How to replace lower steering column bush

[jcaswell]

I pulled the steering shaft into  the inside of car with steering wheel attached. The top bushing came out the bottom one stayed and the white plastic part is off . Can it be glued  the white plastic part back in place or fully replace bushing. How do you install new bushing in lower column. The bushing is the standard one Caterham supplies.

[TomB]

These plastic sleeves are a pain. I’ve pulled them out from both bushes and had the fun of trying to replace them. I think one problem is they aren’t bonded into the bush, they sort of spring open to keep the tension. What I did was to buy a bush, then carefully pop out the plastic sleeve, then glue it in the old bush in the dash. You can sort of fold one edge over the other to make it narrower, and it pops out. Hardly to explain than do!

[Wrightpayne]

I think they are from a Triumph. I knocked my lower one out with a long bit of dowel and a hammer.

New bush and tube liberally sprayed with brake cleaner (as a lubricant) and push in quick getting pimples in the holes in the column. Cleaner evaporates quickly.

There is info in the archives if you search.

Ian

[ChrisC]

I found if you put the white plastic bush one way round it would easily be pushed through the bush, but put it the other way round it stays in position while the column is inserted.  Unfortunately it’s trial and error to find out which way.

[HJF]

Top bush I found easy to remove and replace as one.  Bottom bush ... white liner isn’t glued but “retained”.  I simply collapsed the worn white liner slightly with a small screwdriver and pulled it out and took a new white liner from a new bush I had and popped it into its self locking position in the old outer which remained in the tube.  As wear is on the white part only then problem solved.  That’s how I did it anyway, easier than driving in and out a new bottom bush.  Other methods will work I am sure.

[Jig]

I knocked my white inner off when assembling the first time. Drifted it out with a socket and then reassembled it no problem (well, it is fiddly). 

[Englishmaninwales]

+1 for HJF’s method.