89 Lx Tilt Steering Wheel Mechanism Removal

omarimoe

Active Member
May 4, 2014
174
13
28
when got my car the entire ignition housing was broken off, so im trying to replace just the top portion of the steering column. I got the wheel off and the entire housing including all the tilt stuff is loose but it will not pull off the shaft. Do i have to just replace the entire column? kind of irritating because it looks like it will just come off but wont lol.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


I figured it out. If anyone encounters the same problem heres how I got mine out. The entire tilt mechanism has 2 threaded pins on either side of it. Find a bolt that fits the threads and screw them in. Now get a mini slide hammer and pull the pins out. Now the entire tilt mechanism should slide off. Unfortunately I found more broken stuff in my assembly so I will be replacing my entire steering column.
 
will a tilt column fit in a 1993 LX? My wheel is angled too high and I can't move it.
One problem. Ford killed the tilt option when they added the driver side air bag. Is the tilt column worth the reduction in safety from not using an air bag wheel? It is lame that you could not have both features, but I think they were being cheap.
 
iirc tech wasnt able to provide both tilt and airbag. Insurance and NTHSA won out on airbag.. I bought mine in fall of 89 and chose the 89 over the 90 for that very reason.... they are interchangable tho...
 
is 20x year old airbag even safe?

@7991LXnSHO isnt that a corvair in your avatar?

We have a winner! Someone recognizes one of my first cars in the picture! It was purdier and more solidly built than the 79, but it has a base motor with a two speed. In Ford speak, that means REALLY slow. I did not want to hop up an original, low mileage car. (I did add shoulder belts and a sway bar to keep Ralph Nader happy.) And at the time, a new 87 blue over silver Mustang GT was out of the question. So I played with the 79.
@jAEded if your airbag electronics are alreasy messed up, I guess going to a tilt column will not make it less safe after all. Is your dash light on or blinking for the air bag?
 
Yeah, I get the 4 or 5 blinks. I looked up what it was at the time, but I forget now. The previous owner was in a accident and one of the headlight screws got pushed into one of the modules mounted on the radiator support... Personally, there are instances where I would want an airbag, and there are some where I wouldn't. I was briefly knocked out by a airbag. Luckily I came to and got a hold of the wheel before I slammed into a wall. I can't choose how I'm going to crash, so I kind of would like to get it working over the tilt. Its too bad they can't work together.
 
corvair = unsafe at any speed .... it launched the entire safety regime we all know today, friend had one w/the v8 damn fast too bad it only went straight on corners.....wonder what modern suspension etc would do....
 
One problem. Ford killed the tilt option when they added the driver side air bag. Is the tilt column worth the reduction in safety from not using an air bag wheel? It is lame that you could not have both features, but I think they were being cheap.


The answer is yes. LOL

I even have a tendency to 'target' pre-91 cars just for this reason.
 
@89oem I just wanted to show off my other nice cars, not get into it with a smarty pants who did not read the book. The Fords get their due too, but it was just a catchy title for Nader. A sway bar and safety belts addressed a majority of his claims. If I had kept it, a colapseable steering shaft or a couple of u joints would have addressed the other main issue. The Vair still is a sweet little car, just slow. My 1991 Stang is not slow, and is 30 years safer. If you really want safe, get a 2014 with a v-6 and Brembo size brakes.
 
hey i like the corvair, always have, but the steering geometry and weight distribution caused significant loss of front wheel tire grip. you had one you should realize that...

my friend i was referring to ran it off a curve in the rain running a "rockford" firebird, he hit a split rail fence then a big ass grove of pines on the passenger side... i was riding shotgun in the rockfish bird.... he was pretty beat up and he had a crappy summer but he was ok...that was a zillion years ago... glad i got in the bird when we left....
 
If your friend's had a V-8, that almost surely meant it was switched to a mid engine car. That explains your understeer comments. The stock ones oversteer like a Beetle or Porsche. It is fun the second time you hang out the back end out. (The first time is a wake up call!) And a Vair in good condition out handles so many torque steering econoboxes from the 80's. Thank goodness the Probe was not allowed to be the Mustang. The ones I drove were scary. When the turbo kicked in or it downshifted, welcome to the ditch!