Help with steering wheel removal '88 911

[yazhound]

Pelicans,

I am trying to remove factory steering wheel. Horn pad off. Breaker bar, socket, pentrating fluid around nut. Still no budge. Tips? Seems like would be pretty straight forward. What am I missing or am I just weak?

[pete3799]

Probably just weak.
Don't use the steering wheel lock to hold it or you'll break it.
If no air gun, drive it somewhere and have them zip it off then snug it back up for the drive home.

[Joe Bob]

^^^^ good suggestion....or two people and a long cheater bar. One guy holds the wheel.

[ivangene]

+1 for above suggestions

[aualexa2]

If you don't have someone to help you, you can put an anti-theft bar (the club) on the wheel to use to stabilize the wheel while trying to break the nut. However you chose to do it, just be careful not to slip and smash your windshield!

[NeunElf3.2]

Elecrtric impact "drill/driver" ...did the trrick on mine.

[Gustyones]

I had my son hold the wheel while I turned the wrench. It took some force but it came loose.

[dicklague]

Air or electric impact wrench is what you need with an impact socket.

[jdbunda]

I had this problem with a BMW a few years back. I struggled - finally took it to someone with an air impact wrench - like buttah.

[Kidasters]

Let the fluid soak a bit.

You should be able to do it with a breaker bar, as long as it is at least a 24" bar.

Ken

[Targalid]

This is a no brainer. Impact wrench! The steering wheel nut just pops off with an impact wrench. Harbor Freight has a dandy one for $40. A metric impact socket set can also be had from the same vendor for cheap. You will use this electric impact wrench over and over for all kinds of applications. It makes changing tires a breeze too. Forget the breaker bar!

[yazhound]

Thanks for everyone's input. Impact driver was the ticket. Very quick and easy. New wheel looks fantastic! Thanks again.

[KTL]

Curious.......... what'd you tighten the nut to when you reinstalled it?

Reason I ask is because I think a lot of people believe you have to gorilla tighten it because the nut/threads are so big. Not so. The torque spec in the Porsche spec book says 50 Nm = ~ 37 ft-lbs

[PCA7GGR]

If you use a breaker bar, make sure that you are applying force down away from the windshield. This will help avoid a bigger, more expensive problem - ;>)