33 replies to this topic

[ls2lxhatch]

The holes in the outer shaft are used to inject a plastic which fills a recess ground into the inner shaft then out the other hole. The purpose of the plastic is to stop the shaft vibrating inside the outer shaft and hold the shaft at the correct length for assembly.

The pins can easily be broken during assembly. The only benefit of a shaft with the pins intact is that it is probably the correct length however the pins could actually be sheared but still stuck in the outer shaft so it is worth checking the length of the shaft anyhow.

If the pins are sheared off then the shaft can still be safely used and the plastic inside the shaft will still stop vibration. Once assembled the the shaft is held at the top by a c-clip and at the bottom by the steering uni.


In MarkyMark20's case the shaft was probably bumped when the engine and suspension was removed or installed.

Edited by ls2lxhatch, 26 June 2011 - 03:27 AM.

[hanra]

What part of the colum are you pair talking about? Ive just pulled mine out.

[ls2lxhatch]

The "pins" people talk about are in the 1-2 mm hole at the bottom of this photo. If you clean it up you will either find plastic in the hole or an empty hole if the "pin" has fallen out. It is obvious from the photo that the inner shaft moved at some point which would cause the "pins" to shear. Once the shaft is slid back to the correct length it will be ok.



The outer tube should be inspected for signs of impact. It is also reasonably common to find the tube has fatigued and cracked near where the coffee pot is attached. It would be worth measuring the overall length of the tube to compare with others. There is usually a plastic cover over the mesh section of the tube.

[76lxhatch]

The outer tube should be inspected for signs of impact. ... It would be worth measuring the overall length of the tube to compare with others.

Also lesser impacts (i.e. not immediately obvious) often bend the tube as the perforated section only collapses a bit on one side, a good way to check for damage is simply to check for straightness

[hanra]

The "pins" people talk about are in the 1-2 mm hole at the bottom of this photo. If you clean it up you will either find plastic in the hole or an empty hole if the "pin" has fallen out. It is obvious from the photo that the inner shaft moved at some point which would cause the "pins" to shear. Once the shaft is slid back to the correct length it will be ok.

That may have been my fault that it moved when I was trying to remove the colum? It looks like the inner has been pulled outwards? I was pulling on the inner shaft to try and remove it from the flex joint once the cotter pin was removed. I had all other colum mount bolts removed also.

[hanra]

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Edited by hanra, 28 June 2011 - 07:47 AM.

[Lima31]

I considered buying one of the Bikesmith cotter pin presses above but from the dimensions I was given I did not think it would fit.

 

For the record in case someone else is thinking about buying one, it fits perfectly.