"old" steering pedestal disassembly

The cut the sikaflex is correct as is the undo the M6 nuts and remove the grab rail. You also need to remove the wheel and the plate around the boss that is screwed to the console, I’m also assuming that you’ve also removed any electronics as well ( the M6 nuts can be accessed through their mounting holes, but it is awkward). Having removed mine twice, I found that it was a lot easier to do with the help of a second person to pull the console towards them while you cut the sikaflex with a suitably sharp knife. I always found that it was easier to start with them pulling the console towards the wheel side and you starting to cut the sikaflex at the front and edges of the console.

I used a Stanley knife to carefully cut the sikaflex. Once you have removed the top section the alloy head of the steering mechanism is accessible. When I removed the top section of the pedestal I replaced the top bearing and re shimmed it to remove play in the wheel.

Thanks sgrhma2!

Tried to remove the pedestal (top part) yesterday.

Edited by Wairua - 04 December 2025 at 13:29

It does look like there is something around the joint. Is it a mastic or is it hard like a resin? I can also see that your top bearing in the pedestal is well and truly gone! It’s a standard off the shelf bearing size. When I replaced mine, I managed to find a cheap stainless bearing. The hard part is shimming the shaft to remove play in the steering. Once I finished the setup I bonded a GRP disc over the hole in the top plate that the bearing sits in to prevent any water from running down round the bearing (which I suspect is the main reason the original bearing failed). You don’t need a high end bearing for this as there is negligible load on it and rotational speed again is negligible. The bearing that is used I suspect is a relatively common wheel bearing, so it’s use in the steering mechanism comes no where near loads and stresses is designed for. As mentioned earlier, moisture ingress is the greatest threat to its service life.