Broken Steering Shaft Coupler

[GeorgeL]

[shakajava]

I've had an OEM with the fabric do the same thing. The rubber got dried out and the whole thing just broke in half. I think it was a bit old and looked like an old tire with lots of cracks.
The steering was sloppy but I was able to get it home when it broke. Then I went out and got another OEM.
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71' Super Beetle
69' Beetle
(2) 82' 244 Volvo
83' 244 Turbo Volvo

[66 Shorty]

Chances are the OEM one you had on there was Original & was there for over 40 years... The Urethane ones don't last nearly as long as OEM ones...
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'66 Custom Shortened Bus (on the back burner)
'60's Spatz Buggy body on '74 Chassis (Budget Build)
'04 Bug (Womans daily)
'00 Blazer (My daily)

[Elwood]

My theory is unless your putting directly into a stock location such as a beetle or Ghia.... Then you can not be certain you have the right angle to your steering shaft to box.
So therefore even the stock rag joint is not the safest route. I took the steering box side of this union, drilled out the stub and welded a 5/8 spined stub into it. So i can join it directly to a Universal Joint.
This way I can adjust the steering box this way and that, my shft will be at a comfortable angle for being in a buggy. Once the stops are chiseled off the beam I can turn the box to adjust out and bump steer.

Urethane makes great Skateboard wheels.

[shakajava]

The OEM one could have been the original but the PO didn't have the steering box lined up correctly and I think caused premature wear and the break.
After I finished ripping the old one out and putting in a new OEM I got the steering shaft and gear box lined up like it should.
I think any misalignment will cause premature wear of this item no matter which one you use. IMHO.
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71' Super Beetle
69' Beetle
(2) 82' 244 Volvo
83' 244 Turbo Volvo

[wythac]

I have an important update to this thread. I ordered a replacement "rag joint" or steering column coupler from West Coast Metric for my buggy that uses a stock steering column. What I received didn't match the picture on the website, but the part # 111-417 was the same...when I pulled my crappy neo coupler, it was clear that the one I got from WCM was not the right one....which is suprising, as I have not seen one like this, perhaps it is for a bus and got mislabled.



Anyway, I have contacted them and have every expectation that they will make this right, I just thought I should throw this out as a cautionary tale...

[new-n-old-vdubs]

can a piece of metal be used in place of the rubber?
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[wythac]

I believe the joint is designed to be flexible for a few reasons, vibration dampening in the steering wheel, and to compensate for small misalignments between the steering box and the column when rotating.

I've seen people use small u-joints and jackshafts without any ill effects. I don't need anything like that, I just need the part I thought I ordered to fit as it is supposed to

[Lo Cash John]

I just got a genuine VW logo'ed one from my local supply house. It was 4 times the price on the red EMPI one but I'm sure it'll be worth every penny.
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[GeorgeL]

[LeeVW]

I'm with you, John. It's worth the extra money to not have to worry that you will lose steering control at any moment!

Lee

[TC/TeamEvil]

"which is surprising, as I have not seen one like this,"

That looks a whole lot like the one in my 356SC coupe. I think that everyone's on the right track regarding the angles of the box output shaft and the column lining up. Any deviation there would cause considerable stress on any coupler.

Thanks for that insight, I'll have to pay special attention to that area on the Fiat.

TC

[Russ Wolfe]

Yes, that looks like a bus one.
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[wythac]

Thanks Russ. I figure they just made a mistake labeling it. I hope for their sake that the one they sent me is the only one, or one of a few, as it would be a major hassle for them to correct on a large scale....It is made of the right material, it just has the wrong bolt pattern.

Seems like I am experiencing a few of these issues with my "cowl off" project...my "new" hydraulic clutch master cylinder was leaking like a sieve. It sat installed in the chassis for three years while I completed the rest of the car, inside the control tunnel, now out of warranty and a bitch to reach in a buggy. Took it apart to find aluminum shavings in the cylinder, seals shot. 300 miles on the car and it needed a rebuild. Slave cylinder's sold as a separate part, Clutch M/C only sold with a complete 250.00 kit.

[Dale M.]

[lostinbaja]

As far as the urethane couples are concerned...Mongo had his come apart a week ago and came within a foot of hitting a car with his buggy. His coupler wasn't on the buggy 6 months. Don't install urethane couplers and remove the ones you have.
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[wythac]

Dale,

I disagree, but it doesn't really matter at this point to anybody but me, that I am aware of.

My email to WCM (when they read it, I have no indication of that yet in the form of a response) will alert them to check their stock. I think the website said they had 19 in house, so you are right about that, it will take one of them and a label maker 5 minutes to fix what they haven't already shipped....Therein lies the rub.

Best outcome for me of course would have been if that had been done prior to shipping me my part. The hassle for them comes in dealing with me and people like me that will take up their time and email on a parts sale where the shipping almost exceeds the price of the part itself. A very unprofitable exercise.

I'm not that put out...my car is a month out from rolling again anyway, and nearly every other piece of rubber on the car is from WCM. They are a great company that I have done business with since the 80's and I expect to continue to do so.

However, in the short term, and more germaine to this forum and topic, my caveat stands; I still think everyone here who is thinking of buying one of those couplers from WCM should call them and have the person actually pick the part and look at it, rather than order it from the webpage as I did. It will be as much a favor to them as anything...who wants more unsatisfied customers?

I will of course post the resolution of this when I get it, and, as I mentioned above, I have every expectation that WCM will take care of this. I sent them the same picture I posted here. If I have not heard from them by email tomorrow, I will call.

[GeorgeL]

You're making the assumption that the person at WCM actually knows their stock intimately. That's a bit unrealistic. The person who filled your order might well have been someone just learning the business. These days it's hard enough to find someone who can identify a steering coupler, let alone know the nuances.

I've replaced couplers on both bugs and buses and I don't know if I'd have caught that error even knowing the differences. If I was pulling stock for 8 or 10 orders per hour I wouldn't be looking too closely at the parts. If it was round and black it probably would have gone into the box without further thought.

Never fear, WCM will make it right. If they don't, I'll buy the bus coupler from you as I need one at the moment!

[wythac]

You are right, George, I was giving them the benefit of the doubt that they would know the not-so "universal" coupler, but I also didn't add that I would ask them " is it perfectly round, or is it a rounded square?".

Round=good, Sorta Round=not so good.

I sent them the same pic that I posted here, which should also help.

Given that shipping it back to them at my cost just means they get to sell it twice, I would be more than happy to shove it in a flat rate envelope and ship it to you. PM me with your address, and when I get this resolved in a day or two I will send it your way. It is really a much better part than the crappy red one, nice rubber.

[Mongo63]

Just had my urethane coupler come apart a few weeks ago... I bought the CB performance rhino coupler last summer when I finished my buggy, I believe they advertise it as "the last coupler you'll ever need to buy" or some facsimile thereof. Piece of crap didn't even last a year, and I went to great lengths to make sure my steering shaft angle was perfect. Luckily I was just doing a low speed u turn when steering felt funny, not rolling down the expressway at 75. These couplers are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Surprised that garbage products like thes can still be sold in our litigous society.
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