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How tight should the nut be tightened that holds the steering wheel on. When tightening it starts to bind on the steering jacket. From looking at the manual it seems all the parts are there. My manual says to see TM 9-804, but I can't find it .Looking in TM9-1804B it says to tighten steering wheel,no specs. Any giudance would be appreciated. Thanks !

DJ

If all the parts are installed properly, I would tighten it so that it is not loose and does not inhibit the turning of the steering wheel.

DJ,
TM 9-804 is the very early M38 service manual which was superseded by TM 9-8012. The wheel is driven on until seated then nut is installed. If you are able to get wheel down far enough to have it rub against the mast then something is askew. The nut gets a standard torque for a 13/16 x 20 threaded nut since the manual offers no special torque figure. This is true throughout your encounters with fasteners on your jeep. If the manual does not give a special torque figure for a specific part then you are to automatically to refer to the standard torque charts for the fastener grade and thread pitch/size you are dealing with. However in the chart below you'll note that 13/16 x 20 is not listed. This is a very odd special purpose bolt size.The fine thread dry torques for the 3/4 and 7/8 sizes are 180 to 230 foot pounds. This is in my opinion way to high for the steering wheel application and I would use about 35 to 40 foot pounds with dry clean threads.

Thanks ,Wes and Ryan, I seem to have found a happy medium,the wheel is snug,and doesn't rub much. If I remember correctly when I got the jeep the wheel was loose,I know with just a little wiggle and a small tug it came off. I'm asuming that the grooves are worn causing the wheel to have to tighten a bit more,I'll try it and see what happens.

Thanks again DJ