Intermediate Shaft Replacement How hard is it

[YukonJacks]

How difficult is it to change out?
I have a 2000 Yukon
I read a thread provided be tspain, I'm not sure about a few things he discussed.

Notice: On the 2002 and later model year vehicles, the steering column LOCK was removed from the steering column. It is critical that the J 42640 - Steering column Anti-Rotation Pin is used when servicing steering columns on 2002 and later model year vehicles. Failure to use the J 42640 may result in damage to the SIR coil.
What is a J 42640 and where is it located?

Remove the upper intermediate steering shaft assembly.

1. From inside the vehicle, slide the shaft down and off the steering column.

2. From inside the vehicle, slide the upper intermediate shaft through the dash boot seal and remove the shaft from the vehicle.

Replace the upper intermediate shaft.

Install the upper intermediate steering shaft through the dash boot seal and slide the lower end into the steering gear coupling shaft.

Raise the upper end of the intermediate steering shaft and install into the steering column shaft.

I dont understand what has to be done from inside the vehicle?

Any clarification would be greatly appreciated

Bill

 

[JennaBear]

Not very difficult at all. We changed the shaft in the SSS after the dealer failed twice to fix the problem.

 

[YukonJacks]

and

 

[JennaBear]

If you have your head under the driver side dash, you should be able to see the bolt that attaches to the int. shaft about a foot above the brake pedal. Lemme know if that helps.

Shouldn't take long, maybe 10-20 mins depending on your comfort level with mechanical stuff

 

[east302]

The J42640 is a little tool that you stick in a hole in the steering wheel to keep it from turning:

http://www.etoolcart.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9541

You could probably find it at an Autozone or somewhere like that. But, since you have a 2000 and the tool is for 2002+, don't worry about it. It's really just to make sure your kids don't jump in there and turn the hell out of the wheel when the shaft is removed.

I did it on our old 2000 Tahoe and thought it was fairly simple. Took about an hour since it was the first time and everything that could get stuck got stuck. Patience is not one of my strongpoints.

In tspain's post...

http://www.tahoeforum.com/showthread.php?p=58503

the first picture shows the bolt connection at the shaft under the hood. It's easy to get to, but can be a little hard to undo since the bolt is exposed to the elements. When the bolt is removed, you have to pull the two sections apart. Again, kind of hard to do if they're stuck real bad and it's hard to get a good grip on them anyways.

The second picture shows the shaft as if you were looking through the firewall toward the front seat. The bolt is not clearly indicated on the drawing but I tried to draw an arrow to it and attach a copy of tspain's picture....it'd probably be easier to look up under the dash to see where it is.

When that's unbolted, you have to pull the entire shaft out through the inside. There's a rubber boot at the firewall and the shaft will telescope but it'll eventually come through. It's a tight fit.

Good luck,
Scott

 

[YukonJacks]

Do I need to disconnect the battery and disable the airbags first???

 

[east302]

No, you're fine leaving them connected.

Here's a link to another forum:

http://z71tahoe-suburban.com/iboard/index.php?showtopic=181

The very first post has a pdf attachment that, when opened, shows good pictures of the steering shaft removal. The rest of it is for the lube, which you can ignore. You might have to register at the site to see the file, I'm not sure.

Hope this helps,
Scott

 

[YukonJacks]

for some reason I can't find the pdf attatchment

 

[east302]

You have to register (log-in) to that forum. When you do, you'll see the post by "carguru" where he says "Here is the complete procedure" and the pdf file is a link just below that sentence.

If you can't get it, it's not critical...just has a few photos of the ends of the shaft which show where the bolts are. Otherwise, you're probably ok with what you have so far.