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1977 F150. I'm here today looking for help with my steering column. The steering wheel was coming out too much. I took it apart to try to figure it out. I don't understand how to keep the collar from springing out. I found some diagrams but my feeble brain is still having trouble. Thanks.
Assuming they just are out of the picture, might be someone did some work under the hood like rag joint, etc, and never got it back together right? Did this just jump out or was it like that since forever?
Thank you sir. I have the square head bolts. I have the bearing but it goes on farther up the column, right. Seems to me that the collar should stay put instead of spring out.
Down at the steering box where the rag joint attaches there is a hex bolt to tighten the rag joint bracket to the splines of the steering box. If someone changed the rag joint since 1977 and didn't completely remove that bolt, they didn't get the rag joint all the way on the steering box shaft, as there is a wide rounded groove around the splined shaft that once the rag joint is all the way on, the bolt is put in .... and it captures the bolt so that unless the bolt gets loose and falls all out, the rag joint stays attached there.
Wouldn't hurt to check the one up near the firewall end of the column too.
If they had the steering column out, maybe they didn't adjust it right where the bolts hold it up to the dash. There's a clamp under the hood too.
Not sure about the question. Are you talking about an excessive gap between the back of the steering wheel and the top of the steering column?
If so, put it all back together and loosen the nuts at the base of the steering column that hold it under the dash and the clamp in the engine compartment at the base of the column.
Then pull up on the steering column to close that steering wheel gap, tighten everything back up- Done.
There is your problem as I described earlier in post #4. I could not tell in the earlier picture post #5, but I see it clearly here in post #7.
That cross bolt that tightens the lower portion of the rag joint assembly is supposed to be withing that rounded groove of the shaft from the steering box. Need to remove that bolt, slide the rag joint assembly down onto that shaft, then reinstall that bolt and tighten it. The bolt just going across serves to lock them together, tightening it removes play. Unless you remove the bolt, it is not going to slide into position as designed.
I've put the rag joint as it should be but it did not fix my problem. Why does the collar push out or want to spring out up the column? How do I get rid of the gap in the column? Thanks a lot.
When was the last time the shift lever actually worked to shift the transmission. The collar is a casting that interlocks or indexes in the end of the shift tube that has the lever on the end (top pic in post #5) under the hood that connects to a rod that connects at the transmission. For the lever under the hood to be still in place, I would think the tube is OK. It looks like it is the collar that's not setting right is not properly indexed with that shift tube, maybe is broke even (mine broke there, is why that thread I linked to). The shift lever that you pull and move by hand is spring loaded too, it has a plate that it locks into too to hold in positions like PRN321.
There is also a "snap in place" tab sticking upwards out of a hole in the outer tube that moves a plunger on the NSS (neutral safety switch) on the top side of the steering column under the dash above your feet. Make sure it's not bent and is not hung up on the finger of the switch that it moves.
Might be the bent metal arm is bent downward towards the NSS .... or .... is resting on the plastic post it moves.
<<<<<<< TOWARDS FLOOR TOWARDS STEERING WHEEL >>>>>>>>>>>
I like the idea in post #3 of that thread ^^^ , one can watch a mirror to see when back up lights light up as they adjust.
"It has been a while since I adjust mine but here is how I remember doing it. Loosen the switch mounting bolt enough so that the switch assembly can be easily moved left or right. Put the key in the "ACC" position. Then, put the shifter into the "R" position and slide the switch assembly until the backup lights come on. Tighten the mounting bolt and you are done."
