Intermediate steering shaft

A telescopic steering shaft comprising:

• a polygonal tubular shaft connected by a first universal joint to a first one of a steering shaft and a steering gear input shaft,
• a polygonal solid shaft telescopically slidably disposed in said polygonal tubular shaft and rotatable as a unit therewith and connected by a second universal joint to a second one of said steering shaft and said steering gear input shaft, and
• a twist lock on said polygonal tubular shaft manually actuated between an open position in which said polygonal solid shaft is freely telescopically slidable relative to said polygonal tubular shaft and a closed position in which said twist lock forces a side of said polygonal solid shaft against a side of said polygonal tubular shaft so that torque transfer therebetween is angular lash-free,
• said twist lock including
• a sleeve supported on said polygonal tubular shaft for rotation about a longitudinal centerline thereof,
• a window in a first side of said polygonal tubular shaft,
• a plug in said window shiftable radially relative to said longitudinal centerline of said polygonal tubular shaft having an end engageable on a first side of said polygonal solid shaft for applying a force thereto perpendicular to a longitudinal centerline of said polygonal solid shaft whereby a second side of said polygonal solid shaft is forced against a second side of said polygonal tubular shaft,
• a cantilever spring on said plug, and
• an actuator on said sleeve engageable on said cantilever spring to flex said cantilever spring and bias said plug against said first side of said polygonal solid shaft when said sleeve is manually rotated to a first position thereof corresponding to said closed position of said twist lock from a second position thereof corresponding to an open position of said twist lock.