1990 gmc safari loose steering wheel

Hello,

I hope one of you wise men can help.
I have a 1990 gmc safari. The steering wheel which has tilt steering seems loose to me. I say seems because I have only had the vehicle for a couple of years, and am not sure if it is normal or not. The symptom is: if I DO NOT touch the tilt control, I can move the steering wheel up an inch or two. Is this normal for tilt steering, if not, how can i correct. I have steering wheel pullers etc but am not sure what may be loose, unless this is normal.

please advise

thank you very much,

 

There are 2 bolts that loosen up inside the column housing. It has to be dissassembled and tightened and it requires some special tools so it's not a job to try at home.

 

Thank you Desi 501,

As I have tons of tools, and a fair number of specialty tools, would you please advise which bolts are in question.
I take it, it is not the central nut that holds the steering wheel in place. I have removed the steering wheel a while back, to change the ignition key cylinder. So I am fairly adept at at taking off an putting back. Just am seeking guidance as to which item I should be tightening. Just looking for some schoolin...
Does the whole assembly underneath the steering wheel need to come out, to get to the bolts that need to be tightened?


thanks again,

 

Yes, and most of it is spring loaded and takes some special tools to get it apart and back together. There are some delicate plastic components in there that can break easily and be very confusing on reassembly. I really think you should give that job to someone who's done it before. Tilt wheels are much harder to do than non-tilt ones.

 

You will need a steering wheel puller,lock plate depressor and a pivot pin puller.Pay attention to all the little parts you remove,you will be there several hours and it is a little tricky the first few times.4 inverted torx bolts,remove one at a time apply loctite and reinstall.Don't let your tilt wheel slam while using it or use the steering wheel as a grab bar.

 

Hello again,

First of all, thank you all for your input, much appreciated.
You were correct the bolts were loose, I could turn two with my fingers.

Our local GM dealer said I am looking at 2.5 hours billable time, plus any broken parts that need to be changed. When I asked whats the max I am looking at for broken parts, he said he could not comment until its open (by that time they would have me by the short hairs).
So I took the plunge yesterday, I found a good website for el caminos, that gave an excellent breakdown of how to do it. It took me 3.5 hours (initially), once i had it together i realized, my steering lock was not working, so apart again, reset the spring and closed her shut, then I realized the plastic key in ignition part was still in my parts tray. Opened her up again, put it in and closed her up. Finished at 5 hours, I'm happy.
Quite the learning experience, now I can add another item to my personal knowledge base. I am sure I could do another one in under two hours. And I really appreciate saving at least $300 in labour costs. Now I can pay off the puller, pivot pin remover, lock plate remover, and have a bunch left in my pocket.

Once again, thank you all for your input.

 

oops,

Almost fogot, big thanks to davo, there were FOUR loose bolts, not two.

Thanks for pointing that out.

 

I'm glad all worked out well and am glad you came back and posted the result after the repair.Many times on here advice is given and we never get to know if we helped because the person never posts back so thank you.Those columns can be a bugger can't they?

 

Sorry about that. At my age the memory isn't what it used to be. I knew the quantity would be obvious once opened.