VW Mk1/A1 Steering Column Rebuild and Bearing Replacement
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- Video including steering lock cylinder removal and ignition switch replacement.
0:00 Introduction
0:40 Tools and parts
0:47 Steering column removal
3:50 Steering column disassembly
9:39 Lock cylinder removal
10:48 Ignition switch replacement
11:24 Steering column reassembly
14:45 Steering column reinstallation
Kneeboard removal video coming soon!
Tools/Parts Required:
- Steering lock housing 321905851D
- Ignition switch 111905865L amzn.to/3iX02Hy
- Bushing rebuild kit mk1engineering.com/products/v...
- Silicone grease amzn.to/3p3GA0d
Torque specs:
- Steering column bolts: 10nm or 87in-lbs
- Steering lock column retaining bolt: 10nm or 87in-lbs
- Steering wheel with airbag: 40nm or 30ft-lbs
- Steering wheel without airbag: 50nm or 37ft-lbs
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Disclaimer: The amazon links are affiliate links. Qualifying purchases will result in Oli getting a very small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my channel!
Part numbers included in the bushing kit:
- Lower steering column bearing 171419517
- Lower steering column race 171419518A
- Upper steering column bushing 171 419 341 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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Just a note for all without a collapsible steering column. This bearing kits doesn’t fit and you need to get the cheaper and simpler bottom bearing. (Vw heritage) supply
Comment pinned to the top. Thank you for the info! Mind including a part number? Then I’ll also update the description!
I like the details and simplicity of your videos. And the fact that you are mostly using the simplest tools, tools that most of DIY already have in garage. Adding torque required for for each bolt is also priceless.
My goal is to make them such that most people can fix all of these problems themselves. I also always get extremely frustrated when people make great videos but don’t include the torque spec. So I decided to start a revolution and include torque spec in videos!
Some slight sarcasm, but hopefully more people include the torque spec. Properly tightening bolts is just such an important part of properly fixing cars.
3:07 German Engineering tab from hell, thank you so much for the video
I watched your videos like 100 times while rebuilding my 81 pickup caddy. Videos of very well done and informative and really appreciate your help!
Great video! You detailed the removal, rebuild and reinstall very clearly and concisely. For anyone that has an old VW it only make sense to have your column rebuilt for a safe enjoyable rattle-free ride. Good job! 👍
I also really like that complete rebuild kit from Mk1engineering. It's reasonably priced, and that all-metal bearing with the knurled race to prevent the bearing popping off the column tube is brilliant! That was the problem I had with my car.
When I got the car I noticed it had a very clunky 'loose' steering wheel, especially when you loaded the steering wheel up and down, and it rattled like mad going over bumps. I looked under the dash and noticed that the lower column bearing slipped off it's plastic race and dangle on the steering column just outside the steering tube. It seemed that the plastic bearing race retainer had disintegrated and allowed the bearing to slip off the race. That explained the little white plastic bits I found on the floor mat. Without that bearing support the column shaft slopped around inside the steering tube, hence the knocking, rocking, loose steering wheel. Not good!
To fix it I bought a special 'lower steering column bearing repair collar' from Mk1 Autohaus. It's a split design and slips around the column and bolts into place on the steering shaft to retain the bearing on the race in the column tube. It fixed the problem and has worked for close to 15 years now. But after seeing this video I think it's time to put a rebuild on my to-do list!
BTW - If you want to check out some pics of my car go to the Imgur website and search for "My 1984 Jetta GLi coupe". Cheers from Canada!
Ah yes, that lower repair collar is also pretty popular.
But now that this kit is out, it’s pretty easy to replace everything and make it like new.
It’s not too difficult of a procedure either. Just takes an afternoon.
And sweet, I will check out the pictures!
I wonder if using both is a good idea? Is the mk1engineering kit that you used different in some way that would reassure the installer that it would last longer than the original one from the factory?
@@PanzyPatrol most definitely. The bearing race is made of aluminum not plastic. The bearing never failed. Just the plastic holding in the race (it actually hadn’t failed in my car yet, but I wanted to replace the parts as I figured it would fail eventually).
@@OlisGarage Please consider not recommending Mk1Engineering bearing. They sold me 3 of them, all three out of spec and too tight on the race after pressed in. They won't reply emails and won't refund. Went with perfect tech-53 bearing. There are many people like complaining on vwvortex.
I didn’t have a press to get that bearing installed in the steering tube. I sanded mine down with emery cloth, taking off a few thousandth of an inch at a time to get it half way in the tube, than gently tapping it in as much as possible. I used a 1” plastic plumbing PCV end cap to tap it down evenly. I wasn’t able to tap it all the way flush with the tube, but only 1/8” short. I found a 6” C clamp worked great to seat that steal spring clip. Hook the top of the spring in, and with the C clamp, it just snapped in beautifully. Re-assembled and it works great. Now my 81 Scirocco can hit the road again. 👍🏻😀
Nice work grinding it down just a tad. That’s a good idea.
I’ll have to remember the c clamp trick for when I pull the column on the white mk1.
Safe driving!
@@OlisGarage thanks. I was trying to find a press for the other two steering columns I need to do. No luck. I’ll sand the others down a little to fit. Have fun with your Mk1 rabbit. 👍🏻
@@andrerodriguez7603 if you have a little bit of cash, I recommend just buying a press. Mine is the bigger one from harbor freight (definitely not the highest quality Chinese product…)
But, it does the job and has done many wheel bearings and motor mounts.
Good luck to you and your cars as well!
@@OlisGarage Thanks, I’ll look at your video again to see your press setup. I can use a press for sure. It’s hard to find a machine shop these days to press in motor mounts. And hub bearings. Have you seen the videos from “the Rusty Rabbit”? He is a hoot to see. I’ll keep watching your videos too. 👍
@@andrerodriguez7603 I was a bit hesitant at first to buy the press because it wasn’t that cheap, but it was very worth it.
I’ve seen a few of his videos but need to watch more. He is super knowledgeable from what I’ve seen.
I just had the steering column bearing in my Scirocco fall out. Thanks for this video!
much thanks for posting this. the part i was really interested in was at 3:18
i didn't know what that clip looked like that held in the steering column leaf spring. after seeing this was able to go through the spare parts bins and find it.
Can we get a shifter bushing rebuild video soon? TH-cam really needs a good one!
You know, I think I will order those parts and make it one of my next videos. It's a pretty simple procedure. I've just been holding off because I want to buy an upgrade kit that costs around $200.
Just did exactly this about week ago! Wish your video had been out earlier lol!
Well hey, I’m glad you were able to do it! It’s not too difficult of a repair, but definitely a bit tedious
Same here, I did mine a couple of weeks ago. I wished for exactly this video also. Thanks for putting this up. 👍🏻😀
Very thorough tutorial. You are our video version of the Bentley manual. Great job
I appreciate the kind words! That is my goal - to make video tutorials of every repair (within reason) for these cars. The Bentley is great, but sometimes videos just really make things easier
Seriously anyone who is doing this be super careful to not collapse the steering column, it is really easy to do and its a pain to get back out after. I measured 116mm from the collapsible inlet just to the first edge of the bearing race that slides on over the shaft, its probably different for everyone. Hope that helps if any of you all accidentally collapse it :D and forget to vice it down on the correct side.
Yep, i did that. didn't even know the thing could move but found out when putting it back together and it didn't look right.
Well done with this video! Very descriptive and detailed. 👍🏼
Glad you found it useful!
You are great explaining, Just have to do something with your vise base.
Another Great Video, Thanks!
great vid dude! did mine a year ago using the very same repair kit from mk1 engineering. Unfortunately EU build cars have different steering columns and I couldn't use it, so I ended up manufacturing a different definitive fix for the steering column. Had it in the car for over a year and it is working perfectly!
Props for very thorough how to on the whole steering column assembly!
Oh wow, I had no idea that they would be different.
I’ll be completely honest and say that filming this was a bit difficult, just because I wanted to include as much information as possible.
@@OlisGarage yeah I didn't know too before I took it all apart... And I belive you! It is a shit ton of work! As I said, props for doing these how-tos! This will help a great number of people!
Great vid Oli thanks.
Hello very good job .merci pour les vidéos Christophe France.
Thanks for sharing your experiences like this. I watched this video several times before starting my rebuild. I bought the same rebuild kit too. I was assembling everything and noticed that I am missing the upper column sleeve. No one seems to have it in stock. I was wondering if you could get pictures and measurements of one (hoping you have a spare). I was thinking about trying to model one for 3D printing. Thanks.
Yes they do Oli. Tech-53 makes a lower bearing support retainer. Just FYI. Great video btw, thank you for making it!
Appreciate it! I’ve seen those retainers, but they don’t fix the actual issue, but they are definitely a good temporary fix.
@@OlisGarage yah those work pretty decent. Its not 100% but its a ton better than what it was before.
What about the lower spring missing between the U joint and colum shaft?
you could use a vice grip to push the clip down so u can remove the plate ceep in mind that the vice grip must be big enough so it wonnt damage fhe front of the clip.
Hi, am i able to drive the car even if its falling out of its spot? i can try to add my own bushing to keep it from coming out all the way but thats all i can do for now until im off work
Is there a way to adjust the length from the end of the sleeve to the end of the shaft, putting new bearings on my column but I’m getting ~43mm
Don't use silicone grease or spray. Once you contaminate your tools, it spreads to everything you touch. MEK and acetone will not dissolve it. Soap and water will not get it all off your hands. It persists tenaciously. Then, when you wish to glue or paint something in your contaminated shop, you will find it difficult (or impossible) to get a good bond. Dupont did come out with a special (and expensive) solvent specifically for removing silicone, but it's better to save silicones for high-temp applications where nothing else will work. Petroleum greases work just fine for almost everything and can be easily washed away. Thanks for the good tutorial bro.
Just want to give a heads up that the MK1 engineering bearing kit has issues with clearances between the inner and outer race. My inner race was more than 5 thou too large to fit inside of the outer race. No support from Mk1 or the eBay store I purchased the part from.
Thank you, I’ll update the link in description to another site.
Same Issue! I purcahsed a 2nd kit thinking it was something I did. I even picked up a 2nd housing thinking someting was wrong with mine. Ordered a tech53 no response from mk1 engineering
Great thorough clear pro video Oli-thank you. Prior to ordering the kit I am wondering about the bearing in the ignition lock assembly. You tried to press it out, could it have been regreased, was the wear that bad or a lot less than the lower bearing.
Bearing deformed when I pressed it out. I didn’t notice it until I reinstalled everything and the column just didn’t spin well. If you don’t have much play in the bearing, there is no reason you couldn’t leave it in the aluminum piece to clean and then regrease.
Hey Oli, great videos. I am restoring a 91 Cabriolet and you have helped me immensely. Thank you! I also purchased the MK1 Engineering kit and so far it is very well built. However, like Steve below it has the spring, coupler and C ring instead of the plastic sleeve. How the heck do you reinstall this? I have tried everything and can't seem to get it to fit properly. Even the Bentley manual does not have the pictures of the diagrams correct. Please help!
I’ve never seen the spring, but I do believe that they exist! Someone told me that they used a car door spring compressor.
Hey Oli! I could really use your help…I was able to figure out how to get the knee board out, and I changed out the ignition switch, but I’m stuck trying to get it back together…my ‘92 has a little different set up with a spring, metal coupler, and “c” ring holding the aluminum ignition switch housing on to the steering column. Yours appears to have a plastic sleeve instead. Any ideas on how to compress the spring in order to get to c-ring back into the channel on the steering column? I have pics if that would help….
Shoot me an email. It’s listed on the “about” page of the channel
You ever think about doing an aftermarket steering wheel? I only ask because thats where I'm at on my project and I use your videos for just about everything
I honestly have never wanted to install one. However, my understanding is that you need an adaptor for it. I think that adaptors are fairly common for the VW hub. After that you just basically install it like normal. Check vwvortex. Use the search function and limit it to the mk1, mk2, and cabriolet sections and you can probably find some good info.
Socket head cap screw is the technical term for what you call a hex key
Boom, thank you. I sometimes forget the correct words.
how do I uncollapse the steering column
I have a spring between the U joint and colum shaft, maybe because mine its a EU car? also I cant reasembly the wheel because I have less than 41 cm clearance
I got to the part where you put the steering column back into the black metal shell that goes around the column. I went to put it in but for some reason the metal race gets stuck on the pins in the new bearing.
Does anyone know what I did wrong or how to fix it?
Same problem here…
Same problem here. Ended up collapsing the steering column attempting to get it on. No support for MK1.
same issue found a thread on vwvortex stating issues with kits. I purchased 2 from mk1 engeering no response from them. I ended up ordering a tech53 kit
@@maddan417
hey, don’t know if you respond to old post, but i’m having difficulty getting the steering wheel back on, it almost as though the threading got shorter, maybe there something i did that messed it up. is there a solution for this?
It sounds like your steering column collapsed a bit. You’ll have to remove it again and make sure it’s long enough. Somewhere else here on a video someone commented on the total length of the column. Unfortunately I don’t have the number off hand!
How long did it take for the bearing kit to come in the mail for you?
I honestly do not remember. I was out of town when I ordered it. How long have you been waiting? I’m pretty certain that it’s a one man show at mk1engineering. So just keep that in mind.
Forgive my ignorance, I don't know VWs. Will this mk1 kit work for a 1988 Cabriolet? Very thorough video and I am excited about working on it. Thanks!
Absolutely will work!
Let me know how it goes replacing it.
Hello please make a video on how to change wiper levers
I will make one! For now, search my channel for windshield wipers and click on the vanagon video. It’s almost the exact same.
Good tip on not messing with the copper bearing - ty. Is that plastic spacer just to space the gap for the horn? Hoping it wont need to be that accurate with mine. Different style horn.
You know, I’m not 100% sure anymore. I think it’s supposed to help with the spacing. But with torquing the steering wheel to 40nm, I feel like that would squish a plastic spacer sleeve. So now I’m not quite sure.
@@OlisGarage that's a good point, I think I can help explain that. Its the taper after the spline. You get a huge torque load on it without compressing the sleeve.
@@json8172 correct. That’s why I’m not exactly sure what the role of the sleeve is. All of the “adjustments” are basically already set in stone with the welded metal piece on the steering column.
@@OlisGarage It looks like it does nothing on mine as well. I am now really unsure why its even there in the first place now lol. Another strange quirky design from vw. Just odd they would give you a measurement for it, when it doesnt really do anything?
Where are the linked videos you say
@OlisGarage Another great video. I've noticed that a few of your videos reference a kneeboard removal, however I can't seem to find that. Am I missing it somewhere? In order to complete this project and a few others i need to remove my kneeboard. Thanks again!!!
Ah you caught me. I haven’t filmed that yet. Mainly because…I’ve been avoiding removing the knee board.
There is a written document on cabby-info that has steps how to do it.
Don’t attempt it by yourself. Make sure you have someone there willing to help you
@@OlisGarage It's that bad huh? lol. I'll check out Cabby-info and recruit a helper for the job. Thanks again!
@@staceybsnyder it’s not terrible, it’s just not ideal. Awkward angles, awkwardly heavy knee board. With two it’s no problem though!
@@OlisGarage Ok, thanks again. Gonna attempt to convert my airbag wheel/column to a non airbag wheel/column so figured i'd rebuild the whole thing with new parts while i'm there. This video is awesome. Your videos are so awesome!!
@@staceybsnyder any reason to go to the non airbag? I only ask because honestly I don’t think that juice is worth the squeeze
Hi I can't find your kneeboard removal video. Is it out there yet?
Not yet. I’m going to make it soon.
How did you remove the knee pad shelf and doe’s it need to be removed to get the steering column out?
It has to be removed. It’s a pain. Cabby-info has a guide on the website. I haven’t gotten around to filming it yet
@@OlisGarage okay thank you and I appreciate the help and keep up with the amazing work and I figured out how it comes out and now I just gotta rebuild the steering column and put it back into my 1980 vw caddy
Where can I buy that kit for the steering column??
Link is in the description!
Oli, do you happen to offer the service of rebuild a rack and pinion? It’s a 1991 Cabriolet 1.8
Thank you,
I have not tackled that job yet. Steering columns I can rebuild, but I have not messed with the rack and pinion yet. Is yours leaking?
@@OlisGarage Thank you for the prompt reply. The boots have a “L” shape adapters which connect both boots with an aluminum line. One of those “L”’s is the only part that is leaking.
I could soooooo use that kneeboard removal video right now! ETA??
Ooff. Hard question. I have yet to remove a knee board since starting the channel as I’m avoiding that like the plague. But I haven’t forgotten. However there is a picture guide available on cabby-info dot com.
Where are u frm
Please do climate control lights and cluster from stock to LED please, from Zar (South Africa)
I’ve got the instrument cluster filmed. Just have to edit and upload. I haven’t forgotten, I promise!
Climate control is a bit of a pain. You have to carefully dissect the female end of the plug to "reveal" the bulb socket, then pull it out, put an LED in it and friction fit the socket back into the plug. pasteboard.co/oNAnvLoEo7aI.png
pasteboard.co/PCGawwPvZcp3.png
It’s not bushing it’s the inner race of the bearing
The column does not need to be removed to to do the bearing replacement!
Really? To me it just seems to much easier to remove it and be able to get to everything.
And as with everything, there are almost always three repairs that can be done when one takes something apart. So taking it out might not be a bad idea.
@@OlisGarage getting that spring clip back in on the column can be a real pain.
@@omnicho getting it on was fairly straight forward I found. Getting it off was a bit tricky.
Either way I’d personally rather remove the column. Hard to press in a bearing race without the column removed….
@@OlisGarage just pull the bearing in from the bottom using a threaded rod in the center of the column.
Well I got the steering column done and it was running then out of nowhere a electrical fire started In the engine bay so now I gotta do everything in the engine bay all over again it took out my lights and alternator wiring and I couldn’t see where else but that’s the main two I see do you know of anything I can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again because everything looked fine and nice then out of nowhere it happened luckily I was at home when it did because I was gonna take it around block to test out how it handles with the steering column rebuilt and do you have an Instagram so I have a way to contact you if I got any questions
damn g punctuate