Steering wheel removal.
If you require some instructions to help with the removal of your Land Rover steering wheel or horn button / dip switch assembly we have a short guide based on our own experience.
Land Rover Series One Steering Wheel Removal
Proceed with care. This is only a guide your vehicle may be different.
The bakelite wheel centre, horn button & dip switch assembly is attached to a stator tube which runs inside the steering column.
You must remove this complete assembly before attempting to remove the steering wheel.
Firstly the horn & dip switch wires need to be disconnected from your wiring loom.
Follow the wires from where they enter the bottom of the steering column (in the wheel arch).
They should go into a junction box on the bulkhead in the engine bay.
Straighten the wires so they will feed up the steering column easily.
Slide the stator tube end cap off over the wires.
Undo the stator tube clamp bolt at the bottom of the steering box.
Any oil in the steering box will drain out.
Do not lever the bakelite horn surround. It will break.
You should now be able to push the stator tube up the steering column to remove the complete steering wheel centre still attached to the stator tube, as one unit, through the centre of the steering wheel.
Undo and completely remove the steering wheel clamp bolt.
The steering wheel will now either easily slide off the splines or not!
If not….
Spray loads of release oil onto the splines.
Gently prise the split open. The casting is soft, take great care not to damage.
It should then be possible to carefully persuade the steering wheel to move using plenty of push-pull-shake and patience!
Horn Button / Dip Switch Assembly Rebuilding
- Unscrew the 3 mounting posts using a 9/32” A/F spanner
- Remove the horn contact plate (There are different types)
- Remove 2 washers from 2 of the moulded pins and the earth wire from the third
- De-solder horn contact to reveal rivet head
- Using a drill or mini die grinder, very carefully remove the rivet head and free the horn contact
- Remove brass cup, contact, fibre washer, horn button and spring. (There are different types)
- Unscrew nut from dipswitch contact using a 7/32” A/F spanner to remove dipswitch lever
- Lift out spring contact
- Remove solder from screw head to remove screw and washer from contact plate
- Remove contact plate.
Re-assembly
- Fit spring to horn button
- Insert horn button from front of top cover and using 6BA screw (supplied), re-attach brass cup & contact. This screw will need to be removed again to fit the power feed.
- Replace 4 washers and earth wire
- Replace horn contact plate
- Replace 3 mounting posts using 9/32” A/F spanner
- Replace contact plate and fix into place applying threadlock to the 6BA screw (supplied)
- Replace spring contact assembly
- Replace the dipswitch lever. Fix the 5BA nut with a 7/3” A/F spanner applying threadlock
- Check the switches operate correctly using a multimeter.