I have a 1990 BonnieVille SSE...., I had to replace the ignition switch and now i cant get the steering wheel back together....because we cant get it far enough to put the carter ring back on the metal arm?? heh please help thanks david

hrmmmmm... is it possible to get some pics of your current situation?

What tool do i need???

I replaced mine just over a year ago, and if I remember correctly I compressed the spring while my wife inserted some clip or something to that effect. I remember that I was alittle impatient and I was telling her to hurry up.

Keep it clean guys.....were talking about the mighty Bonne.

Frank

Yes there is a special tool you need to use to compress the metal ring. It'* going to be next to impossible without it. I had to do one on an old lesabre fullsize a while back and i can't imagine doing it without the tool.

my goodness!! you mean some of you people got that LOCKPLATE off of the wheel column WITHOUT a Lockplate removal tool?!!!

I take my steerng wheel off every few months to tighten up the column (it gets loose at the tilt part) so i know it well on my '87. Should be similar.

The lockplate (aka gear-like shaped thin plate that sits under the steering wheel needs to be pushed in with a lockplate removal tool (looks like a U with a **** at the bottom). It'* pretty straight forward, it screws onto the steering column'* center shaft and then (using a wingnut on its know) you can compress the lockplate'* spring. that lets you EASILY remove the snapring that holds the lockplate on.

Two things amaze me: #1 that that little snapring holds the pressure of that spring down and keeps the lockplate on at all times and
#2 that ppl here were able to remove that snapring without a lockplate tool and didn't have that lock plate fire off at their faces!!! Careful out there guys!

Let me know anything else u need bud, you'll get it back together quick!

Mike Diaz