TheSamba.com :: View topic - Steering Coupling Disc 211415417 (coupler)

Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:36 pm

from below. You have to remove all four bolts and the one that holds it to the steering gear. Then replace the puck and put everything back. The steering may be off by a tiny bit if you rotate the steering at all while that one bolt that holds the clamp to the steering gear.

Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:32 pm

Do I remove the one bolt first? How do I keep the column from moving while trying to remove the nuts?

Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:14 pm

ivwshane wrote: I was then going to try from above but the metal collar/cover isn't large enough to move up the steering column.
That's odd, you should be able to lift the cover with the column in place on a late bus. Try harder, once it's up you remove the 4 nuts and their bolts and slide the coupler out sideways, no need to remove the yoke from the shaft.

Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:32 pm

ivwshane wrote: Do I remove the one bolt first? How do I keep the column from moving while trying to remove the nuts?

Let your backwrench contact the clutch pedal and prevent the shaft from turning.

Never work against the steering lock. I haven't buggered one myself, but Bentley is pretty cautious about it.

Robbie

Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:48 am

http://www.kieftenklok.nl/shop/index.php/en/homepa...-79-detail

Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:29 am

I observed while Emma and Sven did this job on Big Emma last night.

Late Bay

The steering column has about 3-5 cm if axial play in it. None of the bolts or washers were original. The premium Quality coupler was somewhat munched and one of the bushings had separated from the rubber

I think Big Emma is missing the bushing and ring which keeps the shaft axial
Play minimal. Without that bushing, each steering event flexes the coupling up and it fatigue fails.

Bentley shows that the nuts go on the rubber side, so bolts down from the top and up from the bottom. We used washers and Nylocks M8

Asiab informed me he has seen unmolested busses with all four bolts facing down.

Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:58 am

Abscate wrote: I observed while Emma and Sven did this job on Big Emma last night.

Late Bay

The steering column has about 3-5 cm if axial play in it. None of the bolts or washers were original. The premium Quality coupler was somewhat munched and one of the bushings had separated from the rubber

I think Big Emma is missing the bushing and ring which keeps the shaft axial
Play minimal. Without that bushing, each steering event flexes the coupling up and it fatigue fails.

Bentley shows that the nuts go on the rubber side, so bolts down from the top and up from the bottom. We used washers and Nylocks M8

Asiab informed me he has seen unmolested busses with all four bolts facing down.

Yes - before removing the old coupler, we did a bit of observation as Sven turned the wheels back and forth. Glad I'm not driving with that piece of rubber anymore.

For now, we replaced it with another low-quality spare we had lying around while we wait to get some good ones from Richard. We will switch it out again when that arrives.

Anyone happen to have a part number for the bushing and ring?

Also, the first time I did this, I definitely did not know you could go in from the top to reach those bolts, and did all of them from under the car. Glad to know this job is way easier than the first time around :P

Sun Jun 23, 2019 1:08 pm

GoBigEmma wrote: Anyone happen to have a part number for the bushing and ring?

I suppose by that you mean the bearing and thrust ring (as VW calls them)? Those are the only things
restraining the column movement radially. The bearing is VW #211-415-585B (mid '74 - up), don't know about
the thrust ring, or even if one is needed, for '68-mid '74 it was 113-415-589A.

As far as I can see, there's really nothing other than the stiffness of the rubber coupler and the spring under the steering wheel
preventing up-and-down (axial) movement of the steering column, aside from interference of attached parts.

Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:13 am

Has anybody tried this one, made by Dansk?

https://store.concept1.ca/Steering-Coupler-Bus-68-79-211415417-JP

Wed Sep 11, 2019 8:54 am

bvolks wrote: Has anybody tried this one, made by Dansk?

https://store.concept1.ca/Steering-Coupler-Bus-68-79-211415417-JP

bad link

Wed Sep 11, 2019 8:59 am

alman72 wrote: bvolks wrote: Has anybody tried this one, made by Dansk?

https://store.concept1.ca/Steering-Coupler-Bus-68-79-211415417-JP

bad link

Sorry about that. Try this.
https://store.concept1.ca/Steering-Coupler-Bus-68-79-211415417-JP/

Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:29 am

bvolks wrote: Try this. <some link>

I get Page Not Found, from Concept1. Its the same
link you posted before.

Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:40 am

That's odd. I got my daughter to try it and it works for her.

Wed Sep 11, 2019 11:13 am

I think their site automagically detects if you're coming from the US or Canada, which screws up the link. I also got a Page Not Found, then entered
the part number and it took me to a usstore.concept1.ca page.

Try: http://usstore.concept1.ca/Steering-Coupler-Bus-68-79-211415417-JP-64004/

That said, if it's anything like the JP Group sway bar clamps I tried working with a couple months ago I'd run far far away. Steering coupler is *far* more safety-critical than swap bar clamps...

Thu Oct 31, 2019 8:40 am

I read this whole thread, great read.
Since i also needed this part, my hunt began to find the best solution!
With a lot of correct & incorrect info on this part i had to find out myself.

I have spent a few weeks searching and researching about the 211415417 T2 bus steering coupling.

I also tested almost every coupling type on the current market and came to the conclusions that ALL of them are JUNK.,
The following are just some i tried;
C&C/ OEM, Premium quality, Richard Davies type.
All of which were very soft and could easily be bent/ taco'd in half.

Unfortunately they are all produced now to a price and not quality.

My conclusion is;
There are NO good couplings on the market.

However, i did locate a manufacturer who was one of the original producers of the disc, they can reproduce the disc to original spec now but the cost is very high even for larger quantities due to each disc being handmade in a mould.

Thu Oct 31, 2019 10:12 am

vw nutter wrote: I read this whole thread, great read.
Since i also needed this part, my hunt began to find the best solution!
With a lot of correct & incorrect info on this part i had to find out myself.

I have spent a few weeks searching and researching about the 211415417 T2 bus steering coupling.

I also tested almost every coupling type on the current market and came to the conclusions that ALL of them are JUNK.,
The following are just some i tried;
C&C/ OEM, Premium quality, Richard Davies type.
All of which were very soft and could easily be bent/ taco'd in half.

Unfortunately they are all produced now to a price and not quality.

My conclusion is;
There are NO good couplings on the market.

However, i did locate a manufacturer who was one of the original producers of the disc, they can reproduce the disc to original spec now but the cost is very high even for larger quantities due to each disc being handmade in a mould.

Did you actually try the one from Richard Davies?

Thu Oct 31, 2019 3:40 pm

vw nutter wrote: I read this whole thread, great read.
Since i also needed this part, my hunt began to find the best solution!
With a lot of correct & incorrect info on this part i had to find out myself.

I have spent a few weeks searching and researching about the 211415417 T2 bus steering coupling.

I also tested almost every coupling type on the current market and came to the conclusions that ALL of them are JUNK.,
The following are just some i tried;
C&C/ OEM, Premium quality, Richard Davies type.
All of which were very soft and could easily be bent/ taco'd in half.

Unfortunately they are all produced now to a price and not quality.

My conclusion is;
There are NO good couplings on the market.

However, i did locate a manufacturer who was one of the original producers of the disc, they can reproduce the disc to original spec now but the cost is very high even for larger quantities due to each disc being handmade in a mould.

The NOS couplers are still out there. I stumbled across (4) at a VW swap a couple of years ago.

Thu Oct 31, 2019 4:05 pm

wcfvw69 wrote: The NOS couplers are still out there. I stumbled across (4) at a VW swap a couple of years ago.
Same here. I found one at the Pomona Swap Meet a year ago and bought one... even though I don't need one yet.
Keep looking, and you'll find them.

Sat Nov 02, 2019 3:16 am

Did you actually try the one from Richard Davies?[/quote]

YES i bought 50 pieces off him, They were ALL JUNK. I returned them all back to him.

Sat Nov 02, 2019 3:26 am

[quote="wcfvw69".[/quote]

The NOS couplers are still out there. I stumbled across (4) at a VW swap a couple of years ago.[/quote]

YES but VERY hard to find,
I struck it lucky this week and found 9 original VW ones and some beetle original VW ones from an old VW dealer who had old stock left, they were stored cool and in the dark. The quality is night and day compared to all the repro junk on the current market.

. im happy now! 8)