Steering wheel Q

4025 Views 21 Replies 7 Participants Last post by he3r0, Oct 16, 2007

he3r0

Discussion Starter · Sep 22, 2007

I have a hellebore steering wheel in my `85 graduate, and one of the horn thingies (it has 3 of them) is a bit loos, like the spring that is somewhere in the hub is missing, i had to use an electrical tape to secure it since it was activating my horn while driving (it was annoying). I`ve already checked threads about pulling a steering wheel... SCARY... but my Question is: is this part easy accessible after pulling the steering wheel out? are there available parts for it, or should I prepare for manufacturing spring or remodeling steering wheel a bit?

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

Zunige

· #2 · Sep 22, 2007

he3r0 said:
... are there available parts for it, ...?

The horn assembly has not been available for many years, and they do wear. You simply have to work with what you have, and there really isn't much you can do... so be careful when taking it all apart...

Best regards,

John Gallagher

· #3 · Sep 23, 2007

Hmmm...mine did not sound whem pressed due to the disc in the mechanism being broken. I fixed it with cardboard and masking trape. I did have a problem with the horn sounding while turning the steering wheel. The wire going down/up the steering column lost insulation and was being grounded. Easy fix with electrical tape.

ghnl

· #4 · Sep 23, 2007 (Edited)

he3r0 said:
...it was activating my horn while driving (it was annoying).

Do you have any 'friends' who like to play practical jokes? We used to play a joke by hooking up a wire from the brake light switch to the horn. Everytime they'd come to a stop the horn would blow!

It took some people quite a while to make the correlation...

The horn in our '84 started blowing when I let out the clutch. Turns out the wire that comes out the end of the column (under the hood) was too close to the exhaust manifold. The heat burned off the insulation and starting up in first gear (i.e. letting out the clutch) rocked the engine enough to ground the wire against the manifold.

he3r0

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 23, 2007

ghnl said:
Do you have any 'friends' who like to play practical jokes? We used to play a joke by hooking up a wire from the brake light switch to the horn. Everytime they'd come to a stop the horn would blow!

It took some people quite a while to make the correlation...

The horn in our '84 started blowing when I let out the clutch. Turns out the wire that comes out the end of the column (under the hood) was too close to the exhaust manifold. The heat burned off the insulation and starting up in first gear (i.e. letting out the clutch) rocked the engine enough to ground the wire against the manifold.

Naaah... I`m not even letting my wife to touch my Alfa.. she drove it only once, 5yards on driveway

The problem with my steering wheel is that with hellebore horn is not on center but on those 3 arms, and the right one lost its spring i guess because is very very loose, and because of that whenever I was turning the wheel at some point that one button was moving and making a lot of noise

(((

So first I have to pull that steering wheel... it will be a excellent time to put a new paint on it as well... and my new conv top should be on its way as well...

GraniteAlfa

· #6 · Sep 23, 2007

Posted by he3r0:
but my Question is: is this part easy accessible after pulling the steering wheel out? are there available parts for it, or should I prepare for manufacturing spring or remodeling steering wheel a bit?

I just took one apart so I could paint it and sit it on a shelf to look at.

(see this post) http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=48548

It's very easy, just take a clip off the back and the horn assembly falls away from the hub. Piece of cake!

GraniteAlfa

· #7 · Sep 23, 2007

Oops!

Forgot to mention that since I'm not putting my wheel on today... or maybe ever, if you would like me to take it apart and photograph it for you I will.
It really only takes a couple seconds.

GraniteAlfa

· #8 · Sep 23, 2007

5

Had a few minutes before doing our Sunday duties.

Here are some photos of my Hellebore taken apart.

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Reactions: 2

Zunige

· #9 · Sep 23, 2007

GraniteAlfa said:
Had a few minutes before doing our Sunday duties.

Here are some photos of my Hellebore taken apart.

Excellent photos, Dana! I'm so glad that they also clearly show the horn assembly, which is one unit you don't want to damage in any way... Very pretty wheel, as well... No wonder you have it "on display".

Best regards,

GraniteAlfa

· #10 · Sep 23, 2007

Thanks Enrique!

Any ideas on how to get it from my shelf to my car?

he3r0

Discussion Starter · #11 · Sep 23, 2007

Great photos Dana, thank you, it seems that my horn assembly my be shot since i do not see any complicated assembly, though first i have to pull my steering wheel out... but propbly not today, i have to go to work

((

rogerspeed

· #12 · Sep 23, 2007

Couple of things here. Looking at the first picture in the other post, it looks like your spider has a contact sticking out from the hub assembly for the horn. The hellabore wheel pictured has doesn't have a contact ring on the back of it of it to match. We need to see a photo of the back of the wheel that is on your spider that matches the hub/horn interface. The hellabore has the blue wire coming off the center, that wire, on most spiders would plug into the wire coming up the center of the stator tube. Intrinsicly(sp) I don't think there is anything wrong with your hellabore, the three activation arms have different feels to them , that is normal.

he3r0

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 24, 2007

rogerspeed said:
Couple of things here. Looking at the first picture in the other post, it looks like your spider has a contact sticking out from the hub assembly for the horn. The hellabore wheel pictured has doesn't have a contact ring on the back of it of it to match. We need to see a photo of the back of the wheel that is on your spider that matches the hub/horn interface. The hellabore has the blue wire coming off the center, that wire, on most spiders would plug into the wire coming up the center of the stator tube. Intrinsicly(sp) I don't think there is anything wrong with your hellabore, the three activation arms have different feels to them , that is normal.

Well... part of your response is in wrong thread

my hellebore works (almost) good, in this thread http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=48548
GraniteAlfa is doing a swap.

as for my horn thingy, I do realize that it may feel a bit, but this one is just very very loose, you would have to feel it since I cant really explain it.
sorry for confusion :0

time to get some beer, I`ve had terrible day

rogerspeed

· #14 · Sep 24, 2007

he3r0 said:
Well... part of your response is in wrong thread my hellebore works (almost) good, in this thread http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=48548
GraniteAlfa is doing a swap.

as for my horn thingy, I do realize that it may feel a bit, but this one is just very very loose, you would have to feel it since I cant really explain it.
sorry for confusion :0

time to get some beer, I`ve had terrible day

Sorry for the confusion, my post was directly in response to the post directly above it, In that post, I used the word "post" when I should have used "thread". Now that that's unclear, I've taken apart a bunch of these wheels (and put them back together), and could be wrong, but my experience is the arms, at least one, always feel loose. Does your wheel have the plastic insulator bushings?

he3r0

Discussion Starter · #15 · Sep 24, 2007

rogerspeed said:
Sorry for the confusion, my post was directly in response to the post directly above it, In that post, I used the word "post" when I should have used "thread". Now that that's unclear, I've taken apart a bunch of these wheels (and put them back together), and could be wrong, but my experience is the arms, at least one, always feel loose. Does your wheel have the plastic insulator bushings?

yes, on all of three paddles,
and I even tried to pull steering wheel again today, but I just cant.. have to get a butane for my pencil torch...

rogerspeed

· #16 · Sep 24, 2007

he3r0 said:
yes, on all of three paddles,
and I even tried to pull steering wheel again today, but I just cant.. have to get a butane for my pencil torch...

Good luck, you've seen this thread? http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=23962&highlight=steering+wheel+removal

I've never had to use heat for this operation, if when tightening the puller seems not to be working, try, with the puller tight, a few hammer blows to the sides of the hub

he3r0

Discussion Starter · #17 · Sep 24, 2007

rogerspeed said:
Good luck, you've seen this thread? http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=23962&highlight=steering+wheel+removal

I've never had to use heat for this operation, if when tightening the puller seems not to be working, try, with the puller tight, a few hammer blows to the sides of the hub

That is a great thread, i dont known how did I missed that, Thank You!

he3r0

Discussion Starter · #18 · Oct 8, 2007

Saga continues, steering wheel is pulled out of the hub, now i can repaint head light switches, and repaint + fix steering wheel...

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dabigboy

· #19 · Oct 9, 2007

Yay for he3r0!!!

he3r0

Discussion Starter · #20 · Oct 12, 2007

7

Saga continues....

Broken pice that was riveted to the base of the steering wheel,

Broken piece was superglued together to retain overall shape of the part,

Whole part after epoxy "treatment",

Base and paddles already after black paint "treatment",

Base of the paddles, please note that every paddle has unique marks,

$0.98 screws from home depot #4-40 x 3/4".
(they will have to be trimmed after all, beacuse they are a bit too long,
i was torn between 1/2" and 3/4" but decided that "if too long i can trim it,
if too short... i cant!"

Horn assembly before trimming, and still without that short wire,

To be continue....

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