Do You Need to Remove the Steering Wheel to Replace the Universal Joint Cross Shaft?
1 Answers
Replacing the universal joint cross shaft requires removing the steering wheel. Function of the Cross Shaft: The role of the universal joint cross shaft in a car is to transmit power at varying angles, used in positions where the direction of the drive shaft needs to be changed. It acts as the 'joint' component in the universal drive system of a vehicle. The universal joint cross shaft connects two levers, with the joint consisting of a pair of ordinary hinges oriented at 90° to each other, allowing the lever to turn in any direction. It is a widely used non-constant velocity universal joint in automobiles. Causes of Steering Shaft Failure: Universal joint cross shaft failures are mainly due to wear on the shaft neck and bearings, as well as bending deformation of various shaft necks, causing the center lines of each shaft of the cross shaft to not lie on the same plane or adjacent shaft center lines to not be perpendicular. Due to excessive wear on the universal joint cross shaft neck and bearings, the cross shaft wobbles during operation, causing the drive shaft center line to deviate from its rotational center line.