Bulkhead Bearing on an S2?
Discussion
Have to fit a new one as the shake from the wheel on the motorway is starting to numb my hands...
Im going to try to do this one myself - had a search of a couple of old threads and it looks like it should be quite straightforward....
Anyone here done it? Is it worth doing the UJ at the same time?
any help much appreciated!
Tim
Im going to try to do this one myself - had a search of a couple of old threads and it looks like it should be quite straightforward....
Anyone here done it? Is it worth doing the UJ at the same time?
any help much appreciated!
Tim
Tim
did this on my S3 a few months back.
It is worth replacing the upper UJ while your're there. The hardest part is removing the plastic bearing housing. The nuts are supposed to be 'captive' but in reality you will need 2 people to remove it - one deep in the footwell upside down holding the bolt heads while you remove the nuts from the engine bay side.
Good luck and don't forget to mark the steering column.
Lots of posts on here helped me.
Darren
did this on my S3 a few months back.
It is worth replacing the upper UJ while your're there. The hardest part is removing the plastic bearing housing. The nuts are supposed to be 'captive' but in reality you will need 2 people to remove it - one deep in the footwell upside down holding the bolt heads while you remove the nuts from the engine bay side.
Good luck and don't forget to mark the steering column.
Lots of posts on here helped me.
Darren
Hi Tim,
All the topics I read on here say that you need two people to do this job as the 'captive nuts' will not be captive (quite true in my experience), but I managed to do the job without help. I used a very small adjustable spanner to grip the head of each bolt (in turn) in the footwell while I undid the nut in the engine bay - they all come undone without any problems. However, if you can get help it'll make the job quicker.
There's no particular benefit to replacing the upper UJ at the same time IMO as it'll add a big chunk to the overall cost of the 'project' (about £60 - 70 IIRC). However, when I came to undo the UJ one of the bolts sheared so I had to get a replacement anyway!
Assuming that the arrangement for the S2 is the same as the S3, you'll also need to buy a 'special washer' from a Ford dealer for 25p (you'll probably destroy the existing one trying to get it off). This is normally found on the steering column of a Sierra and has a triangular centre which slides up and grips the column to stop the plastic centre piece slipping out from the middle of the bearing. When you do put everything back together, you need to make sure that the plastic centre piece is firmly seated in the middle of the bearing otherwise you'll end up with vibration and vague steering again. This plastic part is round on the outside, to sit in the bearing, and triangular in the middle, to take the steering column. The special washer then sits on the column to stop the plastic part sliding out of the bearing and down the column.
I'm planning to redo mine this week because the plastic parts's come loose. If I'm with it I'll try and take some photos.
Richard
P.S. I have an account of my bearing replacement on my car profile
All the topics I read on here say that you need two people to do this job as the 'captive nuts' will not be captive (quite true in my experience), but I managed to do the job without help. I used a very small adjustable spanner to grip the head of each bolt (in turn) in the footwell while I undid the nut in the engine bay - they all come undone without any problems. However, if you can get help it'll make the job quicker.
There's no particular benefit to replacing the upper UJ at the same time IMO as it'll add a big chunk to the overall cost of the 'project' (about £60 - 70 IIRC). However, when I came to undo the UJ one of the bolts sheared so I had to get a replacement anyway!
Assuming that the arrangement for the S2 is the same as the S3, you'll also need to buy a 'special washer' from a Ford dealer for 25p (you'll probably destroy the existing one trying to get it off). This is normally found on the steering column of a Sierra and has a triangular centre which slides up and grips the column to stop the plastic centre piece slipping out from the middle of the bearing. When you do put everything back together, you need to make sure that the plastic centre piece is firmly seated in the middle of the bearing otherwise you'll end up with vibration and vague steering again. This plastic part is round on the outside, to sit in the bearing, and triangular in the middle, to take the steering column. The special washer then sits on the column to stop the plastic part sliding out of the bearing and down the column.
I'm planning to redo mine this week because the plastic parts's come loose. If I'm with it I'll try and take some photos.
Richard
P.S. I have an account of my bearing replacement on my car profile
Replaced my old style S1 (nylon type), with an updated S2/3 steel bearing. Made a huge difference and well worth it. I had a little trouble with the new plastic housing, as the bolt hole centers werent quite the same - but a little modification later and it worked and has worked fine. I left the old steel bulk head ring in place though (to retain the bulk head strength). 
Agree with everyone that a second person is a MUST - preferrably a small one to get into the well. I used my 9 yr old son (to save a few aborted goes and a little blue language give him/her a 5 mins "how to hold a socket spanner" lesson 
)
Cheers, Richard
Agree with everyone that a second person is a MUST - preferrably a small one to get into the well. I used my 9 yr old son (to save a few aborted goes and a little blue language give him/her a 5 mins "how to hold a socket spanner" lesson ) Cheers, Richard
BRGS2 said:
cheers for the advice all - will a pair of molegrips do the job of the small child?
......depends how big his neck is
(sorry for not being pc). Seriously I would imagine that there is not really much room for molegrips. I found that a socket set was easier for my son to push on and hold. >> Edited by lordb on Monday 6th October 15:20
BRGS2 said:I found a small adjustable spanner (about 6 inches long) was about right. Anything else, including molegrips, was too heavy and just fell off the bolt as soon as I started turning the nut (this is on the basis of doing the job solo).
will a pair of molegrips do the job of the small child?
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