Hello,

Upon buying my current discovery there has been a wiggle/clicking in the steering wheel while off-road and while not moving I can wiggle the wheel left and right a bit and the wheels do not move. In my other discovery the steering is rock solid. I was hoping it was the shaft in the engine bay connecting the steering wheel shaft to the steering box. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I took all the plastic trim off of the steering column and discovered a U-joint inside the column that was the source of the loose steering and clicking. Has anyone replaced this before or is this a lost cause to just deal with?

 

I have not seen or heard of that, but would get another from a junkyard.
The steering shaft to box u-joint is usually the culprit, so I would think that finding a good column shaft u-joint would be easy.

 

The problem is none of the junkyards in my area (within 100 miles) have any discoverys at all. I can't seem to find any information on the complete disassembly of the steering column which I suspect I will have to do in order to remove the shaft

 

Does the Rave service manual not have the info you need?

 

Post a want ad here too, several people here sell used parts.

 

I need to go out and look at mine and see exactly what you need.

 

You’d be hard pressed to find a bone yard truck and pull the steering column out from the firewall to the box for that knuckle to be in salvageable shape. You need to free up both ends of shaft and slide up and down to jockey it out.

Ive usually cut it right out with a relief cut in the middle & source a new one. The U joint in that column is awful close the the manifold & is unserviceable- so the heat dries it out and it begins to fail.

 

He said the u-joint inside, not under the hood, so it isn't effected by heat.

 

Should be able to grab a junk yard unit for next to nothing. Simply loosen the bolts on each end spread the opening a bit slide it up & off.

 

I wish it was that easy, but it is the U-joint on the inside of the cabin. Pulling the steering wheel would be necessary, but past that I have no clue what I'm doing