Tilt Steering Wheel Disassembly

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

Hello,

Does anyone have any idea how the heck you're supposed to get at the locking
clip under the steering wheel on a tilt steering wheel column shaft?

Normally there's what's called a "lock plate" that you compress with a special
lock plate tool.  Once this plate is compressed, you pop the clip from around
the shaft with a screwdriver.  The tool is then removed which allows further
disassembly of the steering column.

This tilt wheel column I'm messing with doesn't have a traditional lock plate.
Instead, it simply has a metal thrust washer similar to what you'd find in the
center of the lock plate.  The thrust washer has to be compressed just like
the lock plate in order to get the clip off the shaft.

I'm having trouble figuring just how to get something on that narrow thrust
washer and still have room to try and dig at the clip.  Any ideas?  Has anyone
encountered this?  How did you handle it?

Thanks a million,

John
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jlandry@domain.elided             |
Conservative Libertarian        |  Scout(R) the America others pass by
Life Member of the NRA          | in the Scout Traveler escape-machine.
WA Arms Collectors              |
Commercial Helicopter - Inst.   | 1976 Scout II Traveler "Patriot" model 
http://www.halcyon.com/jlandry/ |     1977 Scout II Traveler (Parts)