Home 
Home Search search Menu menu Not logged in - Login | Register
> Jensen Healey & Jensen GT Tech > Suspension > Steering column bushing at firewall

 Moderated by: Greg Fletcher
New Topic Reply Printer Friendly
Steering column bushing at firewall  Rating:  Rating
AuthorPost
 Posted: 01-10-2006 11:44 pm
  PM Quote Reply
1st Post
Bill W
Member
 

Joined: 01-10-2006
Location:  
Posts: 2
Status: 
Offline
 After finally losing patience with the sloppy steering in my JH, I determined that the steering column bushing at the firewall has completely transformed itself into black shoe polish.  I've since received a new urethane bushing and firewall bracket from Delta.

Now that I have the parts in hand, I'm glad I also got the bracket because it has an integral rubber isolator that apparently is sandwiched between the stamped steel bracket (with the two threaded studs) and the firewall (from the inside of the car).  I'm quite sure the original isolator has also deteriorated.

What  concerns me is the fit between the bushing and firewall bracket/isolator.  It has about 0.11" clearance....not exactly a press fit.  So maybe I'm unclear about how this whole assembly works and the assembly drawing in the manual is not much help.

The way I'm seeing this is that the bracket installs from the inside of the car.  The two nuts secure it from the engine side of the firewall.  The bushing in installed from the engine bay and placed inside the bracket/isolator and over the steering column journal.  But that can't be.....there is way too much play and no means to keep the bushing in place.   So what am I missing?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 
Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: 01-11-2006 03:56 pm
  PM Quote Reply
2nd Post
Brett Gibson JH5 20497
Member
 

Joined: 03-17-2005
Location: Hilton, New York USA
Posts: 798
Status: 
Offline
 Bill, the new bushing should have two little numbs on it that fit into holes close to the end of the column tube that the steering shaft runs thru, engine bay side, you just need to clean the old one out and push the new one in with those numbs lined up.

Personally I was not impressed with the new plastic rubbery one, so when I got mine I just duplicated it out of brass and installed that instead, hopefully it will now last the life of the car, something Jensen should have done in the first place.

Brett. 
Back To Top PM Quote Reply

 Posted: 01-11-2006 10:22 pm
  PM Quote Reply
3rd Post
Bill W
Member
 

Joined: 01-10-2006
Location:  
Posts: 2
Status: 
Offline
 Brett,

Thanks for the reply......now that I've looked at the end of the steering column tube, it now makes sense.  Kink of hard to see all of that when everythings installed!  Was your brass bushing a press fit to the tube ID?

Bill
Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: 01-13-2006 04:29 am
  PM Quote Reply
4th Post
Dan Collier
Member


Joined: 03-17-2005
Location: Placentia, California USA
Posts: 36
Status: 
Offline
 I just happen to be working on the same project. I had a small strip of leather inside the column acting as a bushing. I think it was from the factory as far as I know.

 Click on the picture for a closer view.


Dan Collier
JH74 14381 2.2L
Jensen-Healey Preservation Photo Gallery

 
Back To Top PM Quote Reply

 Posted: 01-24-2006 12:54 am
  PM Quote Reply
5th Post
Bill Westerman
Member
 

Joined: 01-23-2006
Location:  
Posts: 1
Status: 
Offline
 Well I finished the job and thought I would pass on some comments………. 

I started off intending to replace the steering shaft to column tube bushing but quickly identified other sources of play in the steering: 
  1. The steering shaft to column tube bushing was shot and required replacement.  This is not too bad of a job by itself and does not require removal of the steering column.
  2. The rubber isolator which supports the column tube at the firewall had deteriorated and needed replacement.  This was the step that necessitated the removal of the steering column assembly.
  3. The bearing at the top of the column was dry and “notchy”.  I simply flushed the bearing out and repacked it with grease.
  4. The shear tabs on the two piece shaft were damaged but still in one piece hanging toward the top of the shaft.  I epoxied the pieces back in place and later sanded a nice lead in to help when putting the two pieces back together.  I’m also quite sure that the two piece shaft had been telescoping during steering making the u-joint assembly feel notchy.
I put everything back together and I the results are far better than I had hoped….virtually no play in the steering.


Thanks for the help.

Bill
Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: 01-24-2006 11:39 am
  PM Quote Reply
6th Post
Brett Gibson JH5 20497
Member
 

Joined: 03-17-2005
Location: Hilton, New York USA
Posts: 798
Status: 
Offline
 Hey Bill, glad to hear everything worked out well for you, it sure does make the car feel better without a lot of slop getting in the way.

You asked if I had press fit the brass bushing in that I used instead of the rubber one, well no I did'nt, but in hind site that is not a bad idea, I ended up maching a bushing to fit and had to also machine a piece of nylon dowl to to go thru the brass bushing to act as the small nubs that hold it in place, sounds confusing but once I got the hang of it I knocked off three or four units, I think I have a spare some place in all my junk, plus I sent the rest off to "Chicago Joe Mazurk" he has more JH's than he knows what to do with, so I thought he might put them to good use.

Brett.
Back To Top PM Quote Reply

Current time is 09:47 pm  
> Jensen Healey & Jensen GT Tech > Suspension > Steering column bushing at firewall Top


UltraBB 1.172 Copyright © 2007-2011 Data 1 Systems