Sticky Gooey Steering Wheel

[Gregski]

Fellas

My steering wheel looks and feels like someone dipped it in tar, WTH?

I took it off and am soaking it in a big plastic tub full of hot water and dish soap.

Has this happened to anyone else, I am in Northern California and bought the '74 bugger off an old farmer, what in the world did he do to it, LOL?

[tucsonjwt]

Very common. Dirt and sweaty hands create gunk. Use orange hand cleaner and rub it in, then use soap and water. Cover with two or more steering wheel wraps which are the lace up kind, but have a foam backing. Use the normal size for the first wrap, get an oversize one for the second wrap. Converts the old skinny steering wheel to a more modern fat steering wheel. In the future, you can discard the outer wrap and install a new one if you don't want to clean it as described above. About $8 for a wrap.

[mattybilt79]

I have had multiple trucks with that problem. Seems to be worse the longer that the vehicle has sat. Honestly I think a lot of it is the resin sweating out of the wheel. Always have used cleaner of choice and scrubbed it off and issue usually goes away after driving regularly.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

Dirt and sweaty hands create gunk. Use orange hand cleaner ...

Man mine can't be dirt and sweat, cause I can remove dirt and sweat with a paper towel and a garden hose, my stuff is like whale snot, LOL I am scraping it off with a screw driver and it comes off like rubber cement

went out and bought the orange cleaner, and this gunk just laughed at it, it totally did not work at all and I scrubbed the sh!t out of it

only thing semi working is Acetone (the stuff you use before you go and paint something)

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by mattybilt79

Honestly I think a lot of it is the resin sweating out of the wheel...

You know Matt that's what I thought too, glad someone else shares that idea, cause there's no way it could be grease seeping upwards (defying gravity) out of the steering column

nasty stuff, don't wish it upon anybody

[franken]

I soaked a wheel in purple power for a few days and that cured it...

[slam59]

Hey gregski that's the same problem I'm having and it is nasty sticky stuff. Gonna try the purple power

[farmall]

Its the rubber/plastic breaking down. Throw it away.

[franken]

No, old hard plastic shiny wheels may not be savable, but more newer ones are.
The plastic is different.
The one I fixed was from a scrapyard car and nasty. Cleaned up like new.
I also have a black shiny plastic wheel that isn't sticky, so who knows.

[bnoon]

Yeah just grab one out of the salvage yard that isnt breaking down.

[tucsonjwt]

So just cover it up with wraps?

[donut]

I've used acetone, wd-40, lacquer thinner... whatever works. It will take elbow grease and some work. If you get it where the rag comes out clean, then your good. After that you can keep it clean with the cleaner of choice and or wrap it if it's bad.

Grabbing one out of the junk yard, IMO, is a crapshoot. You may have the same problem, just one you already have money into.

[Dead Parrot]

Mine was doing that. After many attempts with various cleaners and solvents, gave up and went to Pull-a-Part. A bit of wandering about the GM car section, found a 80's era Blazer wheel that after checking fit and look on a square in the yard, took home for $5. It is black and has a Chevy emblem on the horn button. Also took home a Pontiac wheel as a spare that didn't match the column as well, functionally fit fine. Also $5.