There I was fitting the Momo wheel thinking this is going well, Ha should have known !!! When I had everything back together the wheel rubbed pretty badly on the dash pod, I removed some of the dash pod material where it rubbed (carefully and discretely) but still to no avail.
A couple of emails on Rennlist resolved the issue, the upper bearing was shot, seems the inner part of the bearing shell gets wider with wear and the shaft begins to drop into the column with the obvious decrease in clearance. With the standard wheel I guess there is more flexibility but the Momo hub is not so forgiving !!!
Dave Roberts sent me a bearing overnight so I could drive the car at the weekend, small cost ~$16 so it is cheap, however the replacement is a little involved if not overly difficult. I ended up doing the removal of the pod so I could get to the bearing easier and didn't take any photos until I got it all apart so here it is all in reverse !!!!
Manual says to undo the knuckle joints in the engine bay and push the shaft inwards so you can use an internal bearing puller. No need.
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Here is the pod, bearing support and bearing removed. There is a slot in the top of the column where I thought I could get to the back of the bearing but many heavy blows failed to budge it. Some smaller blows with a screwdirver from the side where the bearing overlaps the column worked much better. So there you go pod removal is optional. |
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Pic of the bearing support, note the taper on the end further away from my hand, this is what locates on the inside of the bearing. |
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Another shot showing the expansion groove in the support. |
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Bearing in place after careful blows with hammer and flat implement to cusion the blow. |
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Pulling on the shaft can then locate the bearing support and C-clip, time and cause for celebration here !!!! |
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Dash pod connected and back in place, plenty of electrical connections. |
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Very easy to forget the lever assembly, so loosen pod assembly and fit back on column. |
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Here you can see the clearance though tight is not negative like before !!! |