Resolved 2G Steering column pinch collar won't go onto pinion all the way

kyler021 · Apr 3, 2026

As the title says, I'm having trouble getting the steering column pinch collar thing onto the pinion. It will somewhat go on, but I still see the splines on the bottom and I can't get the pinch bolt into the sleeve.

I have recently changed the stock subframe bushings out for the torque solutions aluminum bushings. The subframe is fully torqued with the weight of the car on the ground. The rack is tight and I've tried multiple methods of getting it on. I've referenced the following forums post: https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/steering-rack-install-issue.421736/
I followed every different way to try and get the collar on. I'm not sure where to go or what to do right now. The pictures attached are as far as I can get it to go down with the steering column bolts loosened.

Any ideas guys?

Thanks!

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chrysler kid · Apr 6, 2026

I remember this being a pain to do on my car. The first car I did I had to loosen the entire column inside the car to free up the tension on the joint to get it to slip into the rack. It sounds like a pain but there are 4 main bracket bolts that hold the column in the dash

The second time I did it I think I was able to just install everything and eventually by just turning the wheel around several times while the wheels were in the air, the tension in the joint eventually pushed the yoke down onto the pinion.

kyler021 · Apr 9, 2026

chrysler kid said:
It sounds like a pain but there are 4 main bracket bolts that hold the column in the dash

I have those fully loosened currently. I had taken all of them out at one point and had someone push the steering column towards the rack. It still wouldn't get down far enough. Did you have someone push down really hard on the column while you pulled it down onto the splines? I also tried that but my mom was getting tired so I'm not sure if she could push it all the way.

chrysler kid said:
The second time I did it I think I was able to just install everything and eventually by just turning the wheel around several times while the wheels were in the air, the tension in the joint eventually pushed the yoke down onto the pinion.

I also did this multiple times trying to get the steering wheel centered. Still was unable to get it down all the way.

I'm thinking I made a mistake somewhere somehow and that's why it won't line back up. Just trying to think of all the possibilities to check.

chrysler kid · Apr 11, 2026

Hmm I did this both times by myself. Just make sure you don’t have the bolt in the yoke joint until it slides down where you want to bolt it

kyler021 · Apr 11, 2026

chrysler kid said:
Hmm I did this both times by myself. Just make sure you don’t have the bolt in the yoke joint until it slides down where you want to bolt it

Bolt has been out everytime I tried. I just thought of this but, is the pinion keyed? I forgot to look when I had it out. I don't think it is but it's possible I missed it.

chrysler kid · Apr 14, 2026

kyler021 said:
Bolt has been out everytime I tried. I just thought of this but, is the pinion keyed? I forgot to look when I had it out. I don't think it is but it's possible I missed it.

It’s not keyed, but it was a pain. I might have even left the bolt loose in my daily Dsm because I knew it would never come loose. I remember checking on it a week later and it was fully seated on the rack and that’s when I installed the bolt in the collar with a long extension behind the intake manifold

jesse12345 · Apr 14, 2026

I've done this on 3 different cars. Make sure the splines aren't mashed and to give it a little bit of help I use a flat head screw driver to spread the collar open just a hair. You'll have to jiggle it while you pull down on it. Mine were kind of rusty and that did the trick every time.

kyler021 · Apr 14, 2026

jesse12345 said:
I've done this on 3 different cars. Make sure the splines aren't mashed and to give it a little bit of help I use a flat head screw driver to spread the collar open just a hair. You'll have to jiggle it while you pull down on it. Mine were kind of rusty and that did the trick every time.

Did you get it on with the mounting bolts on the rack loose every time? I'm kinda thinking the collar is bound up with the rack being bolted in. Like it's going in at a weird angle. I also tried doing the screwdriver thing and it didn't look like it did anything at all. I'm gonna call some friends over this weekend to help me get this in. Everyone says it's so easy when I talk to them about it which frustrates me. I swear this car just hates me all the time. I'll make an update post when I get the chance to work on it this weekend.

jesse12345 · Apr 15, 2026

The only bolts I've ever had to loosen were the steering column itself. The shaft does slide back and forth. Another thing to is that collar will get hung up if it's not straight when you try to slide it on. Maybe try pulling it back off and turn it a tooth. Make sure to wiggle and keep straight. Sometimes you really have to pull but you have to wiggle just as much especially if its a little crusty. I know your trying to keep that steering wheel as straight as possible but that's what alignments are for. Hopefully this helps.

kyler021 · Apr 19, 2026

Basically, I was just overthinking it the whole time. I went under the car with the bolts for the rack undone, pushed it up at a certain angle while my buddy pulled down on the collar thing. We got it on eventually. I'm worried about alignment though, I'm not sure if I got it centered enough but we'll see once it goes for the alignment. Thanks for the tips guys!

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Resolved 2G Steering column pinch collar won't go onto pinion all the way

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