i think i broke something

johnnyt03gt

5 Year Member
Mar 15, 2008
453
5
29
dallas TX
so i finally installed my new steering rack working outside directly in the son it was like105 today
triple digits last 2 weeks anyway after 2 hours burning outside i wanted to finish up the steering shaft pissed me off it didn't want to connect with the rack

so i did something bad i turned the steering wheel/shaft to get everything lined up it finally connected shaft to rack as i was bleeding the ps system i noticed i can only turn the steering
wheel 2 turns to the left i here and feel something is about to brake in the steering wheel
if i try turning more did i F%$K something up inside steering wheel air bag ? OBTW no air bag light came on can an alignment shop fix it ?

2nd possible issue as i was getting ready to take her out for test drive the car wouldn't move
at all "and no the parking brake was not on" it took lots ot effort to move it but i finally broke it free alignment was not that bad brakes didn't feel normal? or is this all in my head
:shrug:
 
Define "expensive". I think they're relatively inexpensive on latemodelrestoration.com, but call your local Ford dealer as well. Mine ended up being cheaper from the dealer. I don't think this is something you can get from Autozone.

I'm not sure if there are any writeups for this, but it's not hard to do. Here's the quick version:

Pop the little plastic covers off of the steering column where the airbag / horn cover bolts to the column, undo the bolts (8mm), disconnect and remove the airbag module (set it down on the "pony" side), remove the steering wheel with a puller & I believe a T-45 Torx bit, you'll have to fiddle with / remove the ignition cylinder, and some other stuff, and put it all back together. I'm sorry I don't have a detailed memory of this repair, but it happened about two years ago. It's all pretty self-explanatory, but if you need help, I'm sure I or someone else could answer further questions. Make sure the wheels are straight when you start this, so you can put the steering wheel back on straight when you're done. Also, to ensure you don't set off the airbag, disconnect the battery for at least 10 minutes before starting work.
 
whoa....hold on a min guys. is your airbag light on or off. if the light is off you have not broken anything. when your wheels are straight you should be able to turn your steering wheel the same amount of turns to left lock and then to right lock. go slow and dont yank on wheel and you wont break anything. if it isnt the same amount of turns then you have to take the shaft off at the rack to fix the problem. once again if your light is not on then dont replace the spring
 
the light is NOT on but i can only turn the wheel 2 turns to the left anything more and it feels and sounds like something inside the steering wheel is about to brake it feels like something is all tangled up inside the steering wheel i would take it to a shop have it looked at BUT i spent all my
last week new rack $300 springs $250 cc plates $200 shocks-quads-struts $600 bump steer
ket $150 lca's $250 x pipe $200 muffles $200 taking out a lone from me 401k to pay for all this junk, priceless LOL :nice:
 
Even if his airbag light is not on, the clockspring is already ruined, and will eventually break. At least, it did in my case. When I realized what I had done, I took the shaft back off and re-centered the wheel, but the clock spring broke a month or two later anyway.