73.5 steering wheel removal....help!!!

[KJensen]

I have a 73.5 911T and am trying to take off the steering wheel. I have twisted and removed the horn pad and am looking at a flat shiny metal plate with a small (?12mm) hole in the center. Through that hole, I can see a 27mm nut that appears to be what needs to be removed to release the steering wheel, but how to access it?? Looking at some of your other threads, it looks like the 911s or 914 style steering wheel. Any suggestions??

Thanks!!!!

[NiceT]

Sounds like you RIPPED the horn pad OFF! It should stay attached to the metal butterfly. You remove that butterfly part by gently pushing in on it and rotating it counter clockwise about 30 degrees and it pops off revealing the removal nut you see underneath. Daron

[pwd72s]

Be thankful grasshopper. The orignal "tractor" sized steering wheels are still relatively cheap through the P-car wrecked-em yards. It's the 380mm 14-6 and RS wheels that demand a premium price.

[HarryD]

Good to see you posting here. These are your shots from Pelican:






From what I see, you did not rip off the horn ring. There seems to be a strange fastener holding the wheel. Maybe one of you experts here can help him out.

[KJensen]

Thanks Harry....I would have posted here sooner, but every time I tried to add the photos, my connection froze.....too large a file, I believe. So, does anyone recognize this and know the solution?

-Keith

[HarryD]

No problem. Glad to help. The server here has "issues" but the group is a bunch of good folks. FYI, the pictures here are actually those you posted at the pelican site and I am using their hosting service to show them here.

[RussianBlue]

It looks like the wheel was never put on correctly.

I do NOT see some extra part there - it looks more like some bone head put the bolt on first - then slid the wheel as far as it would go.

If that's the case then the wheel should just pull off, but probably not easily.

My guess is that they cheezed up the spline in order to get the wheel to stay - meaning they mashed it on without lining it up correctly....

Try to pry between the nut (behind the wheel) and the back of the steering wheel with a couple of flat heads....

Let us know - very odd indeed.

[HarryD]

Would a wheel puller be a better route?

Also, could this be a "hillbilly enguneer" attempt to address the steering wheel wobble issue because the aforemetioned bonehead lost the spring and bushing that goes between the wheel and the steering column?

[rick2]

Welcome! wish I could help on the wheel but i think Russians advice may apply. 73.5 T with A/C and S gauges how about some pics?

[KJensen]

Here are a couple of pics....sorry about the lighting, but I haven't had a good chance to get better ones.