steering wheel removal

[Corpus Skipper]

If worse comes to worse, you could heat the hub with a propane torch, but check for those set screws first.

[jimslade]

Never Never hit it with a hammer. Hammers are for nails. you will damage the thread or worse. A balance puller is what you need, it will hook on the back side and you use the nut to push against. If you want to use heat use a heat gun only. My opinion if you dont use the proper tool you will damage the helm.

[PAR]

Actually, I posted before the picture was up and it looks to be an older Teleflex unit. Not for nothing, but I've removed more wheels then I care to count over the years (hundreds). Sometimes, the value a sudden shock load imposed by a hammer, can jar loose rusted and stuck pieces that have had penetrating oil put on them, but only when they get smacked a few times do they break loose. A harmonic dampener puller (balancer puller) often times comes equipped with a slide HAMMER attached to the shaft, for those difficult to remove pieces. The threads are on the small end of a tapered shaft and could be easily chased with a die or thread restorer. It's likely that the key in the shaft has a small burr or a kink from being slammed against the stops a few to many times. This will only come out with a little jaw clenching and talking nice to it, with some force. This doesn't mean have at the threads with a 5 pound maul, but gently tapping the back of it, after half a can of WD40 has been sprayed all over it for an hour or two will work wonders especially if you don't happen to have a wheel puller (the correct tool) or harmonic dampener puller (not quite the correct tool) handy. Most of us do have a can of penetrating oil and a hammer.

Talk to it Popo, you'll get it off (look for set screws).

[nero]

a gear puller has a central threaded rod that "pushes" against the steering shaft. The advantage is that you avoid denting the bearings.

Of course you will still have to find the set screw that PAR noted.