The steering wheel in my 1997 Aerostar is wobbly.

[RowdyDoily]

Okay guys, I have a 1997 Ford Aerostar XLT Sport, great vehicle, but recently the steering wheel inside the passenger compartment is wobbly. It moves up and down and right to left. On occasion it has hung up in corners and is hard to move. Anyone know what it is and how to fix it?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Disconnect the battery, then wait a minimum of 10 minutes before you open the steering column. You will be able to see what is loose once you remove the cover.

 

[RowdyDoily]

1997 Aerostar wobbly steering wheel

BrooklynBay, thanks for responding. However, I am a single female and not sure how to go about removing the steering wheel. This is my only means of transportation. I am unemployed at this time, but need to get it fixed. Can you send any information with more details how to do this. Any diagrams or something like that so I can follow it step by step? Appreciate your help. God bless you and your family.

 

[Jose A.]

BrooklynBay, thanks for responding. However, I am a single female and not sure how to go about removing the steering wheel. This is my only means of transportation. I am unemployed at this time, but need to get it fixed. Can you send any information with more details how to do this. Any diagrams or something like that so I can follow it step by step? Appreciate your help. God bless you and your family.

then the best advice anyone can give you is don't mess with it, take the van to a Ford dealer, if your Aerostar has an Air Bag in the steering wheel, it is dangerous to mess with the steering wheel and steering column if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[RowdyDoily]

What just because I am a Chic, I can't do this? I can do almost anything a man can do. I am not afraid of getting down and dirty. Don't knock me for being a chic, I just need instructions on how to do this. Give me a break.... Appreciate your input. Maybe the Man, BrooklynBay will get back with me and not put me down for being female. Thanks, Jose, god bless you and your family....

 

[Rick]

What just because I am a Chic, I can't do this?

You are the one who pointed out that you were a single female and made that an issue.

 

[RowdyDoily]

Okay, slap me one more time. Just because I am female, doesn't mean I can't do "Man"s work". I have been a single parent for the last couple of years and had to do the work. I am not afraid of getting dirty or breaking a nail... Boo-hoo. I have had to take care of problems without a man. Give me a break, money does not flow freely. I need to fix what I can and I know I can fix this. Thanks Jose for your vote of confidence for me being female. God Bless you and yours.

 

[RowdyDoily]

Opps. my bad. Another guy that doesn't think a "Girl" can do this. Sorry Rick, you obviously think you are superior to Females.

 

[Jose A.]

I'm not putting you down for being a chic, how silly! I happen to know a few female mechanics whom I trust my vehicles more than their male counterparts. I have given the same "don't mess with it" advice to guys who have never turned a screwdriver. Not an issue of gender.

what I said is what I said: if you don't know what you're doing, and you obviously don't, "not sure how to go about removing the steering wheel", you are getting into dangerous territory: the air bag can go off (explode in your face) if not properly disabled; removal of the steering wheel is not a matter of a screwdriver or a wrench, you need specialized tools, definitely a shop service manual, and specific knowledge of mechanical components.

Moreover, neither BrooklynBay nor anyone else in any forum knows exactly what the problem is or might be without checking the vehicle in person, it is just a guess from prior experiences, but nobody can guarantee that once you have dismantled and disabled the vehicle, that you are going to be able to repair it or put it back together. Many mechanics will not touch a dismantled vehicle if they didn't do the dismantling themselves. You've been warned. Now you can do as you please. I won't get involved any more.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The SRS module contains a back up battery for deploying the air bag in case of a power failure due to an accident. This is why I recommended that you disconnect the battery, and wait a minimum of 10 minutes before you work on the steering column. The battery should drain during this period. The wobble might be caused by loose bolts, nuts, bushings, etc, so the best thing to do is remove the shroud cover before you pull the steering wheel. You might not have to remove the wheel to fix it.

 

[mmerlinn]

Based on what you say your problem is, I don't think it is in the steering wheel. I have had mine off several times and the only possible problem could be the bearing/bushing in the column, which is extremely unlikely.

If you need to remove the steering wheel, there are two bolts on the underside that hold the air bag in. Air bags are dangerous, so be careful as noted above. After removing the air bag there is one nut holding the wheel on. I just don't think removing the wheel will solve your problem.

Does just the wheel move around? Or does the WHOLE column move? My guess is that the whole column is moving. In that case, I would check the attaching bolts under the dash as they might be loose. Even if they are loose, it is unlikely that would cause any binding.

Another possible cause of the column moving around could be a loose/broken steering box or broken frame where the steering box mounts under the hood. That could cause the steering to bind in certain positions. Fixing loose steering boxes sometimes involves welding the frame if the frame is broken or damaged.

I don't know what you mean by "hung up in the CORNERS" as there are no corners on the wheel, so I really don't know where to point you for that.

Regardless, anything more than tightening/replacing bolts is much more than I would want to tackle even though I have owned and worked on my Aerostars for years.

**********

then the best advice anyone can give you is don't mess with it, take the van to a Ford dealer, if your Aerostar has an Air Bag in the steering wheel, it is dangerous to mess with the steering wheel and steering column if you don't know what you are doing.

This is the BEST advice REGARDLESS of which sex you are. There is NOTHING here putting you down for being a female. Dolly, you are TOTALLY wrong for imputing motives WHEN THERE ARE NONE.

What just because I am a Chic, I can't do this? I can do almost anything a man can do. I am not afraid of getting down and dirty. Don't knock me for being a chic, I just need instructions on how to do this. Give me a break.... Appreciate your input. Maybe the Man, BrooklynBay will get back with me and not put me down for being female. Thanks, Jose, god bless you and your family....

If you are going to play the "Woe is me, I am a single chic" card expect to get putdowns (although it did not happen here).

You are the one who pointed out that you were a single female and made that an issue.

Exactly.

Okay, slap me one more time. Just because I am female, doesn't mean I can't do "Man"s work". I have been a single parent for the last couple of years and had to do the work. I am not afraid of getting dirty or breaking a nail... Boo-hoo. I have had to take care of problems without a man. Give me a break, money does not flow freely. I need to fix what I can and I know I can fix this. Thanks Jose for your vote of confidence for me being female. God Bless you and yours.

No one said you could not do it. They only pointed out that because of your INEXPERIENCE, which has NOTHING to do with your plumbing, the SAFEST policy is to let someone with EXPERIENCE, man OR woman, do it for you.

Opps. my bad. Another guy that doesn't think a "Girl" can do this. Sorry Rick, you obviously think you are superior to Females.

There is NO reason why a "Girl" cannot do this, AND NO ONE SAID YOU COULDN'T DO IT. So, get off your high horse, quit playing the "Woe is me, I am a single female" card, and you will get a lot further in life with less hassle.