Steering wheel removal procedure?

[bosshoff]

What is the process to remove this type of steering wheel? How do you get the vinyl cover off of the wheel to expose the nut? I have not looked into this yet, but I don't want to damage or rip any parts when I dig into it. After I expose the nut, I understand I need to buy or borrow a steering wheel puller. I picked up a Cutlass Rally wheel (missing center horn contact piece) off of Craigslist for $45. fusick sells the horn contact. Will I need to also purchase a "hub", or will my old hub work? Thanks for the help. I have the Cutlass Supreme in storage, so I try to get my ducks in a row BEFORE I go to work on her.

[kgl271]

There will be 2 phillips screws behind that hold the horn contact on. Then you can remove it. You will also have a wire connected to the inside of the horn contact that you will have to remove after you get the 2 screws out.

Hope that helps.

Kevin

[bosshoff]

Kgl271, So just like the picture shows, my first step is to unscrew two screws behind the steering wheel to remove the plastic/vinyl horn/button portion of the wheel?

[paps75]

That's it in a nut shell, remove the two screws from the backside of the steering wheel and the horn cover will come off...but be careful of the horn wire that connects wheel the cover to the column. Good luck, changed the same wheel out for a Grant wheel. Oh yea, dissconnect the battery when you change the wheel or you will set the horn off again and again.

[kgl271]

Yes it is very simple. Yes unhook your battery so the horn does not go off when removing the wheel.

[bosshoff]

Thanks guys. Anyone know if I need to purchase a new hub to use with the Rally wheel, or will the old hub suffice?

[texxas8902]

Your old wheel has an integral hub, it's molded in the wheel so you will need a new hub for the Olds sport wheel, 4 spoke, the 3 spoke hub is different. The horn contact assembly and the horn button plus the screws that mount the wheel to the hub. You can use the nut that holds your current wheel on the column. Good luck.

[bosshoff]

I had a few minutes during lunch today, and removed the stock steering wheel from the Supreme. Under the stock steering wheel, there was a grey metal plate or dish with three phillips screws holding it in place. This "dish" covers the cam assembly for the turn signal lever. When installing the Rally Wheel, is this dish retained, or do I remove it? I found someone else's picture of what I am talking about online.

[kgl271]

no do not remove it. I did not remove mine. Just add the sport hub and the wheel and you are set.

[bosshoff]

Got the wheel on, albiet not even close to straight. My question is where do I attach the terminal clips for the horn? the old unit had them landing on the horn button. I do not see anywhere to attach these. Second question, what is the easiest way to fix the off center steering wheel? Due to the plastic shaft which extends into/through the hub from the guts of the column, I cannot get the steering wheel oriented correctly. Looks good though.:)

[kgl271]

Someone on here had scanned in the picture of how the will is installed. The horn button is snapped into place with a metal ring that has a peice that goes down into the horn connection hole and when pushed it connects with a metal pin and a spring to activate the horn. Do you have the horn connect ring and the pin and spring?

YOu will need those.

[bosshoff]

I have the metal spring thingy. It has the two leads coming out of it? I am not sure how this would go together.

[kgl271]

not sure what you have then. There should be a pin and spring that is dropped in the column hub hole then the metal ring is screwed on top of the hub and it connects with the pin/spring. Do you have a pic of the leads you speak of?

[kgl271]

I will get my parts manual out tonight and get the directions and pics scanned in tomorrow and send it to you unless someone has it they can provide before I get to it.

[bosshoff]

I'll get a picture of it. Thanks for all of your effort.

[kgl271]

See if these will help. These are out of my assembly manual.

[Oldsmobiles4ever]

your original steering wheel takes a different horn pin than the rallye wheel, the rallye wheel uses just a spring loaded pin as opposed to the original wheel that uses the spring loaded 2 wire lead, you need just the pin with no wire leads

[bosshoff]

OK, I installed everything yesterday and it works. The horn contact has a "leg" on it which I attached one of the "leads" coming from the "cam tower" as it is referred to on drawing number 407266. I only attached one of the leads, and taped the other with electrical tape, and tucked it in. When the horn contact makes contact with the steering wheel body, the horn sounds. you can see how my contact is secured to the wheel. Is there suppossed to be some gasket or insulator between the contact and the wheel?
I now have two issues. The horn button fits very loose on the contact, and pulls of very easily. Second, the wheel is totally off center. There is no way to center it due to the location of the cam tower protruding into the hub. BEFORE I removed my stock steering wheel, I locked it in place with the key "Off" basically with the steering wheel perfectly centered. Now, when I put the replacement hub assembly on, I could only adjust it a little, due to the "cam tower" which pokes though the hub.

[sumrof75]

I hesitated to reply untill I had done some investigation, my wheel has six notches that can rotate to line up with the three holes for the horn retaining ring, yours appears to have only three, that said it appears that if you remove the six screws holding the wheel to the hub, rotate clockwise untill the notches line up to the holes for the retaining ring holes and reattach, it should be straight.

[kgl271]

That horn wire with 2 leads is for a normal horn pad and not for a sport wheel. you may have to get a horn kit with the pin and spring. For being off center, I have my horn cap off center as well, if I turn it to the straight position the horn cap is so tight it does not work, at a angle it works. Never was to bothered by it, I just turn it right for shows and then back when driving. Hope you get it fixed. Some times you can find the horn kits on ebay or you can pick them up at www.thepartsplaceinc.com

[bosshoff]

Ok, I ordered part # ST3734T from The Parts Place. I receievd a pin, plastic retaining piece, and a spring. I had to jury rig it to make it work, which leads me to think I did not install it correctly, big suprise. This GM steering wheel thing is kicking my ass. The pin looks like a nail, with a head on one end, and a flat end on the other. The pin goes into the "Cancel Cam" hole with the "head" end touching the hub. The spring goes on this pin. the plastic retaining piece holds everything in place, by rotaing the plastic piece (similar to an auto light bulb into a socket). Doing this, the horn contact could not touch the pin to complete the circuit and fire the horn. There was about a 1/2" gap between the two. The pin basically sat flush with the steering wheel hub. I ended up straightening the "foot" on the horn contact, and then pressing on my original spring from the old horn wire loom setup. Afetr re-assembling everything, the old spring bridged the gap between the horn contact and the pin. Hokey, but it works. Did I miss something? Does everyone have these issues with reproduction parts?

[Oldsmobiles4ever]

if i remember i got the pin and all the hardware with my rallye wheel so i didn't have that issue, but as for the wheel not being centered, if you look at your pic in post #8 you will notice the slot where the hub sticks up for the horn pin, you can rotate that plastic piece in the slot to reposition your wheel if it isn't off too far, it will probably have some pressure on it so be careful not to break it

[bosshoff]

Yeah, I know the Cam Tower rotates. Unfortunately it does not rotate far enough. I am going to get the Cutlass on the road again to be 100% positive just how far off of center the wheel is, before I get creative.

[kgl271]

You can always adjust the wheel at the steering box. that is what I did with mine, I had put on a new steering box and I thought that is why mine is off center but you can adjust it there.