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MG MG Y Type - Steering Wheel YA

I am looking to remove Steering Wheel to facilitate doing a repair to a crack in wheel covering. I have trolled through the Archives of this site, looked in Let there be Ys and the workshop manual, but unless I am thick, or blind I cannot find anywhere which definitively explains how I remove the timing mechanism from the centre boss so I can get to the retaining nut of the wheel.
I have however picked up that the wheel can be stubborn to come off column but I am concerned that I might create more problems by blindly trying to lever out the said mechanism.
I have removed the horn push, spring etc., two screws and brass contacts and also the central screw which released the Bakerlite cover and ring.

How does the timing mechanism come out to allow access to large retaining nut. (And I do not mean ME!)
Thank you in anticipation.
Bob
RA Barham-Hall

You will find a single chrome screw on the side of the wheel hub - remove that and you should be able to lift out the alloy housing containing the timing switch.

You can put back all what you have removed so far - in fact I would recommend it - other wise you may damage the timing switch in the removal process.

The wheel is secured to the shaft on a tapered section with a keyway. If the wheel is loose when the nut is tight, you may have to install a thin sheet shim between the wheel hub and the shaft.

Once you have the timing switch out of the wheel hub, you will need to remove the wiring to the switch and push it down the shaft, so you can access the big nut.

Good Luck

Tony
A L SLATTERY

Thanks Tony. I have reckoned to have looked for some screw or grub screw but not seen nor fealt one. It is now almost 11 pm so I shall look more carefully tomorrow. So glad I asked the question, thanks for you prompt response.

Regards, Bob.
RA Barham-Hall

If the steering wheel is very tight and difficult to come off, it might be wise not to undo the retaining nut all the way off. That's if it's held by a centre retaining nut, I haven't actually seen it. Reason being, when you give it some serious muscle and the wheel finally gives, it could easily fly straight off the column and give the bridge of your nose a wallop. Leaving you with a right royal pair of black eyes.
I speak from experience, Mark 1 Cortina, 1968, wretched thing, fifty years ago and I can still feel the thump.
R Taylor

Thank you for that sound advice from your own personal experience.
I will bear that in mind.
Bob
RA Barham-Hall

Here is a photo taken through the windscreen looking down on the steering wheel hub.

You can see the chrome retaining screw in the centre of the photo. If the wheel & column & rack are aligned correctly, this screw should be at 12 o'clock when steering straight ahead. From the drivers view the wheel spokes should form a Y.

I hope this helps.

Tony

A L SLATTERY

It must be a Ford thing. Same thing happened to me when removing the steering week from my'69 Capri in the mid seventies, except I broke my nose.
Ian
I A Henry

Tony,

Thank you for your advice and especially the pic.
I thought I had looked and fealt for a retaining screw, but I was looking in wrong area on a wheel boss painted black and where the screw had also been painted black.

I returned that which I had dismantled before doing anything else, and carefully loosed cables before loosening main nut.
With a little persuasion it released from splines safely
and I was able to remove it for repair completely.

It is heart-warming to know there are people out there
who have seen or done it all before and are willing to assist.

Kind regards
Bob
RA Barham-Hall

This thread was discussed between 24/03/2018 and 26/03/2018

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