Steering wheel/column adjuster

[bluebottle]

After a recent visit to my garage the car came back with an unusual fault....
I noticed the steering column was tilted to a diferent position to where i normally have it and the adjuster will no longer lock in that position. It will lock one click up and one click down from this position tho?
Has anyone had any experience of taking the ratchet mechanism apart or how it works? any pic/diagrams, what is the donor vehicle etc. I've checked the bible and apart from the pin coming out it has no info, and it doesn't seem to have come up in either the Chimp or Griff forum in the last year.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as its driving be batst as it will sometimes lock in position and then you hit a bump...........and suddenly you are driving a go kart with the steering wheel is pointing straight up

[shpub]

It is the pin coming out problem. Take the cover off and it will be pretty well apparent what is wrong.

[bluebottle]

Hi Steve,
I did take the cowling off, and couldn't see anything obvious, but i did have a small piece of flat spring steel fall out when removing the cover?
There appears to be two spring loaded racks the left hand one seems ok, but the right hand one will only drop down on the pin one notch below or above the notch i want it to drop on.

[v8sag]

Seems really odd
Ive taken the springs and packer out of the racecar and I can still lock it an any position.
If you don't have any luck I can have a look tommorrow to see what can jam it,I reckon whatever has broken, a bit may be stuck somewhere hindering it.
It's a mark three Cavalier mechanism.

[shpub]

Yes sounds right. The bit of spring steel sounds a bit ominous and it is possible that another bit has jammed as Paul says.
BTW it is a Cavelier saloon part - otherwise you end up with a position for a rear windscreen wipe/wash.

[bluebottle]

thanks chaps..gotta visit halfrauds later so i can look in the Haynes manual for a diagram of the mechanism so i know where the bits go back when i take it apart....spring loaded bits have a tendancy to fly out before you get a chance to see where they were..lol.

Editted to add;
Could you give me a quick "how to" guide to dismantling and re-assembly of the mechanism please?

Edited by bluebottle on Monday 31st July 10:05

[v8sag]

bluebottle said:

Editted to add;
Could you give me a quick "how to" guide to dismantling and re-assembly of the mechanism please?

Edited by bluebottle on Monday 31st July 10:05

Will do,if there's nothing posted in twelve hours,can't remember top off my head(its night time here and lots off red wine)
However if you tilt it back as far as you can and have a looksie,you can't go to far wrong,don't go and buy a Cav Haynes manual.

[v8sag]

How did you get on?
Sorry forgot to have a look untill today.
There only seems to be one spring and a double ratchet,so I can't work out whats happened to yours besides the locking mechanism wearing or something jamming it so it doesn't engage.So all I can suggest is take off the bottom cowling and have a good look.

[shadowfax]

What's the little dial for, with the white dot on? Doesnt seem to do a thing for me

[bluebottle]

Hi all,

I finally managed to fix it last night..after half stripping the steering mechanism apart i finally spotted the fault...one of the round nylon bump stops had come loose and fallen into the void and got trapped underneath the ratchet finger preventing it from fully dropping down.
Still havent figured out where that spring steel came from tho?


P.S. the little dial on the coiling is the intermittant wiper timer adjustment i believe.

Edited by bluebottle on Wednesday 2nd August 09:01

[tvr4ever]

shadowfax said:

What's the little dial for, with the white dot on? Doesnt seem to do a thing for me

Windscreen wiper delay dial.