You need to take pinch bolt out. It engages recess in steering shaft. Critical area of u-joint is out off focus. It is hard to see condition of splines.

 

Also the splines are keyed. Pay attention to the column, it only goes in one way.

 

I've been trying to figure this out. Yes I just had the pinch bolt in to hold it I wasn't trying with it in.l But it looks like the tines have gotten stripped just from the rubbing around trying to get it in. I've loosened the column completely so that maybe the weight will help in forcing it in but I can"t seem to find the right angle.now just noticed this, see pics. should I just keep going and find best fit because car is parked on the street and two times a week, like tonight, I get a ticket for not moving for street cleaning. ugh. Stuck! help. at this point im ready to hire a MB mechanic in the SF area. get at me!

 

Been there, done that. Again, spline is keyed. You'll see that it has three flat spots. One of the wider ones will go where the big opening is, the one where the bolt goes through. The other two smaller flat spots will go into the keyed slot on the receiver.

If it won't go in, turn the spline around to the next flat spot and try again.

 

Of course I’m in the position where the tires won’t turn, parked car with them turned toward the curb, so the joint can’t turn. Un-bolting the column has given it a little play. So I’ve just got to get it lined up and then it should fit you’re saying. Ok well I will give it a try or see if I can get a mechanic to do it. With my recent injury I’ve found it difficult to do this work. Thanks

 

The spline on the steering column, my guy. Not the portion that's attached to the rack.

Remove the clock spring, remove the ESL (if you didn't install emulator), then spin the shaft to make it fit, use pinch bolt to lock it, then reinstall ESL and then column.

I mark everything before I remove anything, so by the time I reinstall the column with ESL installed, the splines go in on the first try.

 

When I installed the ESL I did it before putting the column back in because I turned it the lock position with a small screwdriver (in the hole I made to get the ESL off in the first place) I won’t be able to install the ESL in the lock position this way. Will it work this way? Being in the open position when I hook every back up? I marked everything I could with a sharpie. Like the steering wheel and what have you. Thanks

 

You can turn it to the unlocked position just fine, it'll lock when you insert and then remove the keys.

Assuming the ESL is still intact and the eeprom is not burned. FYI, the eeprom is the fuse for ESL motor. Motor draws too much amperage because brushes go bad, bye bye eeprom.

Have you tested the ESL before you put back everything together?

 

No haven’t tested it because I read that hooking up the batter with airbag not connect requires a reset at dealership. So I was just putting it back together where I could get it to that point. Suggest doing that? I can just hook up the clock spring and other cords and hook up the battery? Thanks for your help a lot man (assuming)!

 

No point in putting everything back together if the rebuilt ESL is not going to start the car.

Plug in ESL, insert key and turn on car. If it starts, you're good. And yes, you're going to need to clear the airbag codes, but any independent shop with any sort of high end scanner should be able to do it, not the dealer. X204 is not exactly a rare car that requires a very specific scanner, after all. Plus, you're going to need to do it anyway, if you left the battery connected when you removed the airbag and clockspring out....even with the key out, the car will register that those two were unplugged and set codes for them.

So long the ESL is good, then you can fingle in the steering column into the shaft. You can even use the key to lock and unlock the ESL -- just inserting it in the EIS is enough. Then you can spin the column shaft around until it fits in.

Again, the shaft is keyed. Remember that.

 

OK! Im going to try that out. also I didn't mean codes needing to be reset I had read that the airbag unplugged can stop the car from being started and require a tow to dealership to fix. Not sure where I read that.

 

Nah, only time airbag could disable the car was if the car was in an accident severe enough to ignite the pyrofuse in the prefuse. In other words, explosively disconnect the battery in an accident.

 

Hey Deplore,
Good news after hooking wires back up to test of my repair worked, and getting a jump cause battery was dead, the ESL functions! I have disconnected the battery with ESL in open so I can turn the steering column but I’m still having a hell of a time getting it to go into the u joint. With that wobbly joint and what looks like some stripped tines it’s just not going. I have it lined up, it’s an offset triple grove so can only go one way but for the life of me I can’t get it past 1/8 of the way in. Making me think something else is up or there is a trick to this. Once this is done it’s over! I’m so glad it worked, saved a lot compared to dealer but I’m still stuck on reassemble. Any suggestions? I’m thinking of grabbing some vice-grips because I don’t have any and maybe I could at least get the U-joint from moving around... so frustrating. Deep breathes deep breaths.

 

Yes!! I got it on! We’re in business baby!

 

I am having the exact same issue you were having. I am wondering how you finally got this to slide in?

 

Congrats, the first time is always fiddly. Always takes a few tries to become a pro at it. 🤣

 

I can’t say it was easy but definitely was enlightening and trying. Now I’m sorta stuck getting the steering wheel back on. I had to take a break after going at it for hours and hours. I’m assuming the steering wheel is going to take some effort as well because it doesn’t seem to be sliding on easily. I didn’t know this job was going to be as big as it turned out to be but I’m glad I skirted the expensive alternative at the stealership. Can’t thank you enough Deplore sometimes just some assistance makes a huge difference. Aloha! Ofa Atu

 

Steering wheel is not keyed, just have to be gentle. It just slides on.

Make sure you insert steering wheel exactly as you removed...hopefully you marked the column and steering wheel after you removed the bolt?

 

Yeah I marked it with a sharpie but your saying it just slides on? Hmm it’s not sliding on for me. I did have to tap it with the hammer to get the bottom seated into the U-joint. For a second I was afraid I somehow hammered it down somehow but that can’t be, right? Anyway I’m going to go give it another try. Sometimes just stepping away helps clear the mind and then the solution is evident. Thanks again!

 

Use a small dab of WD40 or dialectic grease on the spline on the column and try again.

It literally slides on, no effort, no hammering, nothing.

 

My comments from back then still applies. The shaft is keyed. It has three flat spots. The female spline receiver that comes from the rack and pinion is also keyed, you can see two flat spots in the sea of splines. The third one is where the pinch is, the widest flat spot.

Match the wide flat spot on the steering column shaft to the rack's female receiver pinch bolt hole area.

 

hello....have the same spline issue as above. I aligned the larger flat groove on the steering column shaft with the pinch bolt opening on the steering rack U-joint. Still can't get the shaft to slide in. I tried to move the shaft a little each way but that did not help. Any suggestions? What am I missing....thanks

 

Comment from back then still applies. Keep spinning the shift and try. Also make sure to clean the splines, they're aluminum and real fragile. Any sort of debris can jam them up.

If needed, use vasoline to lubricate for easier sliding. If you slide it correctly, it will literally glide in with very little effort. Any other position it will jam.

I've found the easiest way to do is to thread in all four bolts of the steering column to the dash, but not all the way. The first two or three threads so the column is on the bolt and not hanging down. Then move the joint on the column to the shaft up and down, wiggle it a little bit and if the notches are in the right place, it will just glide in.

Mind you, I have the benefit of doing this job hundreds of time, so this is no big deal. But for a first timer, it will be frustrating.

 

thanks much - yes, frustrating and uncomfortable...especially after the damn ES issue and the $5000 independent shop quote to repair...using ESL emulator. Car only worth $5000

I have done most all the above and will try all that again.

You state "spin the shaft"..I thought the shaft has three flat areas on the spline and the fattest area needs to line up with the pinch bolt "slot" opening or said another way, the slot opening that is lengthwise along the coupling joint. I made marks before I took off but unfortunately of the wrong area...

 

just for documentation for others and I will follow-up with outcome. I jacked up the car and made sure the wheels are straight. I still have the steering wheel intact and I know the steering wheel was relatively straight before taking the spline shaft out. I am assuming that with wheels straight and steering wheel straight that I will be very close to the keyed orientation of the spline to the coupling. As you said it just pulled right out so it should just slip right in...

 

Keep trying, is all I can say. Once you slot in the keys to where they are supposed to, and then push on it slightly, it should more or less go in with very little force.

 

We used to run into the same problem 50 years ago. The rack is a little too close to the column so the u-joint is always under pressure making it difficult to prevent it from being just a little cocked. If you can get the rack or the column loose enough to relieve the pressure it will slide right on. Don't know if it'll work for you but it worked for me. 50 years ago...

Oh, I'm sure you know, but the bolt has to be completely out...