. Brian (Marinabrian) says the captive bolt is also diamond shaped as he was coincidentally doing an R75 steering rack this weekend. Mine from memory looked like a greyish/silver round cylinder, certainly not the brassy golden thing I was expecting. If I get the chance next weekend I'll strip the interior out again and see what it looks like. If I'd have seen edges I'd have tried a spanner though so I'm pretty sure the middle of the bolt is round. Funnily I also remember its larger than the shaft of the bold which is why I wondered if someone had put a sleeve on it.

Hi Alan, the best way of describing the bolt is to look at this picture.......

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...2&d=1491163802

Item 7 is the bolt in question, the shank of the bolt forms an elongated "diamond" which prevents the rotation of the bolt as it comes up hard against one of the flats on the pinion.

Think of the pinion joint as looking like an elongated "D", the bolt "diamond" is nearest the upright of the "D" and the universal joint curves around the rest.

The part number of the bolt is QLF100000 and is a whole £1.28 :eek:

So you could order one, then cut the old one off if required ;)

Brian :D