I wanted to write something up to, hopefully, save someone else from the same money pit I've fallen into (or at least direct you to a slightly more beneficial one). The backround is this - I wanted to change the clockspring on my 1997 Wrangler Sport, since the horn had stopped working. I know, I know, just get a louder horn and wire it into a switch, sure. But I was determined to try and do it clean, so apart comes the dash, apart comes the steering wheel, and here's me with a threaded steering wheel puller. About 10 minutes into all this, with the nut off the center of the wheel, I managed to pull the threads clean out of the holes for the puller.
If you're at this point, whether you have the wheel with the two holds or the newer 4-spoke wheel with cruise control, I would discourage you from spending another 150 bucks on pullers, like I did, and caution you against using pry bars or slide hammers (which I also did). The result of these methods was that the splined center insert of the steering wheel separated from the rest of the wheel, becoming loose, and bending parts of the wheel slightly. All in all, I've probably sunk about 300 dollars into this project on tools, a replacement steering wheel, and if I'd persisted, likely a new column, too.
Your best bet, if the service manual method for removal has failed, will be to remove the steering column and use a sufficiently sized H-frame press to remove the thing. The whole column can be removed by taking the panel off the front (two bolts), as well as the metal backing (4 additional bolts). All of these are 8mm if I remember. The steering column itself is secured with 4 13mm nuts (18 ft/lbs) and one 13mm bolt in the coupler (36 ft/lbs). You can then pull the whole column out. At this point, remove the shroud, and then the control stalks for the turn signals and wipers so that you don't damage anything, as well as the locking cylinder. The locking cylinder is removed by inserting a screwdriver into a hole in the bottom of the shroud and wiggling the cylinder with the key inside while pressing against the square button.
I have a 20-ton H-Frame press I got from Harbor Freight while it was on sale. At that point it was about $200. I'd originally gotten it to replace the wheel bearings on several cars, so it's more than paid for itself. If you work on your own cars a lot, it's not a bad purchase when weighed against the ~150 I spent on pullers, and the ~150 I had to spend on a new steering wheel, as well as the other things you could wind up damaging.
Because I was replacing the clockspring anyway, and at this point the old one was damaged beyond repair, I used my off-brand dremel to cut off the connector from the old clock spring, so that the column could sit mostly flush in the press. I used two pieces of 1/8" steel bar stock to brace the steering wheel, wedging it between the wheel and the column. A rental bearing press kit will have several collars which should fit clean over the threaded end of the steering column's shaft (with a little bit of overlap). Insert the press tool into the center, and use the press to drive the column out of the wheel. I'd recommend putting something underneath to catch it.
I would like to put forth that I watched a lot of videos and read a number of posts on this and was pretty sure after seeing several people pull them off with just a yank that I was just weak, but it was definitely stuck on there good, based on how violently it popped off with the press. It seems like a lot to spend on tools for one job, so if you're not the type to work on your own car, definitely see about having a shop do this. I read one post where a shop ended up cutting a guy's steering wheel off - this could've definitely been avoided if they knew what they were doing. Tell them about this method, it's really quite easy to remove the whole column and do this in under two hours if you have everything you need.
Reinstallation is very straightforward - mount the steering column loosely with the nuts, align the coupler undernear (this will be awkward and take some finagling), and bolt it in. If done right, there should be maybe about a millimeter of splines visible above the coupler. Maybe mark it with nail polish before the initial disassembly. Everything else should go back exactly the way it came off. I'm greasing the splines before I put the new wheel on because I live in NC and if things can freeze together they will. We'll see if that helps.
Feel free to critique me if you have a better way or see something that's wrong. I would've posted pictures but I'm out of time on this stupid project and didn't think to take any while I was figuring out how to do this.
If you're at this point, whether you have the wheel with the two holds or the newer 4-spoke wheel with cruise control, I would discourage you from spending another 150 bucks on pullers, like I did, and caution you against using pry bars or slide hammers (which I also did). The result of these methods was that the splined center insert of the steering wheel separated from the rest of the wheel, becoming loose, and bending parts of the wheel slightly. All in all, I've probably sunk about 300 dollars into this project on tools, a replacement steering wheel, and if I'd persisted, likely a new column, too.
Your best bet, if the service manual method for removal has failed, will be to remove the steering column and use a sufficiently sized H-frame press to remove the thing. The whole column can be removed by taking the panel off the front (two bolts), as well as the metal backing (4 additional bolts). All of these are 8mm if I remember. The steering column itself is secured with 4 13mm nuts (18 ft/lbs) and one 13mm bolt in the coupler (36 ft/lbs). You can then pull the whole column out. At this point, remove the shroud, and then the control stalks for the turn signals and wipers so that you don't damage anything, as well as the locking cylinder. The locking cylinder is removed by inserting a screwdriver into a hole in the bottom of the shroud and wiggling the cylinder with the key inside while pressing against the square button.
I have a 20-ton H-Frame press I got from Harbor Freight while it was on sale. At that point it was about $200. I'd originally gotten it to replace the wheel bearings on several cars, so it's more than paid for itself. If you work on your own cars a lot, it's not a bad purchase when weighed against the ~150 I spent on pullers, and the ~150 I had to spend on a new steering wheel, as well as the other things you could wind up damaging.
Because I was replacing the clockspring anyway, and at this point the old one was damaged beyond repair, I used my off-brand dremel to cut off the connector from the old clock spring, so that the column could sit mostly flush in the press. I used two pieces of 1/8" steel bar stock to brace the steering wheel, wedging it between the wheel and the column. A rental bearing press kit will have several collars which should fit clean over the threaded end of the steering column's shaft (with a little bit of overlap). Insert the press tool into the center, and use the press to drive the column out of the wheel. I'd recommend putting something underneath to catch it.
I would like to put forth that I watched a lot of videos and read a number of posts on this and was pretty sure after seeing several people pull them off with just a yank that I was just weak, but it was definitely stuck on there good, based on how violently it popped off with the press. It seems like a lot to spend on tools for one job, so if you're not the type to work on your own car, definitely see about having a shop do this. I read one post where a shop ended up cutting a guy's steering wheel off - this could've definitely been avoided if they knew what they were doing. Tell them about this method, it's really quite easy to remove the whole column and do this in under two hours if you have everything you need.
Reinstallation is very straightforward - mount the steering column loosely with the nuts, align the coupler undernear (this will be awkward and take some finagling), and bolt it in. If done right, there should be maybe about a millimeter of splines visible above the coupler. Maybe mark it with nail polish before the initial disassembly. Everything else should go back exactly the way it came off. I'm greasing the splines before I put the new wheel on because I live in NC and if things can freeze together they will. We'll see if that helps.
Feel free to critique me if you have a better way or see something that's wrong. I would've posted pictures but I'm out of time on this stupid project and didn't think to take any while I was figuring out how to do this.
