zasboy

iTrader: (3)

Hi all,

I was wondering if anybody ran into a problem with the steering wheel column lever lock. For my problem, the lever lock doesn't lock the steering column into position. Even when locked, the steering wheel will not stay in position. Steering wheel still turns the wheel but the column itself will not lock into position.

I was also wondering if anybody has the page in the service manual on the steering column assembly. I'm going to take off the plastic housing on the steering column and try to try to troubleshoot the problem. Hopefully it's not a huge problem

-Thanks

barneyb

I've had the steering column out of my car. There are repeated service manual warnings about not releasing the tilt lock if the column is unbolted from the car. This they say this will damage the mechanism that allows the column to collapse in an accident. Also, they say, if the tilt lock is released while the column is off the car it cannot be reinstalled correctly.

So, if you figure on removing the steering column and the tilt lock doesn't work - well, I don't know what you do.

z33c

iTrader: (7)

that does not sound fun to deal with at all. and sounds even worst to fix. good luck.

zasboy

iTrader: (3)

Update:

Took some time during the night to troubleshoot the problem. My suspicion was correct. The steering column slid out of the brackets that were used to tilt the column.

The simplified way to describe it is that the tilt assembly holds the steering column. Then the tilt assembly slides into two brackets. Then the brackets are bolted to the frame.

This is where I found the problem. The tilt assembly was not connected to the brackets and had slid off from them. I don't know how this happened. I know the tilt assembly should be able to slide in and out of the brackets. That's the purpose of the tilt function to move the steering column up and down. But how did the tilt assembly completely slid out of the brackets.


I took some pictures to the describe the problem.

The bracket:


Another shot of the bracket:


Where the bracket slides onto the tilt assembly:


How it should be connected:


So my dilemma is how did the tilt assembly slid off completely from the brackets?

zasboy

iTrader: (3)

Update post above

barneyb

When I had my column out it was just in the way of something else I was trying to get to. So, I read the warnings and pulled the column never paying any attention to how it was constructed. Anyway, I'm guessing the warnings in the manual were about what you found. In other words someone had the column out and unlocked it.

03 AMS Tom

iTrader: (1)

Wish mine was that simple. Seems like the bolt/nut below the tabs isnt tight enough.

zasboy

iTrader: (3)

Bingo. That's what I thought so too. So I tighten the bolt to specs and hope it doesn't come loose again. If it does, I'll put some blue loctite on it.

17579EVO9MR

iTrader: (12)

This is the issue I'm having. The steering column never left the car but the tilt feature slid out if its bracket. So I'm trying to pull in back in the grove and the last 1/2" won't pull back, so I can fasten the break away brackets