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MG MGB Technical - Squeaky steering column

Hi Chaps,

I have a squeaky steering column. It's a fact of life, I treat it as a quirk of the car - but my partner says that it drives her to distraction and makes driving the B unpleasant.

The squeak seems to come from the top of the steering column and is consistant: i.e. it always squeaks when the steering wheel is turned.

I've looked both in the car and int he Hyanes manula and I can't find anywhere to dribble a little 3-in-1.

Any clues?

Thanks

Rich
Rich

What year car is it? The steering columns were different between early and late models ones. The later ones seem to have real bearings in them. I think the early ones have a plastic bush that wears out?

Simon Jansen

I have the same problem - although only when turning the wheel in one direction and only for a small part of the turn! Mine's a MK1 with non-collapsable column - I'd appreciate any hints as well!

Cheers,
Tim.
Tim Jenner

Rich,

If the steering wheel has ever been removed there is a possibility that the puller distorted the steering wheel hub. I know this can happen from personal experience. Such a distortion can cause the rubber part of the wheel hub to rub against the plastic cowl, creating an annoying squeak. As a temporary fix, light oil or grease can be applied at the friction points. The only permanent remedy is to remove the wheel and either try to get the hub back into round or replace the hub all together.

Doug
D. Cook

On my '74, where the horn ring rubs on the fixed contact became dry. It made a sort of scraping sound every time I moved the wheel. A tiny smear of grease on the ring (or contact, I don't recall) fixed that problem. BTW, I didn't have to remove the wheel, you can get to it just by removing the cowl.
Matt Kulka

And if you remove the cowl you can dribble some engine oil down the shaft and it will lubricate the top plastic bush. Bottom one is more difficult but if you remove the steering lock you can dribble the oil through the hole which will make its way to the bottom bush.
Iain MacKintosh

My guess is also for the horn contact - most years had the wheel centre horn push after flirting with the column stalk for a while - an easy thing to check once the cowls are removed. It should be a copper pip in a brass spring (or is it the other way round?) bearing on a slip-ring on the back of the wheel. If the pip has fallen out (BT, DT) or still there but the spring itself is bearing on the slip-ring it will squeak.
Paul Hunt

I am with Paul, check the horn contact. It could have been twisted the last time the steering wheel was installed or just worn. Our 66 MGB squeaks periodically and I go in a smear a bit of Silglide lubricant on the contact and the noise goes away for another year or so.
Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

Thanks for all the advice - looks like it's "cowls off" tonight!

I'll let you know how I get on -

Thanks again,

Rich
Rich

I had the same problem with my 74 and would give it a little spray WD40 or what ever was handy to quiet it down for a few months.
Kris Sorensen

This thread was discussed between 20/09/2004 and 24/09/2004

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