My 75 Lesabre is pretty much finished restoration, it has this little backfire problem when accelerating hard but that another thread. The steering wheel is getting really sticky in the warmer weather any solutions to this problem?
My Dad complains of the same problem with his 75 Lesabre Conv. Ive heard of WD40, Goo Gone, brake cleaner... Dad has not tried either yet, I guess it cant be that bad. Its happening because the rubber is breaking down, what ever you find to clean it off, you'll have to do it again when it gets sticky again.
Take the wheel off and apply purple power and use a scrub brush...then rinse with hot water. Wipe down with lacquer thinner and then apply a protectorant
Spray 9 worked for me, using a 50/50 mix with water... ---------- Post added at 05:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 PM ---------- but maybe my steering wheel wasn't as bad
I'll try that this weekend, Would www.303products.com be fine for the protectant? This is a new, (well new-ish) wheel I bought from a member here!
I had a severe issue with my wheel. Beyond sticky I actually had an orange colored oil dripping off the bottom of the wheel when ever the temps got into the 90's. When the temp dropped the wheel would be sticky along with the spot on the seat where the drips landed. I guess it eventually ran out of the mystery fluid because after a while the dripping stopped and the wheel lost its sticky coating. I think it's some sort of substance used in the vinyl which over time breaks down and seeps out. Now that mine has dried out I'm expecting the wheel to start cracking any day now.
Plastics are made from oil, and when certain types of plastic start breaking down some do it by reverting back to the oil they came from, or by seperating some of it out. The GM Sport/Rallye wheels do this all the time, and when it occurs you get several effects, they get sticky, get harder, and sometimes start to shrink or crack. This is why the stainless steel bands start getting loose or fall off some wheels. I reproduce the 70 GSX wheels by getting 15" wheels, cutting the plastic grip off, and injecting a new ring around the core structure after it is reconditioned. If you pick up an original used 70 GSX wheel today it will be pretty hard, but originally they had a "give" to them and the change is all due to the material breaking down. You really have to appreciate how well the GM Engineers made these parts. The plastic parts in our cars were only designed to last something like 5-7 years (I asked some of them this question myself) and many of our parts are still going strong some 40+ years later. Duane
WD40 is a temporary lubricant, as it evaporates quickly. . It's purpose is for drying things out, especially electrical. . WD stands for "water displacement"
This thread reminds of a jackass I worked with long ago that loved to wipe banana peels on coworker's steering wheels when they forgot to lock their car. It didn't show up once it dried, but when the wheel got warm from your hand it would get nice and gooey and sticky. If your steering wheel smells like banana just use a little soap and water.
I was hoping that someone had perhaps cleaned the wheel and then coated it with clearcoat or something that would stablize the stickiness.
I use GOOP hand cleaner from the auto parts stores and a scrub brush. Wipe dry with a towel and the sticky goo seems to stay away for months even in the heat of summer. This stuff removes mold and mildew too and is CHEAP!
I had the dreaded sticky wheel, too. I used George's method, scrubbed it to death with Purple cleaner and wiped it down with lacquer thinner. Then I masked off all the metal and painted it with SEM landau black. A couple days later I had to push the car in and out of the garage while steering and when I looked at my hands afterwards they had turned black. I ended up putting on a Wheelskins leather cover.
As far as I'm concerned that's the only cure. Once a wheel contracts the dreaded Gooey disease you can treat the symptom but there is no cure What I want to know is why some get it and others don't ?
Alan, Some of the colors seem immune to this, as are some of the later made black wheels. I imagine there was some type of material change during production. The later year black wheels have more of a "plastic" look and feel to them then the earlier ones. Duane
Laquer thinner is far too harsh on plastics. I would never use it on any plastic part. I'm not too fond of the Purple Stuff either. Goop and other hand cleaners do no damage. The only time I use laquer thinner on plastic/vinyl is for paint/dye prep.
