83 Rabbit Steering Column Repair

a cheezy fix is to shove the retainer back up there and put a zip tie
below it. I may or may not have done this on my old daily driver VWs a
few times <G>

nate

The steering column on our 83 Diesel Rabbit started making a loud knocking
sound. I noticed that a bearing had slid out of the bottom of the steering
column tube, along with some pieces of plastic that I assume were either
part of the bearing or a bearing retainer. I could push the bearing back
into the tube, but it doesn't look like there is anything to hold it in. It
looks like if I disconnected the universal joint at the bottom of the
steering column I could slide the old bearing off and a new bearing on,
leaving the outer race in the column tube and using it for the new bearing.
Anyone know whether this would work, and if so how the new bearing would be
retained in the column tube? OR - ouch - will I have to remove the whole
steering column/tube assembly to fix this?

Thanks,

Howard

I might do that until I decide how to do a permanent fix. Who know, this
could be the permanent fix.
Thanks,
Howard
"N8N" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> a cheezy fix is to shove the retainer back up there and put a zip tie
> below it. I may or may not have done this on my old daily driver VWs a
> few times <G>
>
> nate
>

Howard wrote:
> I might do that until I decide how to do a permanent fix. Who know,
> this could be the permanent fix.
> Thanks,
> Howard
> "N8N" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> a cheezy fix is to shove the retainer back up there and put a zip tie
>> below it. I may or may not have done this on my old daily driver
>> VWs a few times <G>
>>
>> nate

You could also add a few drops of bearing fix adhesive to the case before
sliding it back. Look at this as the permanent fix and the zip-tie as a
failsafe device.

Huw