Steering column won't go back in....
 

I'm in the process of putting my new steering rack back in. And it is in (except for one bolt lol). Everything is connected and screwed into place. Now time to reconnect the steering column with the steering rack.

But.... I can't get it back in.

As I read on this forum, I had to undo a bolt and it would slide off. Well, in fact it was more like: undo a bolt and I could hammer it off.... But that was partly due to the steering rack hanging loose at the time.

Now I'm trying to put the steering column back over the steering rack and put the bolt back in. But it won't fit. It simply won't slide on. At one point it would kinda stick to it after pushing really hard. But even a gentle tap from the hammer wouldn't move it further over the pointy bit.

I'm at this point:
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/a...psopijivpg.jpg
But I can't even get it to slide over the pointy bit as far as the one in the picture.

Maybe if you pull it back up about 1/8" and try tapping it on?

No luck. The problem is mostly that it won't grab onto the pointy bit, so as soon as I release it to grab a hammer (or similar) it will just fall off. It won't stay in place. Tried to get somebody to help me with it, but the room in the footwell is just so small that the other person couldn't reach in.

The picture above isn't mine, I stole it from somebody else but it depicts the stage where I'm at. The difference is that in my case the joint (shown here to be half on/off) is completely off.

Doesn't look like there is enough room for a G clamp, but I would be looking for something like that to squeeze it back in place. Dunno if that helps.
Maybe twist it 90 degrees and use a clamp with the handle sticking out of the hole and put the bolt in from the side?

How about loosening off all the fixings for the column . It will then have a bit of wriggle room to get the joint together . Bolting everything up first before making the joint is not helping in my opinion.

It might need opening up a bit to fit because it's held by a pinch bolt..maybe slightly deformed. You could use some nuts and a bit of screwed rod or threaded bolt. or do as Roverp480 says slack the column and shove it on away from the pinch point.

That idea with the rod and some nuts sounds easy enough. The column is fairly loose. Enough to move it around a bit.

The column is actually fairly loose. I can move it around a bit. Enough to get it into position without much problem. Its just that the metal sleeve won't slide over the pointy bit lol.

That is also an interesting idea. I don't have the G-clamp, but I think I have something similar that might be small enough to fit in there.

Hi Vinnie
have you tried pushing the swivel knuckle back then inserting, then pull it back to lock on after ?

https://i.imgur.com/CjXS2RFl.jpg?1

I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean with that Arctic.

I think there a couple of "misdirections" at play here. First up is that you put up a picture of someone else's steering column connection that does not illustrate the problem that you have. The other is a reference to "inserting" and a "pointy" part.

As I see it there is nothing to insert. I think the "pointy" part must be the square end of the shaft coming into the car from the steering rack (or maybe an intermediate shaft from the rack?). I think the problem you are having is that the coupler that the pinch bolt goes through AFTER is fitted over the flats of the "intermediate" shaft is not spread apart enough to actually fit over the flats.

If this is so, then Rustymotor has what I think is the best solution. Get a bolt the same size and length as the pinch bolt or even a bit longer and threaded all the way to the bolt head. You need 2 nuts for this bolt. Those nuts go in between the "jaws" of the coupler. Put the long bolt through as the pinch bolt would go, but thread the two nuts onto the bolt in between the two "jaws". Then maybe those nuts can be tightened against the inside of the "jaws" using two open end wrenches to spread the "jaws" a bit so they can now easily slide on over the flats of the intermediate shaft (after you've removed the bolt and nuts) and then be re-clamped by the original pinch bolt.

I know this is a more simplistic explanation than you need, but it might also help someone else in the future (unless I've completely misunderstood the problem).

Cheers,
Glenn